Overview
Following the Battle of Stones River, Confederate General Braxton Bragg withdrew his Army of Tennessee to Tullahoma. He established a defensive line nearly 70 miles long along the Duck River and protected several mountain passes, including Hoover’s Gap. Bragg hoped these defenses would prevent Union General William S. Rosecrans and the Army of the Cumberland from advancing toward Chattanooga.
Afterward, Rosecrans remained at Murfreesboro for more than five months despite pressure from President Abraham Lincoln, General-in-Chief Henry W. Halleck, and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to attack. Federal leaders worried that Confederate officials might transfer soldiers from Bragg’s army to oppose Ulysses S. Grant’s operations against Vicksburg. Facing the possibility of losing his command, Rosecrans moved against Bragg in late June 1863.
On June 23, Rosecrans ordered attacks against the ends of Bragg’s line. The next day, George H. Thomas’s 14th Corps and Alexander McCook’s 20th Corps attacked the mountain gaps in the Confederate center. Thomas assigned Colonel John Wilder’s mounted infantry brigade to lead the advance against Hoover’s Gap.
Wilder’s cavalry rode forward during heavy rain on June 24 and moved nearly nine miles ahead of Thomas’s main force. Armed with Spencer Repeating Rifles, they encountered Colonel J. Russell Butler’s 3rd Kentucky Regiment around noon. Wilder’s men quickly drove the surprised Confederates from the four-mile-long pass and occupied Hoover’s Gap.
Brigadier General William B. Bate attempted to retake the gap with three counterattacks during the afternoon. Wilder’s Spencer Rifles gave the Union troops superior firepower, and the Confederates failed to regain the position. Thomas’s 14th Corps eventually arrived to reinforce Wilder, and the fighting ended around 7 p.m.
Bragg ordered his troops to withdraw toward Tullahoma on June 26. As Rosecrans moved through the mountain gaps, Bragg retreated toward Chattanooga and left Middle Tennessee under Union control. Although events at Vicksburg and Gettysburg overshadowed the campaign, Hoover’s Gap proved to be the decisive engagement of Rosecrans’ successful Tullahoma Campaign.
Essential Facts
- Date: June 24–26, 1863.
- Location: Bedford and Rutherford Counties, northwest of Tullahoma, Tennessee.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: George H. Thomas and John Wilder.
- CSA Commanders: J. Russell Butler and William B. Bate.
- Who Won: The United States won the Battle of Hoover’s Gap.
- Campaign: Tullahoma Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, January–June, 1863.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: 583 killed, wounded, captured, or missing.
- Forces Engaged: 14th Corps.
- Troop Strength: Undetermined.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: Undetermined.
- Forces Engaged: Bate’s Brigade, Johnson’s Brigades, Stewart’s Division, Hardee’s Corps (Army of Tennessee), Butler’s 1st Kentucky Cavalry Regiment.
- Troop Strength: Undetermined.
Significance
The Battle of Hoover’s Gap is important to American History because it was the decisive engagement of William Rosecrans’ successful Tullahoma Campaign. Colonel John Wilder’s mounted infantry captured the strategically important pass before the main Union force arrived and held it against three Confederate counterattacks. The brigade’s Spencer Repeating Rifles provided superior firepower and helped the Union maintain control of the gap. After George H. Thomas reinforced Wilder, Braxton Bragg withdrew toward Tullahoma and eventually Chattanooga. Rosecrans drove Confederate forces from Middle Tennessee while suffering fewer than 600 casualties during the entire campaign, although events at Vicksburg and Gettysburg overshadowed his achievement.
History
Halleck Demands Action from Rosecrans
On October 24, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln relieved Major General Don Carlos Buell of his command of the Army of the Ohio and placed Major General William S. Rosecrans in charge of the newly formed Army of the Cumberland. Upon Rosecrans’ promotion, Union General-In-Chief Henry W. Halleck emphasized that “… the Government demands action, and if you cannot respond to that demand someone else will be tried.”
Battle of Stones River
Rosecrans established headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, and quickly prepared his army for battle. On December 26, he moved his forces south to engage Confederate General Braxton Bragg and the Army of Tennessee, which was encamped at Murfreesboro. The two armies met at the Battle of Stones River (December 31, 1862-January 2, 1863). Rosecrans’ victorious army forced Bragg to withdraw to Tullahoma, Tennessee, thirty-six miles to the south, yielding Murfreesboro to the Union.
Bragg Protects Mountain Gaps Near Chattanooga
After the Battle of Stones River, Bragg deployed his army in a defensive line nearly seventy miles long along the Duck River from Shelbyville to Wartrace, Tennessee, northwest of Tullahoma. He intended to prevent Rosecrans from capturing the strategically important city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Covering his flanks with cavalry, Bragg deployed small regiments to protect four gaps in the mountains separating the two armies. The four gaps were: Liberty Gap, Hoover’s Gap, Guy’s Gap, and Bellbuckle Gap.
Rosecrans Dawdles
In the meantime, Rosecrans established winter quarters at Murfreesboro, where his army remained relatively inactive for the next five and one-half months. During that time, Rosecrans resisted pressure from his superiors to press Bragg. Lincoln, Halleck, and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton feared that Rosecrans’ inactivity would enable Confederate leaders to detach soldiers from Bragg’s army to relieve Union General Ulysses S. Grant in his operations against Vicksburg. Finally, under threat of being relieved of his command, Rosecrans moved into action in late June 1863.
Rosecrans Attacks Confederate Defenses at Hoover’s Gap
On June 23, Rosecrans feigned attacks on each end of Bragg’s line. The next day, he ordered Major General George H. Thomas’s 14th Corps and Major General Alexander McCook’s 20th Corps to strike the mountain gaps in the middle of Bragg’s line. Thomas assigned Colonel John Wilder’s mounted infantry brigade the task of leading the initial assault on Hoover’s Gap.
Setting out at dawn on June 24, 1863, during a steady rain that continued throughout the day, Wilder’s mounted infantry moved toward Hoover’s Gap ahead of Thomas’s main force. Wilder’s men were armed with newly introduced Spencer Repeating Rifles. Using the new rifles enabled the Union soldiers to fire seven rounds before needing to reload.
Federals Dislodge Confederate Defenders
When Wilder’s men neared Hoover’s Gap, they were nearly nine miles ahead of the bulk of Thomas’s corps. At about noon, they engaged Colonel J. Russell Butler’s 3rd Kentucky Regiment, the lone Confederate force defending the four-mile-long pass through the mountains. Advancing farther than expected, Wilder’s 1,500 soldiers quickly dislodged the surprised Confederates and took possession of the gap. Wilder then ordered his men to prepare for the counterattack he expected.
Confederates Counterattack
As Butler’s men retreated, they encountered Confederate Brigadier-General William B. Bate’s brigade. Upon learning of Butler’s withdrawal, Bate moved to regain possession of the gap. Three separate counterattacks during the afternoon proved unsuccessful. The Confederate breechloaders were no match for the firepower of the Spencer rifles. By the time Confederate reinforcements arrived to support Bate’s attempt to regain the valley, Thomas’s 14th Corps arrived, and the fighting ended at about 7 p.m.
Aftermath
When Thomas met with Wilder, he gushed, “You have saved the lives of a thousand men by your gallant conduct today. I didn’t expect to get this Gap for three days.” Thomas christened Wilder’s command as the “Lightning Brigade.”
With the Federals in control of the gap, the Confederates probed the Union defenses for the next two days with little effect. On June 26, 1863, Bragg ordered his troops to withdraw toward his headquarters at Tullahoma. As Rosecrans’ army began pouring through the mountain gaps, Bragg retreated to Chattanooga, leaving the Union in possession of Middle Tennessee.
The federal victories at the Battle of Hoover’s Gap and the Tullahoma Campaign were unqualified successes for the Union forces in Tennessee. Unfortunately for Rosecrans, events happening at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, at nearly the same time overshadowed his achievements. Although Bragg’s army escaped, Rosecrans drove the Confederacy out of Middle Tennessee with very few losses. The Union army suffered fewer than 600 casualties during the entire campaign. Confederate casualties during the battle and the campaign are unknown because Bragg wrote no battle reports, but the Union army captured 1,634 Confederates.
Timeline
- 1862, October 24 — President Abraham Lincoln removed Don Carlos Buell from command and placed William S. Rosecrans in charge of the newly formed Army of the Cumberland.
- 1862, December 26 — Rosecrans moved south from Nashville to confront Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee near Murfreesboro.
- 1862, December 31–1863, January 2 — Rosecrans defeated Bragg at the Battle of Stones River and forced the Confederates to withdraw toward Tullahoma.
- 1863, June — Rosecrans moved against Bragg after months of pressure from federal leaders.
- 1863, June 23 — Rosecrans ordered diversionary attacks against both ends of Bragg’s defensive line.
- 1863, June 24 — John Wilder’s mounted infantry advanced into Hoover’s Gap, drove out J. Russell Butler’s Confederates, and seized the pass.
- 1863, June 24 — William B. Bate launched three unsuccessful Confederate counterattacks against Wilder’s position before George H. Thomas’s 14th Corps arrived.
- 1863, June 26 — Bragg ordered his army to withdraw toward Tullahoma as Union forces moved through the mountain gaps.
- 1863, June 26 — Bragg continued his retreat toward Chattanooga, leaving Middle Tennessee under Union control.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Hoover’s Gap (1863) — The Battle of Hoover’s Gap was a Union victory during the Tullahoma Campaign. Colonel John Wilder’s mounted infantry advanced ahead of George H. Thomas’s 14th Corps and quickly seized the Confederate-held pass. William B. Bate then launched three unsuccessful counterattacks. Wilder’s soldiers used Spencer Repeating Rifles to maintain superior firepower. After Thomas reinforced the position, Braxton Bragg withdrew toward Tullahoma and later retreated to Chattanooga.
Alignment
The Battle of Hoover’s Gap is part of the following AP US History sections:
