The breakthrough of the Federals on to Missionary Ridge was followed by a rout of Bragg’s Confederates.

While the centre of the ridge was falling to the Federals Hardee was still determined to hold the position on the Confederate right wing, and to that end he had Cheatham reposition his units at right angles to the ridge to oppose the Federal forces moving northwards along the now captured ridge.  While the approaching Federals were held off, Hardee, by evening time, was aware that the Confederates were now split into two groups and he would need to retreat. He was able to do this in good order, crossing Chickamauga Creek while those in the centre fled eastward on the Shallow Ford Road, the Bird’s Mill Road and the Crutchfield Road.  Bragg tried to halt the full blown retreat and on the right a defensive line did give advancing units of Sheridan’s division a bloody nose. Bragg now sent out orders for a concentration of his army at Ringgold.

The map shows Ringgold, some miles to the east of Bragg’s success at Chickamauga.

While Bragg’s troops were in retreat Grant still hoped that he could bring the Confederates to yet another battle, he would prefer that rather than see Bragg get away with his demoralized force. Also, he believed that Bragg would not retreat too far as that could expose the lines of communication between Bragg and Longstreet, still off to Knoxville.  Unfortunately for Grant another battle was not in Bragg’s plans but Hooker, following Bragg’s retreat towards Ringgold, and still hoping for some ‘glory’, believed that he was close enough to Bragg and in a position to “follow [Bragg’s] army until I had captured or destroyed it.” Bragg decided to leave Cleburne in the vicinity of Ringgold to act as rearguard and cover the retreat of the Confederates, Cleburne had already done sterling service for Bragg in holding the right wing against Sherman’s attacks on the 25th. Cleburne took up his defensive position a little southeast of Ringgold in a gap between White Oak Mountain and Taylor’s Ridge; on the map below it is called Hooker’s Gap.

Initial contact did not go well for the Federals, they were taken by surprise by the fire from White Oak Mountain [north of the gap] and Hooker could see that the start of the action was not going as he would have wanted. Commanding the Federal troops, under Hooker, was Brig. Gen. Geary and he ordered an assault on the mountain with the aim of taking the enemy there “in flank”.  The Federals believed this position to be relatively lightly held, but in fact Cleburne had reinforced it with the brigades of Polk and Lowrey.  The advancing Federals, under Colonel Williamson and Colonel Creighton, came under a murderous fire from Polk and Lowrey’s men, it was not the turn of the Federals to run, which they duly did.  By midmorning the action had stalled with first points going to Cleburne, and with Hooker fuming at this reversal.  Cleburne’s action had convinced Hooker that he was now facing a much larger force than he had anticipated and as his artillery had not yet come up, he decided to await its arrival. The delaying action had bought the time needed for Bragg’s army to get away, Cleburne had held up Joe Hooker’s divisions and Hooker was left trying to explain the reasons to a less than sympathetic Grant when he arrived to see for himself what was happening at Ringgold. By 1pm it was all over.

Chickamauga and Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge were now in the past. Looking forward Grant knew he would have supply problems if he tried to continue the pursuit of Bragg to the south. The task now was to cut the communications of Longstreet’s Corps and to relieve Burnside in Knoxville.

Following what Bragg had called the “shameful” conduct of troops at Missionary Ridge he had also written that the action there would be investigated and “full justice should be done to the good and bad”; on the 30 November Bragg was removed from command.  The Army of Tennessee then passed to Lt. Gen. Hardee who commanded briefly before the Army was passed again, this time to General Joe Johnston on December 27, 1863.

Throughout 1863 the Confederates, under Braxton Bragg, had withdrawn through Murfreesboro, the Cumberland Plateau, crossed the Tennessee and now moved south of Chattanooga to Dalton and into Georgia. Throughout this time Bragg had failed to gain the respect of many of his leading commanders, he had failed to follow up his success at Chickamauga and poor planning lost him Missionary Ridge.  At the same time the Federals enjoyed success under Rosecrans until Chickamauga, where they were ‘saved’ by Thomas.  The irony is that while Grant followed his Vicksburg success with the relief of Chattanooga and a victory at Missionary Ridge he showed little respect for the ability of Thomas.  It was Thomas who rescued the situation at Chickamauga, and it was his men who, by not complying with Grant’s order to only advance to the rifle pits at the foot of Missionary Ridge, won Grant the victory at that Ridge.  The man whom Grant did put his faith in, Sherman, almost lost him the Ridge on the morning of the 25th.