The Fight for Snodgrass Hill and the Rock of Chickamauga A History and Walking Tour

Union General George H. Thomas' heroic last-ditch stand on the hills surrounding the George Washington Snodgrass farm was the last seven hours of combat in the Battle of Chickamauga. This is the subject of Robert L. Carter's book, The Fight for Snodgrass Hll and the Rock of Chickamauga: A History and Walking Tour.Chickamauga remains one of the most confusing and least understood battles of the Civil War. In fact, this battle ranks second only to Gettysburg in the number of losses incurred. The battle for Snodgrass Hill (some call it Horseshoe Ridge) was a pivotal and dramatic portion of that fight. As the casualty lists attest, both sides, North and South, fought with a determined bravery not exceeded on any battlefield of the Civil War. The Confederates’ many determined assaults on the hill, and the Federals’ tenacious defense, sometimes without ammunition and at the point of the bayonet, are, sadly, largely forgotten today. Also forgotten are the individual stories of the officers and men who fought here. This book is written in an effort to preserve those memories. The seven hours of desperate fighting on this ground ended in a decisive Confederate victory—and with an immortal sobriquet for a Union general born in Virginia: “The Rock of Chickamauga.” The Fight for Snodgrass Hill can be read as a history of that battle, but it can also be used as a guidebook to take on the battlefield. Robert Carter has created a fourteen-stop, 2.2 mile, tour of Snodgrass Hill that vividly brings the battle to life. Ten newly commissioned maps give the reader a “you are there” perspective of the battle. Ninety-two modern and historical photographs finish out the 116 page book.