The Council of War
[FONT="]September 19th, 1863 – Evening[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee’s Headquarters, Eastern Bank, Chickamauga Creek – Georgia[/FONT]
[FONT="]While riding back, Bragg continued. “So yes, General Lee, as I was saying, I would oh so much rather have you in command here than anyone else. Many of my subordinates have been……not properly subordinate at times in the past. Or competent, for that matter.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee thought for a moment. Word had passed through the grapevine of the many denunciations that occurred after the loss at Murfreesboro, some months ago. Best to play this carefully, Lee thought, to figure out who the good commander are. “Oh?” he asked non-committal-ly. “Like who, for example?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Well, for starters, General Leonidas Polk!” Bragg fumed. “A good-for-nothing, totally incompetent, ignores orders right and left. He botched up all of the attacks I had planned for after Rosecrans crossed the river. But he’s been just as malcontent ever since the Kentucky invasion. Also too cautious, in my opinion, even if every other quality of his was a good one, which they’re not. The only reason I think the General hasn’t been drummed out of the service, unceremoniously and with a good kick in the rear end, I may add, is because he and The President are good personal friends.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Well, so are you, or so I have heard[/FONT][FONT="], Lee thought. But this was exactly the kind of thing he wanted to hear. He needed to know the relations between the Army of Tennessee’s commanders, to figure out what to do.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Or you take Major General Simon Bolivar Buckner, for instance.” Bragg continued, biting off ever word. This whole thing was a tirade he clearly needed to let out. “That no-good lout has been a thorn in my side since the war started. Ever since Shiloh, way back, didn’t get along at all. Botched up his assignment in Kentucky, did it again at Murfreesboro, and then he had the gall, the infernal gall, to claim that it was my fault we lost the battle. Appealed straight to Richmond, and so of course the powers that be go and reward him by giving him a corps and an independent command over by Knoxville, which of course he didn’t hold either.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee was paying careful attention to the specifics of Bragg’s tirade. His accusations against Buckner were more personal, less a matter of military competence, than those against Polk. And with that Lee determined that he had better get opinions from more than one person.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Of course, however bad a man may be does not affect the men serving under him. General Stewart is as fine a division commander as they come. General Walker has charge of the reserve corps, and he’s given me no trouble. But then, he’s new to command, and it’s a hastily thrown-together corps anyway. Likewise Brigadier General Johnson and his independent division. But at the divisional level, the only really dependable commander you have to look to is General Patrick Cleburne. Does what he’s ordered, no back-talking, and more often than not he actually succeeds. He has that fire in him, which is more than I can say about anybody else in this Army.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“What about General Daniel Hill?” Lee asked. This was one of the few commanders he knew personally, Hill having commanded one of his divisions earlier in 1862.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Bragg considered. “Hill’s alright, I guess. Hasn’t been in command of a corps that long. Ambitious, certainly. Some back-talking for sure. Irritable. But he’s not one of the major trouble-makers in this army. You’ve got to watch out for his other division commander – John Breckenridge. I made the unfortunate mistake, once, of insinuating that Kentuckians were something less than demi-Gods come on earth, and all of a sudden he turns on me. Refuses to attack when ordered, whines and complains all the time, writes letters to Richmond defaming me – half the time working right along with Polk, don’t mistake that – and in general just a crabby annoying man. Doesn’t lack for straight-up ability – if you can get him to attack in the first place, which half the time I can’t.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee by now was half amused and half worried. How was he supposed to weld this bunch of clashing personalities and part-time-incompetents into a working Army?[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Anyone else I should know about?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Hmm. Benjamin Cheatham drinks to excess, on many occasions, but if he’s not drunk then he’ll fight. Hindman’s okay, but he’s bridling under Polk’s command, so I really couldn’t say. Walker’s commanders……Gist and Liddell, that would be……I wouldn’t know too much about them. Just arrived from Mississippi recently. Haven’t had any real problems. Well – except that Liddell was in with Polk and Breckenridge and Buckner on the letter-writing campaign to Richmond after Murfreesboro, but……not an issue for you, anyway. Preston seems alright too, fought well enough today. The cavalry – oh the cavalry. All the commanders over there, they’re just blowing their own horns, singing of their great raids everywhere. In reality the worst scoundrels I’ve ever run across. No sense of proper etiquette………well – maybe they won’t offend you so much as they’ve offended me, on too many occasions. If you can get along with them, they’ll fight like the devil, and no mistake. Forrest especially.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“So I’ve heard,” commented Lee. This is going to be a difficult meeting.[/FONT]
[FONT="]--------[/FONT]
[FONT="]By the time Lee and Bragg arrived at the headquarters tents Lee’s staff had been setting up, some of the Army of Tennessee’s Generals had begun to arrive. With one sideways glance Lee inquired if Bragg could make the introductions.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“General Lee, allow me to introduce you to some of my commanders. This is Lieutenant General Polk, commanding one of my corps. And General Hindman came along with him, his junior division commander. And…” Bragg peered into the darkness, “…General Cleburne. Technically commanding one of Hill’s divisions. What are you doing here at all, General? I thought your attack would be underway by now.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee looked distinctly uncomfortable. “Oh. My deepest apologies, General Bragg. I forgot to inform you earlier. I took the liberty of postponing all attacks for this evening. Given the darkness it seemed prudent. Plus I want time to discern the lay of the battlefield. I am sorry, General.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Cleburne broke in, his voice sounding nothing if not approving. “Don’t be troubling yourself, General.” His Irish accent was slight yet distinctive. “It was the right order. It took me most of an hour to get my brigades lined up properly, and if they had gone forward most of them would be crossing just about the only open field in these woods, where they’d be targets.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee had heard good things about General Cleburne even before Bragg confirmed them, so approval from him was most gratifying. Then Polk broke in: “Yes, General Lee, and as it turned out, not ten minutes had gone by after I halted the attack when the yankees got up and fell back.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“You don’t say!” Lee exclaimed. “Fell back how far?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“I have Cheatham commanding that part of the field in my absence, he’s sent scouts out. Preliminary reports say about half a mile, which was just as far as my attack was planned to push them anyway.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Pure dumb luck,” Bragg muttered angrily.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Yes, it was luck of a sort” Lee interjected. “Certainly a positive result, but also quite lucky. Certainly it saved the lives of many men who would otherwise lie dead on the field. On the other hand, at least they would have pushed those people back, had General Cleburne’s division gone forward – at least they would be dead in a successful attack. Small consolation.” Politicking had never been one of Lee’s strongest points, thought improvising here he was not doing too poorly.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“General Polk, would you mind stepping into my tent for a moment, and showing me on the map just what your position is?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Polk stepped forward. “Certainly, sir. I am at your convenience.” And they walked forward into Lee’s tent.[/FONT]
[FONT="]By torchlight, Polk traced in the lines representing the positions of his men, and Cleburne’s, and the best approximation of the Federals’ positions. “As best as we can figure it, General Lee, the left wing of the Federal Army, opposing our right, has pulled back into a broad salient facing us. Ordinarily that would be good for us, but the Lafayette road spells out the base line of the salient, so they can shuttle troops anywhere they need to. And the whole line runs through woods. If they spend the night entrenching, and I see no reason why they shouldn’t, it will be a strong position come tomorrow.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee slowly nodded. “I see. Yes, that does look like a tough nut to crack. What of the approaches to their position – how easily can we flank them to our right?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Polk frowned. “I wouldn’t know much about that, General Lee, sir, seeing as all day today we’ve been pretty much attacking them frontally. Cheatham – that’s one of my division commanders – went in late morning, broke the first few brigades he came to, but then got disorganized and was hit by enemy reinforcements.” Polk paused, exhaled. “Sir, I don’t think today’s battle had anything much in the way of tactics involved, neither side knew the ground well at all, neither side was expecting the other. We were actually trying to flank them today, but as it turned out their flank went a few miles past where we thought. General, if you want to flank the yankees on the morrow, you’ll need someone else to tell you about the terrain.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee was disappointed. It was one of the corps commander’s jobs to know the ground he was fighting over. Even if finding out about the ground to one’s flank did not technically fulfill that description, it would still have been a welcome initiative.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee simply said, “Alright. I will wait until everybody arrives to look at the map in detail, then. Let me ask you a different question, if I may.” Polk waited expectantly. Lee asked, “What is your opinion in general of the conduct of the campaign up to this point?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Polk considered for a moment. “It’s been not everything it could be. Bragg tries, you know what I mean, General, he puts in effort, but none of his plans have ever been what you could call stellar. Several times in the past ten days he has given orders for an attack that would be against a superior force, entrenched, attacking over open ground. I have had to……carefully parse his orders in order to ensure the safety of my men. But no one else really minds.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee looked inquiringly. “They don’t?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Oh no, sir! In fact for much of the time, I’ve gotten their help to successfully diffuse an attack – General Walker, General Buckner – it’s been a group effort, trying to figure out exactly what Bragg’s plans are, and then how much of them can safely be done.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Well[/FONT][FONT="], Lee thought. That’s a very different picture than what Bragg painted. I need corroboration from someone whose opinion I can trust. And that means only one person…[/FONT]
[FONT="]-----[/FONT]
[FONT="]Conveniently, a moment later a call arose from outside the tent. “General Hill. General Breckenridge. Welcome! General Lee is just inside, and I’m sure he will be with you momentarily…”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee turned to Polk. “You’ll have to excuse me for a moment, General. If I’m to fill this map in, I must hear from everyone.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Of course, General” said Polk, very amiably, and walked out.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee poked his head out of the tent, and saw indeed that one of the people in the growing crowd was General Daniel Harvey Hill. “General Hill! Very good to see you again, General. Would you step inside for a moment with me, please?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Of course, General Lee,” Hill replied, slight curiosity in his voice, and walked in.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“I hear you’ve done great things since I left the Army of Northern Virginia,” said Hill, slight bitterness in his voice. Lee had recommended to President Davis to transfer Hill to a different theatre during the winter of 1863.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“First of all, all the praise goes to the valiant men under my command. But as for you personally, I felt that continuing to serve as a mere division commander would be stifling. General Rodes was competent and ready to prove himself at that level, but you, my good General, needed a wider field to prove your talents in. And now look – a Lieutenant General and in command of a corps.” There was some flattery in Lee’s words, but on the whole he was sincere. General Hill had been a fine commander. Lee simply failed to bring up again some of the personality conflicts that had also led to Hill’s transfer.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“And perhaps the best corps in this Army!” Hill put in. “Just wait until the fighting starts again tomorrow. I tell you, if old Stonewall could see General Cleburne and his men fighting, he would immediately ask for command of them. And General Breckenridge……what can I say, except that he wants to drive the yankees all the way back into, and then out of, Kentucky.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“I believe it. I look forward to the demonstration, General.” Hill beamed. “But for now, could you please help fill in this Army’s position on the map I have right here?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Hill peered over. “Well, none of my boys were actually engaged today, countermarching all over the place, so I don’t know many of the details. But what you have so far looks about right. The yankee right, opposing our left, is pretty much a straight line running right along the Lafayette road. So their whole position looks pretty much like a spoon, bowl part point towards us on our right.” He filled in as he spoke.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“I see,” said General Lee. “Any chance of flanking them from our left?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“I don’t think so, General. The Chickamauga Creek flows west as it goes south, so their right flank is all but anchored on it. We could send men around, but there are no good roads, and only a narrow area of fields at all. I’m not sure what it would accomplish.” But then his face brightened. “On the other hand, we damn well near broke through the center of their line at least twice today.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Really? Where?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“There are two fields right in front of their current line. Here, the Viniard Farm, and here, the Brotherton Farm. Well, earlier today the federal position was in front of those fields, and as we pushed them back into them their organization broke. We just about had them running – so Generals Stewart and Liddell tell me – but just as our attacks were running out of steam enemy reinforcements showed up. Still, we pushed them back farther there than against our right, which explains our current position. The whole battle today was just a confused melee, anyway, and you can’t really fault anyone for it. No one on either side was expecting a battle, and troops were coming in from all directions.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“I see,” Lee said again. “Alright. And now I must ask you an even more important question, General Hill. What is wrong with this Army? Why does it seem like everybody in high command refuse to cooperate with everybody else?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Hill was startled for a moment at Lee’s frankness, but answered the question as it was given. Slowly he spoke: “The Generals in this Army suffer two critical failures. Some of them, they are simply not good Generals. Not tactically, not strategically……just not good. Even if they can inspire their troops, which not all of them can. Some others, they feel the need to be right. They won’t accept criticism from anyone, and hold very strong and undeserved grudges. The problem with this Army is its two highest Generals. General Polk is a General of the first category, and General Bragg is one of the second. Many of the others have one of these flaws, but none cause as many problems.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Bragg is……a difficult man to get along with. He has brains, he can think of good plans. But he cannot get other people to agree that they are good plans. Deservedly or not, virtually all the other Generals in this Army tried to get rid of him. Polk was the ringleader, but everybody supported it. Even my division commanders – especially Breckenridge……but that’s not important. Polk led the charge because he was likeable, and has power in Richmond, just like Bragg does. That led to a very shaky command structure, but it worked in a manner at least until Bragg got hurt. [/FONT]
[FONT="]“Once Polk actually had the command, everyone realized that he was an incompetent ass, likeable or not. He thought that some of the orders Bragg issued just a couple of weeks ago were wrong. I looked at the maps, General. Perhaps there was a better strategy to be drawn, but Bragg’s plans were alright. Polk reads his orders for five minutes, and then just sits there. And, by virtue of rank, he orders everyone else to sit there. Buckner became furious at not being allowed to do anything. Walker became furious at having his own orders superseded. I escaped the worst because my command was the reserve corps during the whole mess.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“So nobody will work with Bragg because he is an unlikeable bastard, and nobody will work with Polk because he is an incompetent bastard. All in all, I am damned happy to have you here in command, General Lee.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Now that was a rant of the first order,[/FONT][FONT="] thought Lee. And yet it has all the earmarks of being true. “So, let me just pursue a line of thought for a moment, if I am given advice from General Bragg and General Polk, and their advice conflicts, you would have me trust General Bragg?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Nine time out of ten, at least, yes, General.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Alright.” Lee was silent for a long moment. Then he walked to the tent flaps and opened them. The crowd of Generals was larger than ever. “Come in, gentlemen, and let this council of war begin.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]---------[/FONT]
[FONT="]In attendance were General Lee and his aides, General Bragg and his attendants, General Hill and his division commanders Cleburne and Breckenridge, General Polk and his division commander Hindman (Cheatham was absent), General Buckner and his division commander Stewart (Preston was absent), General Walker and his division commander Liddell (Gist was absent), General Johnson commanding his independent division, and Generals Ewell and Rodes from the Army of Northern Virginia. Early was still riding forward with his men, now nearly at the battlefield. General Forrest was present and represented about half of the cavalry of the Army.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The first part of the meeting was spent filling in maps and going over the events of the day. Some division commanders tried to inflate their own importance, and so contradicted minor points in the presentation of other Generals, but the overall impression was that the day had been a minor success, though very bloody. As the grand map was filled in more, the original impression was confirmed.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Forrest confirmed that although the Federal left flank was refused, it was technically in the air. The yankee line fronted a large open field, one of the few on the battlefield, so any Confederate attack from that direction would be seen coming. Even a movement directly southward would run up against the Union line. If the Confederates went west far enough, though, they could get in the yankees’ rear.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Polk protested, claiming that the federals would see such a movement, and no matter how far they pushed their men westward the enemy could counter their movement. Bragg backed up Forrest (at which Forrest looked over at him in suspicion – the Bragg-Forrest relationship was one of the many in this Army that was not all it could have been), saying that if the movement was fast enough it would work. It certainly would beat attacking the Federal left flank head-on. Especially because it was commander by George Thomas, one of the few Union commanders who knew what he was doing.[/FONT]
[FONT="]At the mention of Thomas Lee became emotional for a moment, caught in memories and introspection, and for yet another time wondering why Thomas had forsaken his native state.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Other Generals pointed out other parts of the Federal line that looked vulnerable, places that might be stormed by a frontal assault. Buckner said that a carefully done attack could turn the enemy’s right flank, if it was kept secret until close range. Walker disagreed, and called instead for a frontal attack on a narrow front, against the fields hugging the Lafayette Road. Ewell leaned towards Walker’s idea but claimed ignorance of the terrain. Johnson actually suggested retreating entirely and crossing the Chickamauga elsewhere, enabling a fight in a few days time on more open ground. No one seriously seconded his idea and the matter was dropped.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Hill mentioned some of the command difficulties experienced during the day, due both to the woods and to the unwieldy command structure. Bragg suggested a few reorganizations, including creating two large wings under Polk and Ewell, or three wings under Polk, Ewell, and Hill. At this Hill protested and asked for a comparison of his and Ewell’s dates of commission, but in fact Ewell was senior. Ewell demurred, again citing his lack of familiarity with the ground. But at that Buckner claimed that no one else had a better grasp of it, and there was general agreement to this statement.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The conversation kept coming back to one point. No matter where the Union line was breached, if all the Confederates accomplished was to push them back into Chattanooga, then not much had really been gained. The only way to avoid this was to push them southward. To do so they had to outflank the Union army on its left, but the terrain favored the defense, and General Thomas was a master of defense. As the council wore on, only Forrest and Bragg seriously believe that turning Thomas’ flank could be done. That had, after all, been Bragg’s original idea. Forrest, being mounted, could move quickly around the flank, but his force was not overly large. Hill was lukewarm about the idea, but most of the other Generals thought it couldn’t be done, Polk being the most vocal opponent, and everyone else lining up behind him.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Ultimately, the decision had to come from Lee. The council had lasted well over an hour, and Lee had been silent for most of it. He was pondering all of the information he had, thinking of the big picture, and trying to devise a great attack. If only he had Jackson to work with, or even Longstreet. He knew the type of thing he’d do then. But he didn’t. Instead he had Bragg and Polk, and Hill. And Cleburne……the one division commander everyone seemed to speak well of.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Well, surely I must stake this attack on someone. I think he’s the man[/FONT][FONT="].[/FONT]
[FONT="]At last Lee came forward with his idea. “Gentlemen, I believe General Bragg is correct. We accomplish nothing if those people can just retreat into Chattanooga. The whole point of this campaign is to drive them out of that city, not back into it. They must not be merely defeated. They must be crushed. And that means we must push them to the south, away from the city.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee pointed to the map. “The attack will proceed in several stages, and include many diversions. We’ll start in the center. That will be General Polk. Most of the units of this Army are going to be moving at dawn. Some will move laterally – if you do, be sure to pull back and move behind the main line. Because others will go forward. [/FONT]
[FONT="]“General Polk, you will attack en echelon along your line, from right to left. General Cheatham’s division goes in first, from its current position. General Hindman keys off of General Cheatham. Do not be afraid of extending your line too much – this attack is primarily a diversion, do not throw away lives needlessly.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“General Ewell, you will take command of Rodes’ division, whatever elements of Early’s men have arrived in time – and I am also placing General Johnson’s division under your command. That will compensate you since your own third division under General Johnston has not arrived yet. You will arrange your command into a stronger formation, compressed if you so desire, using the fields if you want to, whatever works. Take the time, wait until mid-morning, and attack from right to left, keying off of General Hindman.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“I do not require that either of your attacks break through the Northern line. It would be great if they did. But they are primarily diversions. If either of your attacks does break through, you will then turn your attack to the left, rolling up the enemy line to the south.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“General Buckner, at dawn you will pull Stewart’s men out of line from the center and march them to the south, uniting them with Preston’s men. Preston will then try to sneak around the Union right flank into best possible attacking positions – but make sure you are solidly to the south of the Union line. Stewart will connect Preston with Ewell, and it is alright if his line is relatively thin, so long as Preston’s is both strong and far enough to the west. [/FONT]
[FONT="]“Generals Polk and Ewell, if your attacks do break through the Union line, you will immediately send a messenger to General Buckner informing him of this. Immediately upon receipt of this message, and not a moment before that, General Buckner, you will order Preston forward. He will be the anvil against which Generals Polk and Ewell will strike.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“But all of this is just a grand diversion. If it works it will bag several thousand federal troops and be a glorious success. But the big attack will be from the north. At dawn, Generals Walker and Hill will pull their scattered elements out of the center of the line, pull them behind Polk’s attacking men, and unite their corps on our northern flank. Hill will hold the flank, Walker will be next in, connecting with Polk – but your line is to be a long one, so that Hill definitely extends far past the enemy’s left flank.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“General Forrest is to have his entire cavalry corps screen the movement and find out how far the Union line extends. [/FONT]
[FONT="]“At noon, Hill will move westward, Walker following. General Walker, it is permissible to have you line extended so long as it connects to Polk on the left and Hill on the right. General Hill, however, your corps will be in compact formation, Breckenridge on the left, and Cleburne the extreme right of this Army, except for General Forrest and the cavalry. Move westward very rapidly, and as soon as you are in position, attack with all your strength and vigor. I know George Thomas. He will have his line facing towards us strong well defended. The only way to defeat him is to outflank him. General Walker’s long line will allow you to get on his flank, but you, General Hill, are the one who must break him. I am relying on your men, and on your subordinate commanders.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]By this he meant General Cleburne, and everyone in the tent knew it.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Bragg turned to Lee. “That is just about the most complicated attacking plan I have ever seen, General. Almost certainly some part of it will go wrong and the whole thing will be a bloody mess.” He said this very cynically. But then his tone changed entirely, his voice lower, almost eager. “On the very slim chance that it does work, however……well, it’s going to be marvelous. The most complete victory of the war. We’re going to try this for its audacity if nothing else.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Cleburne said “My boys and I are going to turn that flank for you, General Lee, or I will not come back from the attempt.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Cheers, agreement, and encouragement rang out all through the tent.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The council of war ended soon after that.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee bent his head in prayer. Look out, George. We are coming at you tomorrow.[/FONT]
[FONT="]September 19th, 1863 – Evening[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee’s Headquarters, Eastern Bank, Chickamauga Creek – Georgia[/FONT]
[FONT="]While riding back, Bragg continued. “So yes, General Lee, as I was saying, I would oh so much rather have you in command here than anyone else. Many of my subordinates have been……not properly subordinate at times in the past. Or competent, for that matter.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee thought for a moment. Word had passed through the grapevine of the many denunciations that occurred after the loss at Murfreesboro, some months ago. Best to play this carefully, Lee thought, to figure out who the good commander are. “Oh?” he asked non-committal-ly. “Like who, for example?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Well, for starters, General Leonidas Polk!” Bragg fumed. “A good-for-nothing, totally incompetent, ignores orders right and left. He botched up all of the attacks I had planned for after Rosecrans crossed the river. But he’s been just as malcontent ever since the Kentucky invasion. Also too cautious, in my opinion, even if every other quality of his was a good one, which they’re not. The only reason I think the General hasn’t been drummed out of the service, unceremoniously and with a good kick in the rear end, I may add, is because he and The President are good personal friends.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Well, so are you, or so I have heard[/FONT][FONT="], Lee thought. But this was exactly the kind of thing he wanted to hear. He needed to know the relations between the Army of Tennessee’s commanders, to figure out what to do.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Or you take Major General Simon Bolivar Buckner, for instance.” Bragg continued, biting off ever word. This whole thing was a tirade he clearly needed to let out. “That no-good lout has been a thorn in my side since the war started. Ever since Shiloh, way back, didn’t get along at all. Botched up his assignment in Kentucky, did it again at Murfreesboro, and then he had the gall, the infernal gall, to claim that it was my fault we lost the battle. Appealed straight to Richmond, and so of course the powers that be go and reward him by giving him a corps and an independent command over by Knoxville, which of course he didn’t hold either.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee was paying careful attention to the specifics of Bragg’s tirade. His accusations against Buckner were more personal, less a matter of military competence, than those against Polk. And with that Lee determined that he had better get opinions from more than one person.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Of course, however bad a man may be does not affect the men serving under him. General Stewart is as fine a division commander as they come. General Walker has charge of the reserve corps, and he’s given me no trouble. But then, he’s new to command, and it’s a hastily thrown-together corps anyway. Likewise Brigadier General Johnson and his independent division. But at the divisional level, the only really dependable commander you have to look to is General Patrick Cleburne. Does what he’s ordered, no back-talking, and more often than not he actually succeeds. He has that fire in him, which is more than I can say about anybody else in this Army.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“What about General Daniel Hill?” Lee asked. This was one of the few commanders he knew personally, Hill having commanded one of his divisions earlier in 1862.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Bragg considered. “Hill’s alright, I guess. Hasn’t been in command of a corps that long. Ambitious, certainly. Some back-talking for sure. Irritable. But he’s not one of the major trouble-makers in this army. You’ve got to watch out for his other division commander – John Breckenridge. I made the unfortunate mistake, once, of insinuating that Kentuckians were something less than demi-Gods come on earth, and all of a sudden he turns on me. Refuses to attack when ordered, whines and complains all the time, writes letters to Richmond defaming me – half the time working right along with Polk, don’t mistake that – and in general just a crabby annoying man. Doesn’t lack for straight-up ability – if you can get him to attack in the first place, which half the time I can’t.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee by now was half amused and half worried. How was he supposed to weld this bunch of clashing personalities and part-time-incompetents into a working Army?[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Anyone else I should know about?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Hmm. Benjamin Cheatham drinks to excess, on many occasions, but if he’s not drunk then he’ll fight. Hindman’s okay, but he’s bridling under Polk’s command, so I really couldn’t say. Walker’s commanders……Gist and Liddell, that would be……I wouldn’t know too much about them. Just arrived from Mississippi recently. Haven’t had any real problems. Well – except that Liddell was in with Polk and Breckenridge and Buckner on the letter-writing campaign to Richmond after Murfreesboro, but……not an issue for you, anyway. Preston seems alright too, fought well enough today. The cavalry – oh the cavalry. All the commanders over there, they’re just blowing their own horns, singing of their great raids everywhere. In reality the worst scoundrels I’ve ever run across. No sense of proper etiquette………well – maybe they won’t offend you so much as they’ve offended me, on too many occasions. If you can get along with them, they’ll fight like the devil, and no mistake. Forrest especially.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“So I’ve heard,” commented Lee. This is going to be a difficult meeting.[/FONT]
[FONT="]--------[/FONT]
[FONT="]By the time Lee and Bragg arrived at the headquarters tents Lee’s staff had been setting up, some of the Army of Tennessee’s Generals had begun to arrive. With one sideways glance Lee inquired if Bragg could make the introductions.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“General Lee, allow me to introduce you to some of my commanders. This is Lieutenant General Polk, commanding one of my corps. And General Hindman came along with him, his junior division commander. And…” Bragg peered into the darkness, “…General Cleburne. Technically commanding one of Hill’s divisions. What are you doing here at all, General? I thought your attack would be underway by now.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee looked distinctly uncomfortable. “Oh. My deepest apologies, General Bragg. I forgot to inform you earlier. I took the liberty of postponing all attacks for this evening. Given the darkness it seemed prudent. Plus I want time to discern the lay of the battlefield. I am sorry, General.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Cleburne broke in, his voice sounding nothing if not approving. “Don’t be troubling yourself, General.” His Irish accent was slight yet distinctive. “It was the right order. It took me most of an hour to get my brigades lined up properly, and if they had gone forward most of them would be crossing just about the only open field in these woods, where they’d be targets.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee had heard good things about General Cleburne even before Bragg confirmed them, so approval from him was most gratifying. Then Polk broke in: “Yes, General Lee, and as it turned out, not ten minutes had gone by after I halted the attack when the yankees got up and fell back.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“You don’t say!” Lee exclaimed. “Fell back how far?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“I have Cheatham commanding that part of the field in my absence, he’s sent scouts out. Preliminary reports say about half a mile, which was just as far as my attack was planned to push them anyway.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Pure dumb luck,” Bragg muttered angrily.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Yes, it was luck of a sort” Lee interjected. “Certainly a positive result, but also quite lucky. Certainly it saved the lives of many men who would otherwise lie dead on the field. On the other hand, at least they would have pushed those people back, had General Cleburne’s division gone forward – at least they would be dead in a successful attack. Small consolation.” Politicking had never been one of Lee’s strongest points, thought improvising here he was not doing too poorly.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“General Polk, would you mind stepping into my tent for a moment, and showing me on the map just what your position is?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Polk stepped forward. “Certainly, sir. I am at your convenience.” And they walked forward into Lee’s tent.[/FONT]
[FONT="]By torchlight, Polk traced in the lines representing the positions of his men, and Cleburne’s, and the best approximation of the Federals’ positions. “As best as we can figure it, General Lee, the left wing of the Federal Army, opposing our right, has pulled back into a broad salient facing us. Ordinarily that would be good for us, but the Lafayette road spells out the base line of the salient, so they can shuttle troops anywhere they need to. And the whole line runs through woods. If they spend the night entrenching, and I see no reason why they shouldn’t, it will be a strong position come tomorrow.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee slowly nodded. “I see. Yes, that does look like a tough nut to crack. What of the approaches to their position – how easily can we flank them to our right?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Polk frowned. “I wouldn’t know much about that, General Lee, sir, seeing as all day today we’ve been pretty much attacking them frontally. Cheatham – that’s one of my division commanders – went in late morning, broke the first few brigades he came to, but then got disorganized and was hit by enemy reinforcements.” Polk paused, exhaled. “Sir, I don’t think today’s battle had anything much in the way of tactics involved, neither side knew the ground well at all, neither side was expecting the other. We were actually trying to flank them today, but as it turned out their flank went a few miles past where we thought. General, if you want to flank the yankees on the morrow, you’ll need someone else to tell you about the terrain.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee was disappointed. It was one of the corps commander’s jobs to know the ground he was fighting over. Even if finding out about the ground to one’s flank did not technically fulfill that description, it would still have been a welcome initiative.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee simply said, “Alright. I will wait until everybody arrives to look at the map in detail, then. Let me ask you a different question, if I may.” Polk waited expectantly. Lee asked, “What is your opinion in general of the conduct of the campaign up to this point?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Polk considered for a moment. “It’s been not everything it could be. Bragg tries, you know what I mean, General, he puts in effort, but none of his plans have ever been what you could call stellar. Several times in the past ten days he has given orders for an attack that would be against a superior force, entrenched, attacking over open ground. I have had to……carefully parse his orders in order to ensure the safety of my men. But no one else really minds.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee looked inquiringly. “They don’t?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Oh no, sir! In fact for much of the time, I’ve gotten their help to successfully diffuse an attack – General Walker, General Buckner – it’s been a group effort, trying to figure out exactly what Bragg’s plans are, and then how much of them can safely be done.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Well[/FONT][FONT="], Lee thought. That’s a very different picture than what Bragg painted. I need corroboration from someone whose opinion I can trust. And that means only one person…[/FONT]
[FONT="]-----[/FONT]
[FONT="]Conveniently, a moment later a call arose from outside the tent. “General Hill. General Breckenridge. Welcome! General Lee is just inside, and I’m sure he will be with you momentarily…”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee turned to Polk. “You’ll have to excuse me for a moment, General. If I’m to fill this map in, I must hear from everyone.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Of course, General” said Polk, very amiably, and walked out.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee poked his head out of the tent, and saw indeed that one of the people in the growing crowd was General Daniel Harvey Hill. “General Hill! Very good to see you again, General. Would you step inside for a moment with me, please?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Of course, General Lee,” Hill replied, slight curiosity in his voice, and walked in.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“I hear you’ve done great things since I left the Army of Northern Virginia,” said Hill, slight bitterness in his voice. Lee had recommended to President Davis to transfer Hill to a different theatre during the winter of 1863.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“First of all, all the praise goes to the valiant men under my command. But as for you personally, I felt that continuing to serve as a mere division commander would be stifling. General Rodes was competent and ready to prove himself at that level, but you, my good General, needed a wider field to prove your talents in. And now look – a Lieutenant General and in command of a corps.” There was some flattery in Lee’s words, but on the whole he was sincere. General Hill had been a fine commander. Lee simply failed to bring up again some of the personality conflicts that had also led to Hill’s transfer.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“And perhaps the best corps in this Army!” Hill put in. “Just wait until the fighting starts again tomorrow. I tell you, if old Stonewall could see General Cleburne and his men fighting, he would immediately ask for command of them. And General Breckenridge……what can I say, except that he wants to drive the yankees all the way back into, and then out of, Kentucky.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“I believe it. I look forward to the demonstration, General.” Hill beamed. “But for now, could you please help fill in this Army’s position on the map I have right here?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Hill peered over. “Well, none of my boys were actually engaged today, countermarching all over the place, so I don’t know many of the details. But what you have so far looks about right. The yankee right, opposing our left, is pretty much a straight line running right along the Lafayette road. So their whole position looks pretty much like a spoon, bowl part point towards us on our right.” He filled in as he spoke.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“I see,” said General Lee. “Any chance of flanking them from our left?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“I don’t think so, General. The Chickamauga Creek flows west as it goes south, so their right flank is all but anchored on it. We could send men around, but there are no good roads, and only a narrow area of fields at all. I’m not sure what it would accomplish.” But then his face brightened. “On the other hand, we damn well near broke through the center of their line at least twice today.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Really? Where?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“There are two fields right in front of their current line. Here, the Viniard Farm, and here, the Brotherton Farm. Well, earlier today the federal position was in front of those fields, and as we pushed them back into them their organization broke. We just about had them running – so Generals Stewart and Liddell tell me – but just as our attacks were running out of steam enemy reinforcements showed up. Still, we pushed them back farther there than against our right, which explains our current position. The whole battle today was just a confused melee, anyway, and you can’t really fault anyone for it. No one on either side was expecting a battle, and troops were coming in from all directions.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“I see,” Lee said again. “Alright. And now I must ask you an even more important question, General Hill. What is wrong with this Army? Why does it seem like everybody in high command refuse to cooperate with everybody else?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Hill was startled for a moment at Lee’s frankness, but answered the question as it was given. Slowly he spoke: “The Generals in this Army suffer two critical failures. Some of them, they are simply not good Generals. Not tactically, not strategically……just not good. Even if they can inspire their troops, which not all of them can. Some others, they feel the need to be right. They won’t accept criticism from anyone, and hold very strong and undeserved grudges. The problem with this Army is its two highest Generals. General Polk is a General of the first category, and General Bragg is one of the second. Many of the others have one of these flaws, but none cause as many problems.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Bragg is……a difficult man to get along with. He has brains, he can think of good plans. But he cannot get other people to agree that they are good plans. Deservedly or not, virtually all the other Generals in this Army tried to get rid of him. Polk was the ringleader, but everybody supported it. Even my division commanders – especially Breckenridge……but that’s not important. Polk led the charge because he was likeable, and has power in Richmond, just like Bragg does. That led to a very shaky command structure, but it worked in a manner at least until Bragg got hurt. [/FONT]
[FONT="]“Once Polk actually had the command, everyone realized that he was an incompetent ass, likeable or not. He thought that some of the orders Bragg issued just a couple of weeks ago were wrong. I looked at the maps, General. Perhaps there was a better strategy to be drawn, but Bragg’s plans were alright. Polk reads his orders for five minutes, and then just sits there. And, by virtue of rank, he orders everyone else to sit there. Buckner became furious at not being allowed to do anything. Walker became furious at having his own orders superseded. I escaped the worst because my command was the reserve corps during the whole mess.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“So nobody will work with Bragg because he is an unlikeable bastard, and nobody will work with Polk because he is an incompetent bastard. All in all, I am damned happy to have you here in command, General Lee.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Now that was a rant of the first order,[/FONT][FONT="] thought Lee. And yet it has all the earmarks of being true. “So, let me just pursue a line of thought for a moment, if I am given advice from General Bragg and General Polk, and their advice conflicts, you would have me trust General Bragg?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Nine time out of ten, at least, yes, General.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Alright.” Lee was silent for a long moment. Then he walked to the tent flaps and opened them. The crowd of Generals was larger than ever. “Come in, gentlemen, and let this council of war begin.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]---------[/FONT]
[FONT="]In attendance were General Lee and his aides, General Bragg and his attendants, General Hill and his division commanders Cleburne and Breckenridge, General Polk and his division commander Hindman (Cheatham was absent), General Buckner and his division commander Stewart (Preston was absent), General Walker and his division commander Liddell (Gist was absent), General Johnson commanding his independent division, and Generals Ewell and Rodes from the Army of Northern Virginia. Early was still riding forward with his men, now nearly at the battlefield. General Forrest was present and represented about half of the cavalry of the Army.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The first part of the meeting was spent filling in maps and going over the events of the day. Some division commanders tried to inflate their own importance, and so contradicted minor points in the presentation of other Generals, but the overall impression was that the day had been a minor success, though very bloody. As the grand map was filled in more, the original impression was confirmed.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Forrest confirmed that although the Federal left flank was refused, it was technically in the air. The yankee line fronted a large open field, one of the few on the battlefield, so any Confederate attack from that direction would be seen coming. Even a movement directly southward would run up against the Union line. If the Confederates went west far enough, though, they could get in the yankees’ rear.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Polk protested, claiming that the federals would see such a movement, and no matter how far they pushed their men westward the enemy could counter their movement. Bragg backed up Forrest (at which Forrest looked over at him in suspicion – the Bragg-Forrest relationship was one of the many in this Army that was not all it could have been), saying that if the movement was fast enough it would work. It certainly would beat attacking the Federal left flank head-on. Especially because it was commander by George Thomas, one of the few Union commanders who knew what he was doing.[/FONT]
[FONT="]At the mention of Thomas Lee became emotional for a moment, caught in memories and introspection, and for yet another time wondering why Thomas had forsaken his native state.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Other Generals pointed out other parts of the Federal line that looked vulnerable, places that might be stormed by a frontal assault. Buckner said that a carefully done attack could turn the enemy’s right flank, if it was kept secret until close range. Walker disagreed, and called instead for a frontal attack on a narrow front, against the fields hugging the Lafayette Road. Ewell leaned towards Walker’s idea but claimed ignorance of the terrain. Johnson actually suggested retreating entirely and crossing the Chickamauga elsewhere, enabling a fight in a few days time on more open ground. No one seriously seconded his idea and the matter was dropped.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Hill mentioned some of the command difficulties experienced during the day, due both to the woods and to the unwieldy command structure. Bragg suggested a few reorganizations, including creating two large wings under Polk and Ewell, or three wings under Polk, Ewell, and Hill. At this Hill protested and asked for a comparison of his and Ewell’s dates of commission, but in fact Ewell was senior. Ewell demurred, again citing his lack of familiarity with the ground. But at that Buckner claimed that no one else had a better grasp of it, and there was general agreement to this statement.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The conversation kept coming back to one point. No matter where the Union line was breached, if all the Confederates accomplished was to push them back into Chattanooga, then not much had really been gained. The only way to avoid this was to push them southward. To do so they had to outflank the Union army on its left, but the terrain favored the defense, and General Thomas was a master of defense. As the council wore on, only Forrest and Bragg seriously believe that turning Thomas’ flank could be done. That had, after all, been Bragg’s original idea. Forrest, being mounted, could move quickly around the flank, but his force was not overly large. Hill was lukewarm about the idea, but most of the other Generals thought it couldn’t be done, Polk being the most vocal opponent, and everyone else lining up behind him.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Ultimately, the decision had to come from Lee. The council had lasted well over an hour, and Lee had been silent for most of it. He was pondering all of the information he had, thinking of the big picture, and trying to devise a great attack. If only he had Jackson to work with, or even Longstreet. He knew the type of thing he’d do then. But he didn’t. Instead he had Bragg and Polk, and Hill. And Cleburne……the one division commander everyone seemed to speak well of.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Well, surely I must stake this attack on someone. I think he’s the man[/FONT][FONT="].[/FONT]
[FONT="]At last Lee came forward with his idea. “Gentlemen, I believe General Bragg is correct. We accomplish nothing if those people can just retreat into Chattanooga. The whole point of this campaign is to drive them out of that city, not back into it. They must not be merely defeated. They must be crushed. And that means we must push them to the south, away from the city.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee pointed to the map. “The attack will proceed in several stages, and include many diversions. We’ll start in the center. That will be General Polk. Most of the units of this Army are going to be moving at dawn. Some will move laterally – if you do, be sure to pull back and move behind the main line. Because others will go forward. [/FONT]
[FONT="]“General Polk, you will attack en echelon along your line, from right to left. General Cheatham’s division goes in first, from its current position. General Hindman keys off of General Cheatham. Do not be afraid of extending your line too much – this attack is primarily a diversion, do not throw away lives needlessly.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“General Ewell, you will take command of Rodes’ division, whatever elements of Early’s men have arrived in time – and I am also placing General Johnson’s division under your command. That will compensate you since your own third division under General Johnston has not arrived yet. You will arrange your command into a stronger formation, compressed if you so desire, using the fields if you want to, whatever works. Take the time, wait until mid-morning, and attack from right to left, keying off of General Hindman.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“I do not require that either of your attacks break through the Northern line. It would be great if they did. But they are primarily diversions. If either of your attacks does break through, you will then turn your attack to the left, rolling up the enemy line to the south.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“General Buckner, at dawn you will pull Stewart’s men out of line from the center and march them to the south, uniting them with Preston’s men. Preston will then try to sneak around the Union right flank into best possible attacking positions – but make sure you are solidly to the south of the Union line. Stewart will connect Preston with Ewell, and it is alright if his line is relatively thin, so long as Preston’s is both strong and far enough to the west. [/FONT]
[FONT="]“Generals Polk and Ewell, if your attacks do break through the Union line, you will immediately send a messenger to General Buckner informing him of this. Immediately upon receipt of this message, and not a moment before that, General Buckner, you will order Preston forward. He will be the anvil against which Generals Polk and Ewell will strike.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“But all of this is just a grand diversion. If it works it will bag several thousand federal troops and be a glorious success. But the big attack will be from the north. At dawn, Generals Walker and Hill will pull their scattered elements out of the center of the line, pull them behind Polk’s attacking men, and unite their corps on our northern flank. Hill will hold the flank, Walker will be next in, connecting with Polk – but your line is to be a long one, so that Hill definitely extends far past the enemy’s left flank.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“General Forrest is to have his entire cavalry corps screen the movement and find out how far the Union line extends. [/FONT]
[FONT="]“At noon, Hill will move westward, Walker following. General Walker, it is permissible to have you line extended so long as it connects to Polk on the left and Hill on the right. General Hill, however, your corps will be in compact formation, Breckenridge on the left, and Cleburne the extreme right of this Army, except for General Forrest and the cavalry. Move westward very rapidly, and as soon as you are in position, attack with all your strength and vigor. I know George Thomas. He will have his line facing towards us strong well defended. The only way to defeat him is to outflank him. General Walker’s long line will allow you to get on his flank, but you, General Hill, are the one who must break him. I am relying on your men, and on your subordinate commanders.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]By this he meant General Cleburne, and everyone in the tent knew it.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Bragg turned to Lee. “That is just about the most complicated attacking plan I have ever seen, General. Almost certainly some part of it will go wrong and the whole thing will be a bloody mess.” He said this very cynically. But then his tone changed entirely, his voice lower, almost eager. “On the very slim chance that it does work, however……well, it’s going to be marvelous. The most complete victory of the war. We’re going to try this for its audacity if nothing else.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Cleburne said “My boys and I are going to turn that flank for you, General Lee, or I will not come back from the attempt.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Cheers, agreement, and encouragement rang out all through the tent.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The council of war ended soon after that.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Lee bent his head in prayer. Look out, George. We are coming at you tomorrow.[/FONT]