1863. The we have to start with two leading protagonists at the battle of Missionary Ridge in chattanooga. Of course, Ulysses Grant. Iram Ulysses Grant actually. A rising star as a general. Had not really lost a battle yet during the war, and eventually he goes on to further greatness. On the other side you have braxton bragg. Although the story might be a little bit apocryphal, apparently as lieutenant in, wars, hee seminole became the acting commissary officer. Requesty is he wrote a to the commissary officer himself for supplies. As a commissary officer, he turned them down. He sent another request that was turned down again, so went to the captain of the regiment and said, i reached an impasse, what should i do . Youcaptain said, bragg, have argued with every officer in the army, and now you are arguing with yourself. Request denied. So, braxton bragg, we had a symposium two years ago, of generals you love to hate. It was very interesting to me he was not picked. There could not possibly be a man in the Confederate Army hated more than braxton bragg. During the mexican war, there were two attempts on his life. Braxton bragg and general grant at chattanooga. So we have to do a little bit about the actual battle there. This is one of those wonderful maps of the chattanooga region. Basically, grant after sherman shows up with his army, with his heps, besides decides wants general sherman to be the hero of the battle. If you look up here, i know some people cant see red, but there is sherman on the left wing. The plan grant had that day, on november 25, was for sherman to attack this wing, and roll up braggs line along Missionary Ridge. Also he had general hooker, coming down off lookout mountain, and crossing the creek here and attacking the ridge, so have a Pincer Movement on both sides to roll up this whole line. Weak. S line was fairly he sent away general long street to knoxville for some reason, even though he was facing two to one odds, almost three to one. A man bys engineer, the name of ledbetter from the most northern of the New England States [laughter] actually set the lines in a faulty position. He put the lines on top of the ridge instead of the military crest. So, when the attack actually does happen, the lines are really in a bad spot. But sherman up here on this flank is unable to crack the confederate troops in this area, led by patrick cleburne. Cleburne had the best division in the Confederate Army, and although they tried several times to break through, cleburne was able to beat them back. Eventually, cleburnes men are starting to run out of ammunition and charge down the hill, capture four flags and sherman has to retreat. So sherman is not doing his part over here, and grant is getting very, very upset. He goes to general thomas in the middle and says, lets make a demonstration towards the middle of the Missionary Ridge line, and thomas sends out his men. They get to the bottom and realize they cant stay. They are being shot at, at that spot. So on their own they decide to travel up the ridge, and they actually break through, right here where braggs headquarters was. Stalemated by this creek here. There is a tiny little bridge, this creek, you could spit across it and he wants to build a bridge so he is stymied here. He never really gets up until thomas men have actually broken through. This is a huge disaster for the Confederate Army. They have to retreat. Theres all kinds of heroes. For example, Douglas Macarthurs father was there. Honor,the medal of leading wisconsin troops up to the top. Bragg has to retreat over to chicken bog a station. The unionkilled on side. The confederates lost 6600 including about 4000 prisoners. A major, major defeat for the army of tennessee. This gives you a little bit of a closer look, of the area on Missionary Ridge cleburne was defending. When i was in chattanooga, i had this painting commissioned by rick reeves, called on empty rifles. There is cleburne. You can see lookout mountain, in the background. Cleburne is in front of the texas consolidated regiment. They have run out of ammunition and he tells them to charge down with bayonets, on empty rifles. Printsare not buying anymore, but very proud of that one. There is patrick cleburne. Ok. So lets talk a little about patrick labor and, before we get to the battle. Cleburne was born in county cork, the second son of dr. Joseph cleburne, a solid middleclass position. Patricks mother died when he was 18 months old and was an orphan at 15 when his father unexpectedly died. But he followed his father into the study of medicine, but failed the Entrance Exam at Trinity College in dublin, in 1846. In response to this failure, he enlisted in the 41st regiment of foot in the british army, expecting that would be a fairly exciting thing. Unfortunately, the 41st regiment was stationed in ireland, to keep an eye on the catholics, and the irish in that area. So he spent most of his time there on guard duty. He eventually was able to buy off his commission, his enlistment in the army. He had inherited a small amount of money. Three years later, he and his two brothers and a sister immigrated to the United States. They originally settled in cincinnati, ohio, but he moved on by himself to helena, arkansas in 1849 where he obtained employment as a pharmacist, and was accepted in the towns social order. In 1860, he had become a naturalized citizen of the United States and began the practice of law. Veryas a very popular, was popular with local residents. During this time, he became Close Friends with thomas hyndman, another future confederate general from helena and a local democratic politician. When the war started, he readily joined the Confederate Army, was elected captain almost immediately of the rifles, and soon became colonel of the first arkansas. Just before shiloh, he is promoted to general. His service at shiloh is mixed, as everyone elses was at shiloh. No one came out of that battle looking very good, but he was promoted to general. He is one year later seriously wounded at the battle of richmond as a bullet goes through his cheek, breaking a couple of teeth. That is when he decided to grow a beard, to cover up the scar. Areso, cleburnes men actually ordered down the line from tunnel hill. Mauga, on thea railroad. They had orders to destroy a stockpile of supplies, which hurt the mens feelings quite a bit because they had been living on half rations for quite some time and they get to the station and the result is food. The men got as much food as they could in their haversacks, and the rest of it they burned. Cameknown staff officer with orders to march to graysville. Go back. Is just down the line on the western Atlantic Railroad down here. Cleburne didnt think it was a good idea to leave the supply wagons, and so he rejected that order on his own authority, which shows a little bit of confidence the man had developed since the battle of shiloh. He was willing to ignore general hardys orders because he thought this would be a better choice. Often times, soldiers dont do that. But around midnight, another officer, staff officer from ford, came with orders to the Chickamauga Creek down below graysville, down here. To bivouac on the other side. Cleburne ignored that order. He didnt want his men marching at night and going into a river, and freezing. Remember, this is november 27th. So he ignores that order also. Finally, at 2 00 a. M. In the morning on the 28th, he receives an order by courier to hold ringgold gap at all hazards. Cleburne doesnt know who this carrier is. Hes never seen this man before. Also, he doesnt really trust braggs orders anymore. Hes just been routed at Missionary Ridge. So he asks that these orders be written. He sends off one of his aides to find general bragg and have written orders so he would actually have this. Sends off captain irving a. Buck. Bragg, aboutfinds five miles down the road. Bragg is very emotional, saying you have got to save the army, you have got to tell cleburne to save the army. He writes down the orders that are here. General desires you take a strong position in the gorge and try to check the pursuit of the enemy. He must be punished until our trains get well advanced. The reports from the rear are not thoroughly advised of the there, which is not unusual for bragg. Captain buck comes back with that. So cleburne stopped his men on the others of Chickamauga Creek and allows them to rest for about three hours. While doing this, he crosses the creek himself and brings a few men over and sets up large bonfires so that when the men have to actually cross the creek they will be able to warm themselves and put their clothes not be marching around for the rest of whoops, i just did something for the rest of the evening they wont be marching in cold clothing. I want to talk a little about ringgold. Before i get on with the battle itself. A small little town, about 2000 people at this time, 70 miles south of chattanooga. 17 miles south of chattanooga. It is named after major samuel ringgold, one of the early graduates of west point in 1818. Ringgold was the man who developed the concept of the flying artillery and wrote a field manual. Hes known as the father of the flying artillery. He is the first officer killed in the mexican war. If you know the fourth verse of maryland, my maryland, hes mentioned. With ringgolds spirit for the fray. Im not going to sing it, but it is there. The town of ringgold is named after this hero of the mexican war. Kind of looks a little like wellington, i think. Anyway. So here is what ringgold looks like. There is a gap. A definite gap, right here, between two little mountains, White Oak Mountain right here and Taylors Ridge on this side. Here is the town today. About 14,000 people. Interstate 75 goes right through the gap, along with Chickamauga Creek. This gap is about 400 yards wide, so you can barely get four lanes of highway through, plus a creek. Thats the gap he had to defend. We are talking something that is a lot like thermopylae, basically the spartans all over again. At the a picture taken time by george bernard, who was basically shermans photographer during the war, of ringgold. Theres White Oak Mountain. Right here. Theres the gap. Theres Taylors Ridge. I took these pictures about so that you can see all the road signs. If you want gas, thats where you stop on the way to atlanta. Now, what do you notice immediately . It doesnt look like youre going to actually be able to charge anybody on this hill. This hill was pretty much a defense by itself. So if you are defending the gap, you will defend the gap and then defend your right flank along White Oak Mountain. There is city hall. There is the ball field. Theres an old depot there, the ringgold depot, which was there during the battle, established in 1845. The tracks going through the gap. If you look closely at the building, you can see places where cannonballs hit the building during the battle. And you can buy a brick. On white oakp mountain, to take pictures looking down at the city and visited some nice people with Beautiful Homes on the ridge and asked if i could take pictures from their lawns. So, this is one of them. Now, there was at the time, were talking about maybe 1997, re was at the time t this ranger tower there, surrounded by a fence that said do not enter, dangerous. I thought i should check it out. [laughter] so i get over the fence and i climbed to the top of the tower, because i figured they will be some nice pictures to take from up there, and i want to make sure its not really all that dangerous o. So i went to the top and there is a ladder, you climb and go through a hole through the bottom of the ranger station up there, and what i found was interesting. There was a mattress. Seethrough paper likea ribbon around it, with flowers you buy at shop and save or something. There was a court bottle of and sometle of beer, other things which i will not mention. [laughter] yes. Is thehought, well, this place for a date, then. [laughter] so i did get some nice pictures from up there, anyway. And thats from the tower looking down on the city of ringgold. A hot date. And theres another picture with a closeup lens. I cant claim to be a great photographer, but it was a nice, hot, hazy summer day. So these are the men who fought in ringgolds division. 29 regiments in total and that is only 4200 men. Think of that. Most regiments had 1000 men, but mens down to 4217 in these four different brigades. Brigade, actually homel was on vacation on leaves so daniel govan took over from him. He was from North Carolina and had quite an interesting career before the war. He went on the gold rush in california with ben mcculloch, interesting gentleman in his own time. He became Deputy Sheriff of sacramento for a while, then moved back to mississippi and arkansas as a planter. He fought at the battle of shiloh, stone river, chickamauga , and was promoted after this battle to brigadier general. He had the arkansas guys. Cleburne thought the fifth and 13th arkansas was his shock troops. They were the best troops in his entire division. So they were kind of like the old guard, just kind of his favorites. Whenever he was in trouble, he would turn to the fifth and 13th arkansas. Hiram granberry, on the bottom there, was in charge of smiths brigade. Smith had been wounded at Missionary Ridge, so granberry took over that brigade, from texas. 10th and 15thed texas was in that painting i showed you. The seventh texas and then the consolidated 17th, 18th, 24th, and 25th texas, showing you how much they had been used during the war. Granbury moved to texas and studied law at baylor university. He was captured at fort donaldson, exchanged and became a colonel of the seventh texas regiment. Slightly wounded at chickamauga and in temporary command because james smith was wounded at Missionary Ridge. He was promoted to general in february of 1864, and hes one of the seven generals who was killed at franklin, almost exactly one year later. Always loved his hair. [laughter] polk from North Carolina, moved to columbia, tennessee and then helena. Was a friend of cleburnes, joined the army with cleburne and became colonel of the 15th arkansas, and was then promoted to general in december 1862. Later on, after this engagement, he would be very severely wounded in the battle of kennesaw mountain, which ended his military career, but he did live a long, prosperous life after that. His brigade was down to 545 men, representing six regiments, if you can imagine that. Lowry, mark. Lowery. He was an interesting fellow, a Southern Baptist preacher in mississippi and a colonel of the fourth mississippi. Was wounded in the arm and in 1863. General cleburne called him the bravest man in the Confederate Army. His men called him the preacher general, so he must have been fun to be around. Confederate soldier sam watkins actually wrote about polk, in his book. Every battle polk was engaged in men to in, he led his victory or held the enemy at bay. He always seemed to snatch victory out of the very jaws of defeat. In every battle, polks brigade of cleburnes division, the making of his name as the stonewall of the west was due to lucius polk. Guard,rat was to the old what sam watkins said. So they have to cross Chickamauga Creek. I took a picture of the creek in june of 1997, and it was still pretty high at the time. Remember, november 27, it is pretty cold, very cold. Apparently there were ice floes on the river that evening. This is at about the spot cleburnes men crossed. You can see the town of ringgold has put a little walking path along the side of Chickamauga Creek. Another picture of it. The time, it was about four feet deep, so when you crossed at water would come up to your armpits for most of these guys. And carryd to disrobe everything they had over their heads, with their rifle and ammunition over their heads as they crossed the creek. An, this is file after file, eyewitness account. File after file into that icy flood, four feet deep, struggling to reach the opposite shore. The men held their guns and accouterments on top of their heads, with bated breath and chattering teeth, they waded waist deep in ice cold water. How i dreaded my turn. We plunged in and clenched teeth for fear that our breath would come out in such force that it would end in a scream. It proved too severe of an ordeal for one of my file, a great, big huge fellow. As we stepped into the icy water to our waist, he hollered at the top of his voice jesus christ, god almighty however, with few exceptions we passed over very quickly and struck the mountain trail and were very soon in the gap. Now, cleburne had gone ahead and recon rock annoying noiting the ground and deciding what he was going to do. One of the persons who did a really good book about cleburne, muriel jocelyn. Her book on cleburne i think is very good. In her book, she mentions she thought cleburne had done some studying of the napoleonic campaigns in portugal and spain. She sais she thought he had remembered a battle in portugal that happened on september 27, 1810, that is very similar to the terrain he was going to be fighting on. Flank,s a stream on one a mountain on the others. There are ridges and gaps in those ridges as you move up on White Oak Mountain. There are several ravines you have to go up. It is not a straight, flat area, as you are marching up. So she decided, and i kind of agree with her, that this was the plan. He was going to defend that gap, ignore the other side with the Steep Mountain and conce