Battle of Ringgold Gap

The disastrous Confederate rout at Battle of Missionary Ridge on November 25 forced the Army of Tennessee to retreat into northwest Georgia. On November 26, the army made its way south towards Dalton. To allow time for his artillery and wagon trains to safely pass through the gap, Confederate General Braxton Bragg sent Patrick Cleburne's unit of 4,157 men to defend it from the Union army. While Cleburne expressed doubt he could defend the gap adequately with his single division, Bragg refused to send any further troops to assist Cleburne. Cleburne and his men proceeded south and reached Ringgold around 10:00p.m. After crossing through the East Chickamauga Creek, Cleburne's army made camp in the mountain pass known as the Ringgold Gap. The Union commander at Chattanooga, Ulysses S. Grant, had ordered a pursuit of the retreating Confederate army on the morning of November 26, but confusion over the orders prevented the Union forces from getting an early start. General Joseph Hooker was given command of divisions from the IV Corps, XI Corps, XII Corps, and XV Corps and sent to cut off the Western and Atlantic railroad in pursuit of the Confederate rear guard. However, when the Union forces arrived, they found that the Confederates had burned the bridges over Chickamauga Creek. Brigadier General Mark Perrin Lowrey and Lucius Polk's troops of the Confederate Reserve were sent to guard the passage at Taylor's Ridge. Further north, Brigadier General Hiram B. Granbury's Texas brigade was sent to defend against attack from White Oak Mountain. To his right, Major William Taylor was stationed with members of the 17th, 18th, 24th, and 25th Texas cavalry. Cleburne's tactical position was completed with the placement of two cannons at the opening of the gap along with a regiment under the leadership of Richard Goldthwaite. Around 8:00a.m. on the morning of November 27, Hooker dispatched Major General Peter Osterhaus and his division to scout the area. While out, they encountered Cleburne's watchmen, who raced back to the Ringgold Gap to inform Cleburne of their encounter and the impending battle. ==Armies==

Union Ulysses S. Grant had the following forces available in the Battle of Ringgold Gap under the leadership of Joseph Hooker: • The Second Division of the XII Corps, under Brigadier General John Geary. • 1st Brigade, under Colonel William Creighton and Lieutenant Orrin Crane, consisting of the 7th Ohio, 66th Ohio, 28th Pennsylvania, and 147th Pennsylvania. • 3rd Brigade, under Colonel David Ireland, consisting of the 60th New York and 149th New York. • The First Division of the XV Corps, under Brigadier General Peter Osterhaus. • 1st Brigade, under Brigadier General Charles Woods, consisting of the 13th Illinois, 3rd Missouri, 12th Missouri, 29th Missouri, 31st Missouri, and 76th Ohio. • 2nd Brigade, under Colonel James Williamson, consisting of the 4th Iowa, 9th Iowa, and 26th Iowa. • Lowrey's Brigade, under Brigadier General Mark Lowrey, consisting of three Alabama regiments under Major Frederick Ashford and three Tennessee regiments. • Semple's (Alabama) Battery of the Artillery Battalion, under Lieutenant Richard Goldthwaite. ==Battle==

Arriving at his lookout point from the depot, Hooker saw a small line of infantrymen and decided to deploy his forces into the gap without his artillery. Under the command of General Charles Woods, his brigade entered the gap, but were quickly driven back by Granbury's unit. Upon Cleburne's orders, Goldthwaite's men fired three shots from the disguised twelve-pound Napoleon cannons After another failed attempt against Cleburne's troops, Woods' troops were halted by gunfire from Taylor's Ridge and cannon fire from within the gap. To counter the opposition, Osterhaus sent the 76th Ohio and 4th Iowa to attack the Confederate forces on Taylor's Ridge. The initial volley disorganized Osterhaus's division After holding his position for five hours, Cleburne received communications from Bragg around 12:00 p.m. ==Aftermath==

Cleburne had lost 20 killed and 201 wounded during the battle. Union casualties totaled 509 killed and wounded. Although Hooker was severely criticized for his conduct of the battle by Union Assistant Secretary of War Dana and several of Hooker's men, Grant chose to retain Hooker temporarily. File:Ringgold_Gap_Battlefield_Georgia.jpg|Map of Ringgold Gap Battlefield core and study areas by the American Battlefield Protection Program File:Battle of Ringgold, Ga., Nov. 26, 1863 LCCN2004660163.tif|Battle of Ringgold, Ga., Nov. 26, 1863 LCCN2004660163 File:The Jobe house. Ringgold, Ga. LCCN2004660516.jpg|The Jobe house. Ringgold, Ga. LCCN2004660516 ==Battlefield today==

A small park in Ringgold Gap commemorates the battle. A monument to soldiers from New York who sustained heavy casualties stands near Tiger Creek at the Ringgold Water Treatment Plant, while a monument in honor of Major General Patrick Cleburne and his men is located in the park. The nearby Western and Atlantic Depot (Ringgold Depot) still shows scars from the damage it received from artillery fire during the battle. The Ringgold Gap Battlefield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. File:New York Ringgold Monument.jpg|New York Monument File:Patrick R. Cleburne statue at Ringgold Gap.jpg|Cleburne's statue at Ringgold Gap, Georgia by sculptor Ron Tunison. File:Ringgold Depot, Ringgold (Catoosa County, Georgia).JPG|Ringgold Depot, Ringgold (Catoosa County, Georgia) ==Notes==