Skirmish at McLemore's Cove - Confederate Plan of Attack, September 9 - 10, 1863
McLemore Cove is a sheltered valley located between the long finger of Lookout Mountain and the thumb-like spur of Pigeon Mountain. On September 9, the advance elements of the Federal 14th Corps, under the command of Major General James S. Negley, moved through the Cove toward Dug Gap in Pigeon Mountain directly in front of you. As they moved deeper into the Cove, Negley's forces risked being cut off from the rest of the 14th Corps, still on the western side of Lookout Mountain.
Confederate General Braxton Bragg acted quickly. He assigned Lieutenant General Daniel H. Hill and Major General Thomas C. Hindman to assault Negley's isolated force. Bragg ordered Hill to attack westward from Dug Gap while Hindman attacked south from his position at Lee and Gordon's Mill along the Chickamauga Creek. Bragg intended to corner Negley's division in the natural cul-de-sac of McLemore Cove and destroy it. Since Hill and Hindman's forces outnumbered Negley's by three to one, Confederate prospects for success seemed excellent.
[This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.] [The authors are the Civil War Preservation Trust.]
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: Byron Hooks of Lat34North.com.