Chickamauga: The South’s Last Great Victory

This day 150 years ago in Rebel Raiders’ History

-Dedicated to Civil War episodes, battles, people and ships that also appear in my game, GMT’s Rebel Raiders on the High Seas,  

September 20, 1863 –   Chickamauga: The South’s Last Great Victory

            Historical Event:    Bolstered by the transfer of General James Longstreet’s corps from the Army of Northern Virginia,  General Braxton Bragg turned on Union General William Rosecrans, crossing the “River of Death” to deal a devastating blow that threw the Yankees out of Georgia and back to Chattanooga.  September 20 was the third and final day of the epic battle, which although a defeat for the Union would have been far worse had it not been for the stalwart rear-guard stand of  General George Thomas, who would win fame as the “Rock of Chickamauga.”  Among the 34,000 casualties in the battle was Confederate Brigadier General Ben Hardin Helm – a brother-in-law of Mary Todd Lincoln.  Rather than mourn the loss, she cheered it, adding that she hoped that all of her relatives in the Confederate Army would suffer a similar fate, for “they would kill my husband if they could, and destroy our government – the dearest thing of all of us.”

            Game Connection:    Although primarily a naval game, the land war is represented in Rebel Raiders on the High Seas, and General James Longstreet is a counter and a card - CSN Card 79.  He gives the South not only an additional die in a Counterattack, but also aids in defense against all attacks in the space where he is assigned.  To represent the South’s ability to move him and his corps from front to front, the Confederate Player is allowed to be used in a different space each turn. The failures of General Braxton Bragg at Chickamauga (and on other fields) are represented by the Lack of Brains card (USN Card 7), which bears his likeness and requires the Rebel player to re-roll a die of the Union’s choosing.