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Chickamauga

Chattanooga. This preliminary campaign endedon the 3d of July, the same day which witnessedMeade’s victory at Gettysburg and the hoisting ofthe white flag by the rebel commander at Vicks­ burg . In nine days Rosecrans had driven theenemy from middle Tennessee without a battle.He had one great advantage in a superiority ofnumbers which enabled him to extend his left wingtoward the enemy’s rear, while still retaining forceenough on his right to make serious demonstrationsthere. He had now nearly 70,000 men, whileBragg had but 43,000. Accordingly on reachingChattanooga , Bragg felt it necessary to call inBuckner’s force from eastern Tennessee , thus giv-ing up Knoxville , which Burnside immediatelyoccupied. Much good had thus been accomplishedby Rosecrans at small cost. The people, elatedwith the recent victories as much as they had be-fore been depressed, looked on with eager expecta-tion. Grant, Rosecrans, and Meade were at thatmoment the three conspicuous figures whose everymovement occupied the attention of the wholecountry.

The second stage of the campaign so well begunwas devoted to driving the enemy out of Chatta­ nooga . The place was excessively difficult to ap-proach from the north side of the Tennessee riverin any direction. The Union army lay in a north-