Route of the Union Right
Route of the Union Right
Panic stricken union soldiers ran from the battlefield
At 11:10 AM on September 20, Confederate forces under Gen. James long streak broke through the right side the Union line about 1/4 mile behind you at the Brotherton In. Union soldiers behind the shattered line broke ranks and ran, is general Bushrod Johnson´s Calvary burst out of the woods behind you.
On the hill in front of you stood the headquarters of major general William S. Rosecrans, the Union commander. A pair mid-of cannonballs marks the spot today. Their lives and that disaster had struck, Rosecrans told his staff to save themselves, then fled with several of his top officers. It was one of the most disastrous rounds of the war.
The highest rank in union officer left on the field was Maj. Gen. George S. Thomas. The task fell to him to save the Union Army from annihilation.
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: Byron Hooks of Lat34North.com.