This division crushed, and the others are yours.We can then turn on the force in the cove.Wheeler's cavalry will move on Wilder so as to cover your right.I shall be delighted to hear of your success." Later in the evening two additional orders were issued to Polk, urging him to attack promptly at "day-dawn," on the 13th;that our army was concentrating, and that it should be quick and decided." At eleven o'clock that night Polk sent a dispatch stating that he had taken a strong position for defense and asked that he be heavily re-enforced.Bragg sent him an immediate order not to defer his attack, as his command was numerically superior to the opposing force, and told him that to secure success, prompt and rapid movements on his part were necessary.Early on the morning of the 13th, Bragg, at the head of Buckner's command, went to the front, and found no advance had been made by Polk as ordered, and that Crittenden had united his forces and recrossed the Chickamauga.
Again the attempt to strike our army in detail had failed, and now Bragg gave orders to his commanders to concentrate along the east bank of Chickamauga in position for battle, and as soon as his reinforcements under Longstreet from Virginia were up to attack with the entire command.Wheeler, with two divisions of cavalry on the extreme left, was ordered to engage the attention of Thomas in McLemore's Cove, covering the main movement of the rebel army;Forrest with his own and Pegram's divisions of cavalry covered the right and front.Bragg ordered B.R.Johnson's brigade from Ringgold, where he had been stationed protecting the railroad, to take position near Reed's bridge on the extreme right of his line.Walker's corps was then formed on Johnson's left, opposite Alexander's Bridge.Buckner's corps was formed on the left of Walker, near Ledford's Ford.Polk's corps was placed in line opposite Lee and Gordon's Mills on Buckner's left, with Hill on the extreme left.Two brigades that had just arrived from Mississippi were placed under Johnson on the right, making his command a division of three brigades strong.To this division in the earlier movements three brigades of Longstreet's corps from Virginia were temporarily attached.On the 18th, Hood reporting, was placed in command of this column on the right.
The rebel army on the 17th were in position, and that evening Bragg issued his orders for his forces to cross the Chickamauga, commencing the movement at six o'clock on the morning of the 18th.
Bragg's plan of battle for the 18th was for the column under Johnson--later under Hood--to cross in force at Reed's Bridge, rapidly turn to the left by the most practicable route, and sweep up the Chickamauga toward Lee and Gordon's Mills.Walker's corps next on the left, crossing at Alexandria Bridge, was to unite in the movement, pressing our army vigorously on flank and rear, in the same direction.Buckner, crossing at Ledford's Ford, was to join in the movement to the left, pressing our army back up the stream from Polk's front.The latter to push forward to the front at Lee and Gordon's Mills, and if not able to cross there, to bear to the right and cross at Dalton's Ford or Alexander's Bridge, and unite in the attack wherever he could find an opposing force.
Hill, to cover the left flank of the rebel army from an advance by our forces in the cove, to ascertain by pressing his cavalry to the front if we were reinforcing our corps at Lee and Gordon's Mills, and if so to attack on the flank.This plan contemplated the destruction of the left of our army, the seizing of the La Fayette road, and, if possible, occupying and holding the roads in Chattanooga Valley, cutting off all access from Chattanooga.These movements were not executed as rapidly as was contemplated by Bragg, owing to the resistance made by our cavalry and Wilder's mounted infantry, and the difficulties arising from bad and narrow roads.Johnson was repeatedly urged to commence the movement on the right, but he delayed his advance until late in the afternoon, when Hood arrived and effected the crossing.Walker moved up to Alexander's Bridge, at which point Wilder hotly contested his crossing, and finally broke up the bridge.Walker moved down the creek to Byron's Ford, where he crossed and joined Hood on the right during the night.
On Walker's crossing, Wilder was compelled to fall back.
