Moving South with Sherman

Just SE of Chickamauga, at Ringgold there is a narrow gap in a steep wooded ridge running N-S that the all-important railway ran through.  After Chattanooga, the Rebs retreated through the gap leaving a rear guard.  Grant had sent Hooker in pursuit of the beaten Rebs, but they left a rear guard at the pass which stopped the pursuit & allowed the Reb army to get away with its artillery & baggage.  The Union army regrouped at Chattanooga prepared for a new offensive in the spring.

In May 1864 Sherman began his march on Atlanta.  A few miles southeast of Ringgold, there was another gap in another steep wooded N-S ridge called Rocky Face.  The Rebs now had Johnson in command & about 54,000 men which he deployed to block the pass with substantial earthworks in the pass & along the ridge with the north end curved back to protect his flank.   Sherman had about 74,000 men.  He ordered attacks at various points, but soon confirmed that the position was too strong.  He had already sent McPherson South to cut off Johnson’s line of retreat but  Johnson realised what was happening & retired south.  Casualties were less than 1,000 each.

The gaps are difficult to photograph being heavily wooded gaps between heavily wooded ridges with a road & a railway passing through.

The Resica position was almost a repeat of Ringgold & Rocky Face, except this time the gap was between the end of a ridge & the substantial Oustanaula River.  The gap was defended by Fort Wayne & 4,000 Rebs.  McPherson had 4 times as many, but declined to attack the strong defences, so Johnson was able to bring his army south & draw up his now reinforced army in another good defensive position.  Once again Sherman attacked at various points along the line looking for weak points & not finding any.  But at the same time his engineers were building a bridge over the Oustanaula.  Once again Johnson twigged what Sherman was up to & withdrew his army intact. 110,000 Union troops were in the area v. 60,000 Rebs, but casualties were less than 3,000 each.  Neither of these Generals wanted to have their armies mangled in slogging matches.

The terrain is a mix of open plain & wooded ridges.

But in 1864 the woods had largely been cleared.

Much of the battlefield is is reserved & well marked with interpretive signs.

The Oustanaula is a substantial barrier.

Fort Wayne was a substantial work & though parts of it remain it's difficult to get good photos through the scrub (which of course had been cleared away in 1864).