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While Bushrod Johnson was forcing his way over Reed’s Bridge, Walker was attempting the same, upstream at Alexander’s Bridge.
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Walker, with his corps of two divisions, approached Alexander’s bridge around noon and drove back Wilder’s skirmishers on the east side of the creek. However, their plan for the crossing was thwarted by a much smaller force with four guns, holding up Walker’s corps for around five hours. The Confederates were held up by Lilly’s four guns of the 18th Indiana Battery and Wilder’s infantry with their very effective Spencer repeating rifles. Eventually, around 5p.m. Wilder could see that his position could not long be held, his flanks were turned by Walker’s men fording the stream up and downstream of the bridge, and his rear was threatened by Bushrod Johnson’s force on the Jay’s Mill Road. Wilder, with Lilly’s guns, retired to the Viniard Farm on the Lafayette road.
The map on the left shows the movement of units during the day, around Reed’s and Alexander’s Bridges.
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Rosecrans needed to respond to Bragg’s encircling manoeuvre in the north by himself moving some of his units north of Lee & Gordons Mill, and while Crittenden’s force was the most northerly, it was Thomas that he elected to position furthest north, on his left flank. This meant Thomas’ force spending the night of the 18th marching north on the road through Pond Spring and Crawfish Springs, across the rear of Crittenden’s force to take up their new positions on Rosecrans’ left wing. With Baird’s division leading, followed by Brannan and Reynolds, the head of the march passed Crawfish Springs at 2a.m. on the 19th, at sun-up on that Saturday Thomas, with Baird’s division, reached the Kelly House, and at 8a.m. Brannan crossed Baird’s rear to take up position as the left-most division of Rosecrans’ army. Following the leftward move of his army Rosecrans moved his HQ north from Crawfish Springs to the Glenn House. Widow Glenn was a fairly young woman and her hsuband had gone off to fight on the Confederate side in 1861. Rosecrans chose the site because of its commanding position, less than half a mile west of the Lafayette Road, overlooking the Glenn & Viniard farms. When he took over the farm he suggested to Widow Glenn that she should leave for her own safety, but first he got what information he could from her, and had her help with locating the sounds of the battle with the features on their maps. The maps available were very inadequate, not much more than sketches. It is also worth remembering that Rosecrans had with him Assistant Secretary of War, Dana, who insisted on having telegraphic links back to Washington.
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With Polk still facing Crittenden at Lee & Gordons Mill, Bragg was unaware of Thomas’ move and how far north Rosecrans’ left wing was now positioned.
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Because of the leftward move of Thomas, Bragg’s move over the Chickamauga Creek would not put him between Rosecrans and Chattanooga, which he needed to enable him to fight facing south, as he had planned. He would have to fight facing the west with the Chickamauga at his back.
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During the 18th Bragg’s force moved north to allow the crossing at Reed’s Bridge, and then swung south on the west side of the Chickamauga, Rosecrans meanwhile has extended his force to the north with the move by Thomas. The forces are now positioning for the action on the 19th.
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