Given that he operated out of Chicago, it was only natural that Kurz would focus much of his work on the glorious moments of the Army of the Cumberland (Illinoisans and other Midwesterners were heavily represented in this army) in the Chattanooga and Atlanta Campaigns. He extensively covered the former, producing a lithograph for three of the main actions outside the Tennessee transportation hub. First, we’ll look at the battle that turned General George Thomas into a national hero.
Battle of Chickamauga
In the summer of 1863 General William Rosecrans’ Army of the Cumberland skillfully maneuvered General Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee out of Chattanooga. Though Rosecrans captured all his objectives in Tennessee, the War Department was annoyed that he had not brought the Confederates into a major battle so he could crush them. Feeling intense political pressure, Rosecrans marched into Georgia. James Longstreet’s Corps arrived from Virginia to bolster Bragg’s force and the Confederates attacked the Federals near the creek of Chickamauga. Thanks to a mix-up, the Federals accidentally opened a hole in their line. The Confederates exploited this and shattered their right flank. General Thomas was able to form a defensive line on Snodgrass Hill and hold off the enemy so the rest of the army could escape. For this he was called the “Rock of Chickamauga.” Occurring on September 19-20, it was the second bloodiest battle of the Civil War and the largest (albeit pyrrhic) Confederate victory in the western theatres.
The terrain is at least a little off here. Instead of fighting on a hill, the Federals are on or in front of cliffs (cliffs, bluffs, and rocky mounds seem to appear fairly in Kurz lithographs in lieu of normal hill slopes. The Confederates are also crossing a creek (perhaps meant to be the titular river) right in front of their lines. Kurz does show mountains in the background, matching the terrain of northern Georgia. Federals guard passes between the cliffs in the background, while those in the foreground resolutely make a stand. General George Thomas is seen on horseback. Interestingly a dead drummer boy is visible. This is actually the battle where drummer boy Johnny Clem famously shot a Confederate officer off his horse, but Kurz didn’t include that here.
Battle of Chattanooga
This is the first of three lithographs covering the November 23-25 actions outside Chattanooga. Kurz doesn’t specify which particular action this piece represents. My suspicion is that it’s the Battle of Orchard Knob on November 23. After his defeat at Chickamauga, Rosecrans’ army was besieged at Chattanooga. The government replaced him with General Thomas as commander. General Grant arrived with reinforcements and took overall command. Opening up a supply line, he then ordered a series of offensives against Bragg’s over-extended siege lines. General Phil Sheridan’s Division of the Army of the Cumberland quickly swept the Confederates off of Orchard Knob and drove them to the more imposing Missionary Ridge. Orchard Knob became the Union headquarters for the next couple days.
The actual battle of Orchard Knob was a quick affair, but Kurz turns it into another glorious clash. This time the Confederates hold imposing bluffs while the Federals have to cross a body of water. While the Rebels are putting up a better fight than in real life, momentum does appear to be with the Union. Otherwise not much to say about this one. There is a possibility that this is the fight for Tunnel Hill on November 25, when Confederate General Patrick Cleburne held off General William Tecumseh Sherman’s Union Army of the Tennessee.
Battle of Lookout Mountain
On November 24 General Joseph Hooker, commanding the XI Corps and part of the XII Corps, assaulted the imposing Lookout Mountain. He actually planned to simply take part of the mountain and avoid a full-scale battle, but it got out of control. This confrontation earned the nickname “Battle Above the Clouds,” though it was in fact fog that obscured much of the terrain near the top. Despite their advantageous position, the Confederates mismanaged their defense and retreated off the mountain.
Kurz presents an harrowing picture of Federals marching up a steep cliff into Confederate volleys. Fog covers much of the background. Note the stone structure beyond it, lined with Confederates. Aside from a heavy clump of dead Confederates in front of the fog, this lithograph shows the Rebels mounting a pretty good defense. This is one of the more visually striking entries from Kurz, especially with the red lines in the sky.
Battle of Missionary Ridge
On November 25 the Army of the Cumberland was to take and hold the rifle pits at the base of Missionary Ridge and keep Bragg occupied so Sherman could smash his right flank at Tunnel Hill. However, Sherman was effectively held off. Back at Missionary Ridge the Army of the Cumberland found itself heavily peppered by shots from the top of the height. Fed up with this, the entire force actually charged up without any orders. In an incredible moment, this unauthorized attack smashed Bragg’s lines and routed his army.
This is one of my favorite Kurz lithographs. The panoramic scenery in the left background is gorgeous and one gets the sense of a massive battle with all the blue lines on the low ground. The ridge looks steeper than it actually is, but it is a considerable climb so I doubt officers charged in on horseback. Federals burst onto the top of the ridge. The Confederates in the foreground waver while others prepare for a heated fight around a cannon.
Assault on Fort Sanders
While Bragg tried and failed to besiege Chattanooga, General Longstreet’s Corps went east to capture Knoxville and regain a railroad link between eastern and western Confederate forces. Longstreet’s attempts to trap defeat General Ambrose Burnside’s IX Corps before it could reach the defenses around Knoxville failed and the two sides settled in for a siege. On November 29 he ordered a dawn assault on Fort Sanders to penetrate the defenses. It was a disaster where the attackers had to pass through barbed wire and an unexpectedly deep ditch to scale the walls of the fort. In half an hour they were repulsed with over 800 casualties. The Siege of Knoxville was shortly lifted.
This is certainly one of Kurz’s more unique lithographs. The Federals are only visible among the tops of their forts. The barbed wire is accurately shown wound around tree stumps. The ditch, on the other hand, looks like a thin river. The Confederates are definitely having a hard time of it, and Kurz emphasizes this by centering on several dying Confederates in the foreground. Confederates snake up the fort walls, as they did in real life. There is a curious stone structure with lines in the fort. I have no idea what this is supposed to be. The final inaccuracy is the daylight. The assault was purposefully executed under dark conditions, but Kurz probably wanted his figures better lighted.
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