The second day begins
The second day begins
Morning brought repeated attacks on the Union breastworks here
By the morning of September 20, 1863, Gen. Braxton Bragg had organized his Confederate army into two wings -- Longstreet on the left and Polk´s here on the right. Bragg ordered Polk to attack at dawn. However, the attack was delayed, in the Federals used the first critical hours of daylight to strengthen their log breastworks.
Finally, at 9:30 a.m. Maj. Gen. John C. Breckinridge´s Confederate Division struck the Union breastworks at this point. Other Confederate units joined them as the attack spread southward along the line of monuments behind you. The pressure of these attacks forced Union commander Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans to move men from his center to stop the attack here on his left.
About noon the futile and costly Confederate charges ended, not be resumed until late afternoon. The federals stood firm behind their log wall, awaiting the outcome of the fighting still raging south of here.
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: Byron Hooks of Lat34North.com.