The Union Cavalry and the Chickamauga Campaign

During the Chickamauga Campaign, General David Stanley’s two Union cavalry divisions battled Nathan Bedford Forrest’s and Joseph Wheeler’s cavalry corps in some of the most difficult terrain for mounted operations. The Federal troopers, commanded by George Crook and Edward McCook, guarded the flanks of the advance on Chattanooga, secured the crossing of the Tennessee River, then pushed into enemy territory. Cavalry clashes marked the opening hostilities but the battle exploded on September 18 as the “Lightning Brigade” held back a determined assault by Confederate infantry. The fighting along Chickamauga Creek included notable actions at Glass Mill and Cooper’s Gap. Union cavalry dogged Wheeler’s forces through Tennessee before the battle at Farmington sent the Confederates back across the River. Often overlooked, the Union troopers fought in conditions so dusty they could hardly see, leading the infantry through the second costliest battle of the war.

Dennis W. Belcher has edited or authored six books on the Civil War and has published in the North & South magazine, and made many presentations on aspects of the Civil War. He lives in Jefferson City, Missouri.