Chickamauga in Walker County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Skirmish at McLemore’s Cove
Bragg Sees an Opportunity, September 9-11, 1863
With four railroads and access to several natural passes through the Southern Appalachian Mountains, Chattanooga was the gateway to the deep South. The Union army's objective — to capture and destroy the Confederacy's industrial centers in central Georgia and central Alabama – could not be accomplished without securing Chattanooga. Throughout the fall of 1863, the Blue and the Gray clashed in bloody contests for control of Chattanooga.
In the early fall of 1863, Federal commander Major General William S. Rosecrans planned a three-column attack on the city where General Braxton Bragg's Confederate army guarded the railroad crossing. While Rosecrans and Major General Thomas L. Crittenden's columns maneuvered to confuse Bragg as to the Federals' true point of attack, the real threat was a third column made up of Major General George H. Thomas' 14th Corps and Major General Alexander McDowell McCook's 20th Corps. They moved up from the west and south to threaten the Western & Atlantic Railroad. Recognizing that his supply line was in peril, Bragg pulled his forces out of Chattanooga by September 9 and withdrew to LaFayette, Georgia, where they met reinforcements from Virginia and Mississippi. With the Union Army vulnerable — split into three columns and spread dangerously thin over 40 miles — Bragg decided to attack. His first opportunity occurred here, in McLemore Cove, September 9 - 11, 1863.
Erected by Civil War Preservation Trust.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is September 9, 1863.
Location. 34° 45.15′ N, 85° 21.258′ W. Marker has been reported unreadable. Marker is in Chickamauga, Georgia, in Walker County. Marker can be reached from Georgia Route 193, 0.8 miles east of Cove Road (Georgia Route 341), on the right when traveling east. Marker located at Civil War Wayside. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chickamauga GA 30707, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies. A different marker also named Skirmish at McLemore’s Cove (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Skirmish at McLemore’s Cove (here, next to this marker); Martin Davis House and Farm (approx. 0.8 miles away); Catlett’s Gap (approx. 2.9 miles away); Stephens Gap (approx. 4 miles away); Fort Cumming (approx. 4.6 miles away); Gowan’s (Gower’s) Ford And Widow Glenn’s Grave (approx. 4.7 miles away); Marsh-Warthen House (approx. 5.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chickamauga.
Also see . . . Maneuvers at McLemore's Cove. American Battlefield trust website entry; 05/11/2021 LPG. (Submitted on September 16, 2015.)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 9, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 15, 2015, by Brandon Fletcher of Chattanooga, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 690 times since then and 35 times this year. Last updated on November 20, 2022, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1. submitted on September 15, 2015, by Brandon Fletcher of Chattanooga, Tennessee. 2. submitted on November 20, 2022, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. 3. submitted on September 15, 2015, by Brandon Fletcher of Chattanooga, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.