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89-669: The Lightning Brigade , also known as Wilder's Brigade or the Hatchet Brigade was a mounted infantry brigade from the American Civil War in the Union Army of the Cumberland from March 8, 1863, through November 1863. A novel unit for the U.S. Army, its regiments were nominally the 1st Brigade of Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Reynolds ' 4th Division of Thomas' XIV Corps . Operationally, they were detached from

178-489: A Confederate trap, Rosecrans abandoned his plans for a pursuit and began to concentrate his scattered forces near Stevens Gap. For the next four days, both armies attempted to improve their dispositions. Rosecrans continued to concentrate his forces, intending to withdraw as a single body to Chattanooga. By September 17, the three Union corps were now much less vulnerable to individual defeat. Reinforced with two divisions arriving from Virginia under Lt. Gen. James Longstreet , and

267-636: A burned the railroad depot filled with Confederate rations. The next morning they rode into the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains, reaching the town of Sewanee where they destroyed a branch rail line. Although pursued by a larger Confederate force, the Lightning Brigade was back in Manchester by noon, June 30. They had not lost a single man on their raid. The effectiveness of the brigade led to an operational detachment from

356-500: A dispatch from 2 February, he explained his reasons to Secretary Stanton: Murfreesborough, Tenn., February 2, 1863—12 m. Hon. E. M. Stanton: I telegraphed the General-in-Chief that two thousand carbines and revolving rifles were required to arm our cavalry. He replied as if he thought it a complaint. I telegraphed you also, to prevent misunderstanding. I speak for the country when I say that 2,000 effective cavalry will cost

445-481: A division from Mississippi under Brig. Gen. Bushrod R. Johnson , Bragg decided to move his army northward on the morning of 18th and advance toward Chattanooga, forcing Rosecrans's army to fight or to withdraw. If Rosecrans fought, he risked being driven back into McLemore's Cove. The Lightning Brigade was sent to defend Alexander's Bridge over the Chickamauga on 17 September. The 92nd Illinois detached to protect

534-540: A large area to make the Confederates believe his force was much larger. He formed four of his regiments and the battery into a defensive perimeter and had the fifth, the 72nd Indiana look for an escape route. After successfully locating an exit, the brigade withdrew back to XXI Corps without the loss of a man. As they rode away at dawn, they heard the rebels attacking their former encampment. (September 19–20, 1863) Realizing that part of his force had narrowly escaped

623-601: A long day of combat at 1900, the brigade's morale was uplifted by the arrival of a fresh battery at the gallop, which meant the XIV Corps were close behind. A half hour later, the Corps' main infantry units arrived to secure the position against any further assaults. The corps commander, General Thomas, shook Wilder's hand and told him, "You have saved the lives of a thousand men by your gallant conduct today. I didn't expect to get to this gap for three days." Rosecrans also arrived on

712-464: A mile to Lambert's Ford, an unguarded crossing, and was able to cross around 1630, considerably behind schedule. Wilder, concerned about his left flank after Minty's loss of Reed's Bridge, withdrew the brigade to a new blocking position near the Viniard farm. By dark, Bushrod Johnson's division had halted in front of Wilder's position. Walker had crossed the creek, but his troops were well scattered along

801-419: A mobile reserve, inflicting the coup de grace to a faltering enemy, covering one's own retreat, and pursuit of a retreating foe. As such, when the carbines of the regular cavalry became rifled, these units were converted to Dragoons and eventually cavalry. Wilder saw the organization as an infantry formation with the basic roles of attack and defense. In fact, to preclude them being mistaken for cavalry, Wilder had

890-633: A nightly ritual of building numerous campfires to imitate the look of numerous regimental camps. The whole operation also benefited from the fact that the local population north of the river in Eastern Tennessee on the Cumberland Plateau was strongly Unionist which meant that any Rebels operating there would be quickly reported back to the Army of the Cumberland; in light of this Bragg had no cavalry screen patrolling that could see through

979-602: A number of armoured or ceremonial mounted regiments . With the invention of accurate and quick firing repeating pistols and rifles in the mid-19th century, cavalry started to become increasingly vulnerable. Many armies started to use troops which could either fight on horseback or on foot as circumstances dictated. Fighting on horseback with swords and lances would allow rapid movement without cover from enemy fire , whilst fighting on foot with pistols and rifles allowed them to make use of cover and to form defensive lines. The first mounted infantry units were raised during

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1068-605: A pitched battle. On August 16, 1863, Rosecrans launched his campaign to take Chattanooga, Tennessee . The Lighting Brigade (now with an added regiment the 92nd Illinois Mounted Infantry as of 10 July) played a crucial role in this campaign. He sent the Lightning Brigade to General Crittenden's XXI Corps to conduct deception operations along the bank north of the Tennessee River Chattanooga. In company with William B. Hazen 's infantry, George D. Wagner 's, and Robert H. G. Minty's cavalry brigade, their mission

1157-651: A single battalion. Consequently, their employment reflected this lack of mass, with the tactics seeking to harness greater mobility and fire to overcome opposition, rather than echeloned mass attacks. Mounted infantry began to disappear with the shift from horses to motor vehicles in the 1920s and 1930s. Germany deployed a few horse-mounted infantry units on the Russian Front during the Second World War, and cyclist units on both fronts as well, and both Germany and Britain (which had used cyclist battalions in

1246-642: A single gun in a small fort on the south bank that was quickly destroyed by the accompanying section of Lilly's Battery. Next, opposite the city, Wilder brought forward Captain Lilly with his remaining two sections and set them up on high ground about one half mile from the river. His first targets his artillery attacked were the Dunbar and Paint Rock , two steamers docked at the Chattanooga Wharf. They were quickly sunk. Wilder ordered Lilly to begin shelling

1335-403: A solution. On 16 February 1863, Rosecrans authorized Wilder to mount his brigade. The regiments also voted on whether to convert to mounted infantry. All but the 75th Indiana voted to change to mounted infantry. The 123rd Illinois who had wanted to become mounted infantry transferred from the 1st Brigade of the 5th Division of XIV Corps to replace them. Through February 1863, Wilder obtained around

1424-545: A thousand mules to mount his command, not from the government but scavenged from the countryside. Due to the obstinacy of the mules, horses were frequently seized from local stocks in Tennessee as contraband and replaced the mules. Wilder boasted that it did “not cost the Government one dollar to mount my men.” In theory and in practice, the brigade would use their mounts to travel rapidly to contact, but upon engagement,

1513-436: Is a short-handled woods tool. A hatchet is a short-handled construction trades tool with multipurpose head purposely designed for a given application. For this reason, hatchet handles are generally straight so that users can rotate them in their hand to switch from one head feature to the other. The most common hatchet head patterns are the carpenter's hatchet, roofing/shingling hatchet and lathing/drywall hatchet. "Hatchet"

1602-549: Is called a hewing hatchet. Although hand axe and hatchet are often used interchangeably in contemporary usage, historically the nomenclature distinguishes two distinct classes of tools. All 19th and 20th century manufacturer and retailer literature unanimously separate hatches from hand axes, sometimes placing the former in a separate section of their product catalogs. Others might place the two categories separately but adjacent to each other. A hand axe (also known by terms including "camp axe," "belt axe," "hunters axe" and others)

1691-452: Is so clearly in my mind of paramount public interest that I blush to think it necessary to seem to apologize for it. I do hope the Government will have confidence enough in me to know I never have asked, and never will ask, anything to increase my personal command. Had this been understood when I went with Blenker’s division, this nation might have been spared millions of blood and treasure. W. S. ROSECRANS, Major-General. This stepping out of

1780-634: The 39th Indiana , others had received Henrys , Colt Revolver rifles or Spencer carbines . Because it was a full brigade, and especially after the addition of a fifth regiment, the 92nd Illinois, the Lightning Brigade found itself operating as an independent corps-level, or even army-level, asset. While remaining administratively under the control of Reynolds' 4th Division in Thomas' XIV Corps, Wilder frequently received tasking from corps commanders, and even Rosecrans himself. (August 21 – September 8, 1863) Having driven Confederate forces from middle Tennessee,

1869-700: The Australian Light Horse and the Canadian Mounted Rifles ) were MI (mounted infantry), as well as locally raised irregulars like the Imperial Light Horse and South African Light Horse . As artillery was of limited use against scattered Boer guerrilla bands later in the war, the mounted personnel of Royal Artillery units were formed into Royal Artillery Mounted Rifles . As part of the lessons learned from that war, British regular cavalry regiments were armed with

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1958-788: The Ceylon Mounted Rifles , Cape Mounted Rifles , Natal Carbineers , and Marshall's Horse fought as mounted infantry. In the Second Boer War , the British copied the Boers and raised large forces of their own mounted infantry. Among various ad hoc formations, the Imperial Yeomanry was raised from volunteers in Britain between 1900 and 1901. Many of the contingents from Australia, Canada, and New Zealand (e.g.

2047-543: The Highland Rim (near Beechgrove, Tennessee ). On June 24 in pouring rain that would persist for 17 days (Union soldiers spread the humorous rumor during the campaign that the name Tullahoma was a combination of the Greek words "tulla", meaning "mud", and "homa", meaning "more mud".) Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas's men, spearheaded by Colonel John T. Wilder 's "Lightning Brigade", made for Hoover's Gap . The brigade showed

2136-679: The Mexican–American War (as the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen , but redesignated Third Cavalry Regiment in 1861), and others followed, for example in Australia in the 1880s. Terms such as "mounted rifles" or "Light Horse" were often used. The French Foreign Legion used mule -mounted companies from the 1880s. Each mule was shared by two legionnaires, who took turns in riding it. This arrangement allowed faster and more prolonged marches that could cover 60 mi (97 km) in one day. In

2225-743: The Philippine Scouts assisted in the defense of the Philippines at the onset of World War II. The 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army also maintained a mounted reconnaissance troop throughout World War Two, which saw service in Italy and Austria during the war. Countries with entrenched military traditions, such as Switzerland, retained horse-mounted troops well into the Cold War , while Sweden kept much of its infantry on bicycles during

2314-476: The Stones River Campaign , Rosecrans again had to use infantry to chase off Morgan. Trying to speed their movement, these infantry units deployed partially by rail. Wilder also unsuccessfully tried to replicate the use of mule-drawn wagons with the addition of men mounting the mules pulling the wagons. Unfortunately, they still traveled the majority of the pursuit on foot over unpaved roads. Despite

2403-567: The 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel. Dragoon regiments were established in most European armies during the late 17th century and early 18th century. The name is possibly derived from a type of firearm (called a dragon ) carried by dragoons of the French Army . There is no distinction between the words dragon and dragoon in French. The title has been retained in modern times by

2492-477: The 5th Division held at Hoover's Gap, Bragg soon came to realize the threat of Thomas. Meanwhile, Rosecrans shifted his forces to reinforce Thomas at the gap. Unfortunately for Bragg, infrequent direct communication with William J. Hardee , his corps commander who commanded Stewart left an ignorance of Bragg's campaign strategy. That ignorance coupled with a low opinion of his commander's intellect, led Hardee to do what "he deemed best for saving an army whose commander

2581-476: The 92nd and 98th Illinois Infantry Regiments, the 17th, 72nd, and 75th Indiana Infantry Regiments , and the 18th Indiana Battery of Light Artillery. His initial combat mission was to pursue another of Morgan's raids into Kentucky intended to sever the Army of the Cumberland's primary supply line. Lacking sufficient cavalry to screen his army as he moved south toward what would be the Battle of Stones River as part of

2670-484: The 92nd and 98th Illinois with a section of the 18th Indiana Light Artillery ( Capt. Eli Lilly 's battery), ten miles up the Tennessee toward Minty to the ferry at Harrison's Landing. He kept the 123rd Illinois, 17th and 72nd Indiana with the rest of Lilly's Battery opposite the city. Rosecrans had ordered the brigade to shell Chattanooga from the north bank of the Tennessee River to divert attention away from

2759-420: The Army of the Cumberland paused to refit and replenish their units. Rosecrans did not immediately pursue Bragg and "give the finishing blow to the rebellion" as Stanton urged. He paused to regroup and study the difficult choices of pursuit into mountainous regions. Rosecrans tried to continue his war of maneuver and get around Bragg's flank to threaten his rear and force him to abandon Chattanooga vice taking it in

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2848-535: The Army of the Cumberland to a halt as the roads had become quagmires. Bragg took no effective action to counter Rosecrans because his cavalry commanders were not relaying intelligence to him reliably—Forrest was not informing of the weak nature of the Union right flank attack and Wheeler failed to report the movement of Crittenden's corps through Bradyville and toward Bragg's rear. As the Lighting Brigade and

2937-468: The Army of the Cumberland. Initially positioned below the Elk River, Hardee and Polk felt they should retreat farther south, to the town of Cowan. In turn, their loss of nerve passed to Bragg who deemed Cowan indefensible on July 2. Without consulting his corps commanders, on July 3 Bragg ordered a retreat to Chattanooga. The army crossed the Tennessee River on July 4; a cavalry pursuit under Phil Sheridan

3026-467: The Confederates on the opposite bank distracted. When Wagner and Hazen's brigades arrived on August 29, some of Hazen's dismounted infantry joined the 92nd and 98th at Harrison's landing to aid in the misdirection. The deception operation included the 92nd and its compatriots faking boat construction by hammering, sawing, and tossing bits of lumber into the river at Harrison's Landing so that it would float downstream to Chattanooga. The whole brigade also began

3115-530: The First World War) experimented with motorcycle battalions. Germany also utilized organic horse and bicycle mounted troops within infantry formations throughout World War Two, although bicycle use increased as Germany retreated into its own territory. Japan deployed cyclists to great effect in its 1941 to 1942 campaign in Malaya and drive on Singapore during World War II. A horsed cavalry regiment of

3204-614: The Henry arrangement to Spencer. Spencer agreed and got the Ordnance Department to send a shipment to the Army of the Cumberland. The majority of the shipment armed all men of the brigade. The brigade's new weapon used a seven rimfire-cartridge tubular magazine that came through the butt. This rifle's increase in firepower would quickly make it one of the most effective weapons in the Civil War. With new mounts and new weapons,

3293-486: The Lightning Brigade held its position as a reserve near Viniard farm slightly uphill and behind the main line. as the battle began. As the battle progressed, the front developed in a north south direction just west of Chickamauga Creek. Viniard farm was just right of the Union Center held by Maj. Gen. Alexander McDowell McCook 's XX Corps. Mounted infantry The origins of mounted infantry go back to at least

3382-507: The South. The brigade and Minty's cavalrymen led the advance. Those two brigades would move quickly to reach the river while Hazen and Wagner would make their best speed to follow. The 92nd and its companions quickly worked their way towards the Tennessee River, through Dunlap , reaching Poe's Tavern , to the northeast of Chattanoogas Ridge on August 20. The steep slopes of the Cumberland Plateau and Walden's Ridge were difficult terrain, and there

3471-532: The Union General-in-Chief Major General Henry Wager Halleck stating his desire to convert or establish units of mounted infantry and asking for authorization to purchase or issue enough tack to outfit 5,000 mounted infantry. He believed that he needed to outfit all of his cavalry with repeating weapons. When he felt he was not being heard, he went over Halleck directly to War Secretary Edward M Stanton. In

3560-623: The Western Theater of the American Civil War , several infantry regiments were converted to mounted infantry and armed with repeating rifles . The Lightning Brigade at the Battle of Chickamauga was an example of these Union mounted infantry units. In the British Army , infantry units in some parts of the British Empire had a mounted platoon for scouting and skirmishing . In addition, many locally raised units such as

3649-413: The advantage of their speed despite the weather by reaching the gap nearly 9 miles ahead of Thomas's main body.Despite orders from the divisional commander, General Joseph J. Reynolds to fall back to his infantry, which was still six miles away, Wilder decided to take and hold the position. The command surprised Confederate Colonel J. Russell Butler's 1st (3rd) Kentucky Cavalry Regiment at the entrance of

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3738-443: The army's line of communication back to Chattanooga. The next day, 18 September, the Lightning Brigade blocked the crossing against the approach of W.H.T. Walker 's Corps. Armed with Spencer repeating rifles and Capt. Lilly's four guns of the 18th Indiana Battery, the brigade held off a brigade of Brig. Gen. St. John Liddell's division, which suffered 105 casualties against Wilder's superior firepower. Walker moved his men downstream

3827-409: The beginnings of organised warfare. With the weight of ancient bronze armor , the opposing champions would travel to battle on chariots before dismounting to fight. With the evolution of hoplite warfare, some hoplites would travel to battle on horseback, before dismounting to take their place in the phalanx . The early pre- Marian Roman military had units consisting of infantrymen clinging to

3916-498: The brigade in pursuit. In an effort to move faster, the brigade mounted mule wagons. The brigade nearly caught Morgan, but when they entered the last Confederate bivouac, Morgan had escaped. In this effort, John T. Wilder served as the commander of the 17th Indiana, one of the component regiments in the brigade. On 22 December 1862 in Gallatin, Tennessee, John T. Wilder took over command of the brigade which at that time consisted of

4005-518: The brigade remove the yellow cloth tapes from the outseam of the standard riding trousers which had been issued from the quartermasters. Wilder stressed to his regiments that the mounts were a means of moving faster and that they were infantry. As such none of the training involved scouting and screening. On June 23, 1863, Rosecrans deployed forces to feign an attack on Shelbyville while massing forces against Braxton Bragg 's right. His troops moved out toward Liberty, Bellbuckle, and Hoover's Gaps through

4094-474: The brigade worked out new tactics. Alongside the Army of the Cumberland's other mounted infantry units, Wilder developed new training and tactics through May and June 1863. By the middle of the latter month, the brigade's soldiers had realized the advantages the breech-loading repeating rifle held over the muzzleloader, and they exuded confidence in themselves, their leaders, their new tactics, and their treasured new weapons. In his 2002 thesis, Harbison illustrates

4183-543: The bulk of their army, and special care was taken to ensure the health, fodder, and availability of horses on-campaign. Other notable infantry to use horses to enhance their mobility include the Genoese crossbowmen , and Viking raiders who would gather all the horses they could find in the vicinity of their landings. Dragoons originally were mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills . However, usage altered over time and during

4272-498: The cavalry charge in the Battle of Beersheba (1917) during World War I are labelled as mounted infantry brigade in popular media; however, they were in fact mounted rifles as were the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade which also took part in this battle. Mounted rifles regiments lack the mass of a mounted infantry battalions, as a light horse brigade could only muster as many rifles in the line as

4361-510: The chain of command seemed to work as it drew a quick response from Halleck promising the "best arms" and "superior arms" as soon as they became available from the factories. Of note, Halleck reminded Rosecrans that "you are not the only general who is urgently calling for more cavalry and more cavalry arms" and that "Grant, Sibley, Banks, Hunter, Foster, Dix, and Schenck" all wanted more "more cavalry." In Wilder, an innovative and creative man, Rosecrans found an eager acolyte for mounted infantry as

4450-403: The charge will ever charge again. During all the rest of the fight at "Hoover's Gap" they never again attempted to take that battery. After the charge they moved four regiments around to our right and attempted to get in our rear, but they were met by two of our regiments posted in the woods, and in five minutes were driven back in the greatest disorder, with a loss of 250 killed and wounded. After

4539-506: The city (Rosecran's goal) and was planning to withdraw to a more defensible position further south. He sped up his withdrawal and marched his Army of Tennessee into Georgia . Bragg's army marched down the LaFayette Road and camped in the city of LaFayette . Wilder did not pursue the retreating enemy because that was a cavalry role, but he did pass on reports from local inhabitants to Rosecrans which deceived him into believing Bragg

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4628-409: The deception. Continuing periodically over the next two weeks, the shelling and movements within sight of Confederate lookouts on the south bank helped keep Bragg's attention to the northeast while the bulk of Rosecrans's army crossed the Tennessee River well west and south of Chattanooga. The diversion was successful, with Bragg concentrating his army east of Chattanooga. On the morning of September 5,

4717-484: The disconnect between Rosecrans' and Wilder's expectations. Rosecrans appears to have envisioned a mounted rifle organization similar to those in the U.S. Army. These units were armed with rifles and fought on foot (with the rifle giving them a greater range of lethality) yet still performed the traditional cavalry roles of scouting enemy weaknesses and location, security of the flanks or rear the parent command, countering enemy cavalry, countering enemy infantry attacks, being

4806-400: The division and served as a mobile mounted infantry to support any of the army's corps. Colonel John T. Wilder was its commander. As initially organized, the brigade had the following regiments: Throughout 1862, Major General William S. Rosecrans and his Army of the Cumberland were driven to distraction by Confederate cavalry and irregulars. Like many in the U.S. Army, they were coming to

4895-527: The division command while maintaining an administrative link to Reynold's division. Operationally, the brigade would act independently as a mobile reserve for the army. With his corps commanders unnerved by the Lightning Brigade's raid, at 3 p.m. on June 30, Bragg issued orders for a nighttime withdrawal from fortifications in Tullahoma across the Elk River. By leaving before the Union assault, Bragg gave up an opportunity to inflict potentially serious damage on

4984-630: The division occupied the town by noon. On June 28, the brigade left on a raid to damage the railroad infrastructure in Bragg's rear, heading south toward Decherd, a small town on the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad . The rain-swollen Elk River proved a significant obstacle, but they disassembled a nearby mill and constructed a raft to float their howitzers across. They defeated a small garrison of Confederates in Decherd, tore up 300 yards of track and

5073-439: The flanking columns sent southwest of the city. Moving cautiously at first, scouts approached the river to appraise the state and location of Confederate forces. The men in the brigade opposite the city found some Confederate soldiers on the north bank, ignorant of the Union force approaching with the 123d Illinois capturing forty prisoners and a ferry. At Harrison's Landing, the 92nd and 98th Illinois found no meaningful forces save

5162-529: The four brigades to keep Bragg focused across the river to the north bank. The four brigades would patrol the river, make as much noise as possible, and feign river crossing operations north of the city. That was what Bragg feared most, a crossing north of Chattanooga. Wilder's brigade moved out from its headquarters on 16 August, ascending the Plateau and camping that night at Sewanee, near the University of

5251-514: The gap. After skirmishing briefly and withdrawing under pressure, the rebels were unable to reach the gap before the better-fed horses of the Lightning Brigade. The Kentuckians fell apart as a unit and, unluckily for the Confederates, failed in their cavalry mission to provide intelligence of the Union movement to their higher headquarters. Although Wilder's main infantry support was well behind his mounted brigade and his division commander Major General Joseph J. Reynolds had directed him to fall back to

5340-431: The ground, but in an instant their colors are up again and on they come, thinking to reach the battery before our guns can be reloaded, but they "reckoned without their host," they didn't know we had the "Spencers," and their charging yell was answered by another terrible volley, and another and another without cessation, until the poor regiment was literally cut to pieces, and but few men of that 20th Tennessee that attempted

5429-484: The hills south of the gap and determined to hold this extremely advanced position. Bate's brigade, supported by Brig. Gen. Bushrod Johnson 's brigade and some artillery, assaulted Wilder's position, but was driven back by the concentrated fire of the Spencers, losing 146 killed and wounded (almost a quarter of his force) to Wilder's 61. Due to the heavy volume of fire he received from the brigade, Bate initially thought he

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5518-615: The main force after contact, he determined to continue pushing through to seize and hold the Gap before the Confederate reinforcements could prevent him. The brigade drove the 1st Kentucky through the entire seven mile length of Hoover's Gap. At the other end, they were met with artillery fire and found out that the brigade and its one battery were outnumbered four-to-one. The brigade had met Brig. Gen. William B. Bate 's brigade of Maj. Gen. Alexander P. Stewart 's division. Wilder entrenched on

5607-481: The mountains. Once they arrived, they would join the force already there to keep Bragg distracted. On arrival, Wilder and Minty divided the north bank between the brigades. The Lightning Brigade would cover from opposite the city to Sale Creek about eleven miles upstream. Minty would cover the sector further upstream. The idea was to keep the Rebels watching to the north and east. Wilder further divided his sector sending

5696-440: The north. Meanwhile, on 11 September, the Lightning Brigade, attached to Crittenden's advanced from Lee and Gordon's Mill to Ringgold, GA. There it skirmished with and defeated Col. John S. Scott's brigade of John Pegram's Division of Forrest's Cavalry Corps and then drove off Confederate reinforcements. It returned to the mill by nightfall. The following morning, it was again ordered to advance to Ringgold. Four miles short of

5785-604: The realization of how hasty and in error the McClellan clique had been in resisting the raising of volunteer cavalry as seen by their own experience as well as McClellan's failure in the Peninsula Campaign . The federal government had already put out a call to the states in the summer of 1862 for cavalry regiments, but they were just recently being raised and were not yet active in sufficient numbers. In response to John Hunt Morgan 's October 1862 raid, Rosecrans sent

5874-552: The regiment's five-shot Colt revolving rifle that would equip other units in the Army of the Cumberland (particularly seeing action with the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry Union forces at Snodgrass Hill during the Battle of Chickamauga ), Wilder was initially opting for the Henry repeating rifle as the proper weapon to arm his brigade. In early March, Wilder arranged a proposal for New Haven Arms Company (which later became famous as Winchester Repeating Arms) to supply his brigade with

5963-473: The rest of the Wilder and Minty were themselves tricked when Bragg's forces faked preparations to cross the river to the north side to attack. They quickly concentrated their forces to contest the crossing, but by the next day, they had figured out that it was a ruse to fix them in one place. When Bragg learned on September 8 that the Union army was in force southwest of the city, he had already decided to abandon

6052-485: The road behind Johnson. Although Bragg had achieved some degree of surprise, he failed to exploit it strongly. Rosecrans, observing the dust raised by the marching Confederates in the morning, anticipated Bragg's plan. He ordered Thomas and McCook to Crittenden's support, and while the Confederates were crossing the creek, Thomas began to arrive in Crittenden's rear area. Through the morning to midday of 19 September,

6141-508: The saddles of the cavalry to take them to battle and then dismounting to fight. Gallic and Germanic warbands were reported to use double-riders, with a second warrior joining a horseman only for a short distance before dismounting to fight on foot. The Han dynasty also extensively used mounted infantry in their campaigns against the Xiongnu confederation . During many of the Han campaigns,

6230-442: The same rifle as the infantry and became well-trained in dismounted tactics. A version of the standard infantry rifle, the shorter-barreled LEC or "Lee-Enfield Cavalry Carbine Mark I" had been introduced in 1896. Many European armies also used bicycle infantry in a similar way that mounted infantry used horses. However they were handicapped by the need for proper roads. The Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade which took part in

6319-413: The scene. Rather than reprimand Wilder for disobeying orders, he congratulated him for doing so, telling him it would have cost thousands of lives to take the position if he had abandoned it. On June 25, Bate and Johnson renewed their attempts to drive the Union men out of Hoover's Gap but failed against the Lightning Brigade now with its parent division and corps. Rosecrans brought the forward movement of

6408-465: The sixteen-shot Henry if the soldiers paid for the weapons out of pocket. He had received backing from banks in Indiana on loans to be signed by each soldier and cosigned by Wilder. New Haven could not come to an agreement with Wilder despite the financing. After attending a promotional demonstration by Christopher Spencer for the Army of the Cumberland of his Spencer repeating rifle , Wilder proposed

6497-471: The snow-free months. Hatchet A hatchet (from the Old French hachete , a diminutive form of hache , ' axe ' of Germanic origin) is a single-handed striking tool with a sharp blade on one side used to cut and split wood, and a hammerhead on the other side. Hatchets may also be used for hewing when making flattened surfaces on logs; when the hatchet head is optimized for this purpose it

6586-594: The soldiers would fight dismounted. Due to this speed of deployment, the unit earned the nickname, "The Lightning Brigade", and it would prove the validity of its conversion in the campaign in the Western theater. They were also sometimes known as the "Hatchet Brigade" because they received long-handled hatchets to carry instead of cavalry sabers . As well as mounting the command for faster deployment, Wilder felt that muzzle-loaded rifles were too difficult to use traveling on horseback. Like Rosecrans, he also believed that

6675-494: The superiority of repeating rifles were worth their price in return for the great increase in firepower. The repeating rifles also had the standoff range similar to the standard infantry Lorenzes , Springfields , and Enfields in use by the Army of the Cumberland. He felt the repeating and breech loading carbines in use by the Federal cavalry lacked the accuracy at long range that his brigade would need. While Rosecrans looked at

6764-795: The support of near $ 4,000—say $ 5,000—per day. The power of these men will be doubled by good arms. Thus would be saved $ 5,000 per day. But this is the smallest part of our trouble. One rebel cavalryman takes on an average 3 of our infantry to watch our communications, while our progress is made slow and cautious. We command the forage of the country only by sending large train guards. It is of prime necessity in every point of view to master their cavalry. I propose to do this, first, by so arming our cavalry as to give it maximum strength; secondly, by having animals and saddles temporarily to mount infantry brigades for marches and enterprises. We have now 1,000 cavalrymen without horses, and 2,000 without arms. We don’t want revolvers so much as light revolving rifles. This matter

6853-423: The town, it again ran into elements of Pegram's Division. After dispersing these units, Wilder found that Strahl's Brigade of Cheatham's Division of Polk's Corps had cut the brigade's route back to the mill. Although the Lightning Brigade was surrounded, the rebels unsure of its identity, size, and strength, did not press home an attack. At nightfall, the Wilder deceived the Confederates by spreading campfires over

6942-399: The town. The shells caught many soldiers and civilians in town in church observing a day of prayer and fasting. The bombardment created a great deal of consternation amongst the Confederates. The three regiments and Lilly's men began shifting positions back and forth to keep the Rebels in the city confused. The 92nd and 98th, after securing the ferry at Harrison's Landing, began trying to keep

7031-603: The use of rail and wagons to speed up the pursuit, the mission was a failure with Morgan's command escaping at the Rolling Fork River. The difference in speed between cavalry and infantry made the pursuit near impossible. As a result of the failure, Rosecrans and his subordinates revisited the experiment with wagons from the October events and realized the solution to their problems was the early role of dragoons as mounted infantrymen. Several times, Rosecrans wrote to

7120-481: The vast majority of the army rode on horseback; either as mounted cavalry or mounted infantry who fought dismounted. The Arabs, during their campaigns in the deserts of Mesopotamia and Syria against the Byzantines and Sassanids , used camels to enhance their mobility, marking a stark contrast to their enemies, especially in the desert environment. The Carolingians under Charlemagne also used horses as transport for

7209-491: The way of bursting shells, our regiment was assigned to support the battery, the other three regiments were properly disposed, and not a moment too soon, for these preparations were scarcely completed when the enemy opened on us a terrific fire of shot and shell from five different points, and their masses of infantry, with flags flying, moved out of the woods on our right in splendid style; there were three or four times our number already in sight and still others came pouring out of

7298-437: The woods beyond. Our regiment lay on the hill side in mud and water, the rain pouring down in torrents, while each shell screamed so close to us as to make it seem that the next would tear us to pieces. Presently the enemy got near enough to us to make a charge on our battery, and on they came; our men are on their feet in an instant and a terrible fire from the "Spencers" causes the advancing regiment to reel and its colors fall to

7387-511: Was a dearth of forage, but the two brigades still made good time in their advance. At dawn on 21 August, the command moved to the Tennessee to begin their deception. Wilder and Minty divided the north bank between their brigades. The 92nd and its brigade mates covered southern side, from city to Sale Creek, and Minty's men from there north to the mouth of the Hiawassee River. Wagner and Hazen's brigades, traveling afoot were still crossing

7476-407: Was an idiot." That course was to order his battered troops under Stewart at Hoover's Gap to retreat towards Wartrace. His retreat served to only make Thomas's breakout more effective, leaving Bragg with his right flank gone. To keep his army together, he had to order Polk and Hardee to withdraw to Tullahoma on June 27. The Lightning Brigade reached Manchester at 8 a.m. on June 27, and the remainder of

7565-522: Was fleeing in chaos to Dalton or Rome, Georgia. On September 9, the brigade received orders to cross the river at Friar's Island, two miles downstream from Harrison's Landing, and enter Chattanooga. The river crossing and movement to Chattanooga occupied the 9th and 10th. (September 11–12, 1863) As Rosecrans moved his forces south and west, the heavily wooded and hilly terrain soon had 60 miles of separation between his three making mutual support nearly impossible. It gradually dawned on him that Bragg's Army

7654-668: Was neither demoralized nor in disarray. It was not defeated. Bragg attacked General James S. Negley 's isolated division of the Union XIV Corps , commanded by George H. Thomas, before Rosecrans could concentrate the rest of his army across Chickamauga Creek near Davis' Cross Roads. Negley retreated and met up with the rest of the XIV Corps. Thomas confirmed to Rosecrans that the rebels were not falling back as they had previously believed but instead seemed to be massing for an imminent attack. Concerned about mutual support, Thomas and McCook made plans to shift their corps closer together to

7743-556: Was not successful in trapping the rear guard of Bragg's army before they crossed the river. All the Confederate units had encamped near Lookout Mountain by July 7. Use of mounted infantry was developing and would see further development through the Chickamauga Campaign. While Wilder's brigade was the only mounted infantry unit of its size, several other regiments had converted to mounted infantry. Some had just been mounted while others had also received Spencer rifles, like

7832-409: Was outnumbered five-to-one. Colonel James Connolly, commander of the 123rd Illinois, wrote: As soon as the enemy opened on us with their artillery we dismounted and formed line of battle on a hill just at the south entrance to the "Gap," and our battery of light artillery was opened on them, a courier was dispatched to the rear to hurry up reinforcements, our horses were sent back some distance out of

7921-550: Was to sprint ahead of Crittenden's Corps to the Tennessee River, and visibly show its presence to the Confederate cavalry screening the south bank. The remainder of the corps would spread out across the Cumberland Plateau heading north of Chattanooga, while the Rosecrans' other two corps crossed the river below Chattanooga and Bragg. Once the other corps were safely across the river, the XXI Corps would fall in behind them leaving

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