This Day in American Military History

20 September 1863: The Union Army (under William Rosecrans) was defeated by the Confederates (under Braxton Bragg) in the Battle of Chickamauga at Chickamauga Creek in northeastern Georgia, near Chattanooga, Tennessee. The battle had begun on September 18. Casualties for both sides were severe: some 25,000 killed, wounded, or missing. Union troops retreated to Chattanooga, where the Confederates laid siege.

Quote of the Day: “Harlan was severely wounded in the arm but clung to the flag, which was soon stained with his blood.” Wilbur Hinman, in The Sherman Brigade (1897), describes Sergeant George Harlan’s heroism during the Battle of Chickamauga when ordered to “keep the flags well up”

Brandus, Paul. This Day in U.S. Military History (p. 228-229). Bernan Press. Kindle Edition.