Civil War Essay

Submitted By albertvargas201
Words: 682
Pages: 3

The American Civil War was known as one of the bloodiest wars in history. The Battle of Chickamauga was known as one of the bloodiest of these battles. Being the bloodiest two days in American History, it was fought on a swampy terrain. To be more specific, the Battle of Chickamauga was fought near Chickamauga creek, which is Cherokee for the river of death. The Battle of Chickamauga should’ve been won by the Union because they were the ones who were supposed to have the bigger numbers. The region the battle was fought in was called the western theater, which is a region east of the Mississippi and west of the Appalachians. The Battle of Chickamauga was the only major battle in this region. The Battle at Chickamauga was significant because it led to the Battle of Chattanooga, which created a gateway to the Deep South. First of all, the War began when the Southern states chose to secede to the Union in order to preserve their way of life. “To avoid these evils we resume the powers which our fathers delegated to the Government of the United States, and henceforth will seek new safeguards for our liberty, equality, security, and tranquility” (Jamison, 1). Slavery was on the verge of being outlawed, but the South wanted slavery to be legal, so they were willing to do whatever it takes. Unfortunately, secession was the only option because of the rising tensions between the two regions. All of this was the result of the years of disagreement between both countries, since the south seceded. Even though they seceded, they had to fight to make it official by fighting off the country they were once a part of. When Union General William S. Rosecrans was defeated at Chickamauga, he resigned and played no further part in the war. Rosecrans had so much potential, and probably would’ve been great if he had continued fighting. Once the American Civil War began on April 12, 1861 both sides threw everything they could at the other side, which resulted in terrible losses on both sides. Eventually, Union General William Rosecrans and Confederate General Braxton Bragg met at Chickamauga creek. Rosecrans had been pursued by the Confederate army since they left Chattanooga. The Union army quickly set up a defensive position around the lake. The defeat there was completely his fault. Though the battle two days, the odds were never in his favor. In the first day, it seemed as if he had a chance. “Rosecrans' army was driven from the field the next day after a poorly-worded order from his headquarters inadvertently opened a large gap in the Union line through which the Confederates attacked” (Hickman, 1). Next to