on point, blamed Meade for allowing Lee
to retire without another battle, but public opinion upheld the victor of
Gettysburg, and Congress honored him and Generals Hancock and O. O.
Howard with a resolution of thanks.

* * *

General George H. Thomas, a Southern officer of the Lee and Johnston rank
in military capacity, who fortunately stood by the Union, saved
Chickamauga from being a Union defeat that would have done much to offset
Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Rosecrans had compelled Bragg to evacuate
Chattanooga, and erroneously assumed that the Confederate commander was
in retreat, when in fact he had been reinforced by Longstreet and was
ready to risk another battle. The two armies met in the valley of
Chickamauga. Operations on the Union side were chiefly a series of
blunders which resulted in the right wing of Rosecrans' army being broken
and driven from the field, leaving the brunt of the conflict to be borne
by General Thomas with the left wing.

The magnificent stand made by Thomas against the victorious Confederates,
gained for him the title of the "Rock of Chickamauga." Surrounded on all
sides by a force that a craven commander might have deemed irresistible,
Thomas thought out his plans as coolly as if miles away from danger.
"Take that ridge!" he said calmly to General James B. Steedman, when that
fearless soldier came up with his division; and Thomas pointed to a
commanding ridge held by the enemy. Steedman moved at once to the attack,
and the ridge was carried with a loss of 2900 men. In vain both wings of
the Confederates were hurled, with fierce determination against the
little army of Thomas. With 25,000 men he successfully resisted the
attacks of between 50,000 and 60,000. "It will ruin the army to withdraw
it now; this position must be held till night"--was the answer of Thomas
to Rosecrans; and Thomas held the position until night, and then withdrew
in good order. The Union loss was about 19,000 and that of the
Confederates at least as great. Thomas in the following month succeeded
Rosecrans as commander of the Army of the Cumberland. It is more than
probable that up to that time his merits had not been fully recognized,
owing to unfounded suspicion of his loyalty. When it was said of Thomas
to General Joseph E. Johnston that he "did not know when he was whipped,"
Johnston answered: "Rather say he always knew very well when he was not
whipped."

The Army o