Mix up in the Union Command
Mix up in the Union Command
An unwise order created a perilous gap in the Union line
Shortly before 11 AM on September 20, Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans, the Union commander, received an erroneous report that Brig. Gen. John M. Brannan´s division was out of position, which would have created a gap in the Union battle line. In fact, Brannan´s men were concealed in the woods behind you -- right where they should have been. Brannan´s line is marked along this road today by monuments and cannon.
In a move to close the supposed gap, Rosecrans dispatched an order to Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Wood to move to the left to support Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Reynolds. Wood, who had been harshly reprimanded earlier that day for failing to obey orders promptly, did as he was commanded.
The departure of Wood´s division opened a real gap in the Union battle line about ¼-mile south of here (to your right), meanwhile, Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet prepared a massive attack that would hit the Union line at the vulnerable point.
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: Byron Hooks of Lat34North.com.