Battle of Chickamauga: Desperate Struggle in Georgia

 By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

A 1998 reenactment of the Battle of Chickamauga depicts the Confederate assault on Snodgrass Hill. Photo by William Carraway

Final Positions

On the evening of Sept. 18,1863, Federal commander, Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans, sent Maj. Gen. George Thomas, commander of the 14th Corps, north along the Lafayette Road. His intent was to extend his defensive line and maintain the Federal army’s line of retreat north to Chattanooga. By the morning of September 19, Thomas’s men had taken up position in the fields of the Kelly Farm.[1] Having received a report from Federal Col. Daniel McCook about an isolated rebel brigade trapped on the west side of the river, Thomas dispatched the Third Division of Maj. Gen. John Brannon to advance and develop the situation. Brannon, a career Army Soldier and Mexican American War Veteran dispatched the order to get the men on the move. Quickly downing coffee and half-cooked breakfast, Brannon’s men began moving east with Col. John Croxton’s Brigade moving to the Brotherton Road and Col. Ferdinand Van Derveer orienting on Reed’s Bridge Road.  

Opening actions on Sept. 19, 1863. Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com.

The Confederate troops McCook had encountered were cavalrymen of the 1st Georgia, who had thrown up skirmish lines south of Jay’s Mill, approximately ½ mile west of Reed’s Bridge. Having already received orders to withdraw, McCook left the field to the Georgians before reporting his findings to Thomas. Thus, by the time Thomas’s brigades moved east in search of the isolated Confederate brigade the Georgians were prepared in skirmish order across Reed’s Bridge Road ready to receive Van Derveer’s skirmishers. Moving east through the woods just one quarter mile south of the 1st Georgia, Croxton’s skirmish line comprised of the 10^th Indiana encountered cavalry forces of Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest. Dispatching couriers to inform Brannon of contact to his front, Croxton began maneuvering his infantry regiments into line, a difficult process in wooded terrain. Forrest, meanwhile, ordered his cavalry to dismount and hold the ground while infantry support was summoned.

Receiving one of Forrest’s messages Maj. Gen. William T. Walker, commanding the Confederate reserve corps ordered fellow Georgian, Col. Claudius Wilson to make haste with his brigade to the sound of contact. Walker, like Brannon, was a career Army Soldier and Mexican War Veteran, and like Brannon, he would soon have two brigades heading to the vicinity of Jay’s Mill as the Texas Brigade of Brig. Gen. Matthew Ector fell in behind Wilson.

The Confederate cavalry held long enough for Wilson to deploy his regiments to threaten Croxton. Wilson’s regiments, the 25th, 29th and 30th Georgia with the 1^st Georgia Battalion Sharpshooters and 4^th Louisiana Sharpshooters pressed Croxton’s line which bent, but did not break.[2] Over the next two and a half hours, brigades would be sucked into the growing fight at Jay’s Mill.

Confusion and Reinforcement

The action alarmed both Rosecrans and his Confederate adversary, General Braxton Bragg. Bragg’s battle plan called for 25,000 men to assault Federal lines along the Lafayette Road, well south of Jay’s Mill. The unexpected presence of Thomas to the north threatened Bragg’s right flank. Rosecrans, meanwhile, had ordered Thomas into defensive positions, only to have his subordinate engage a division with an enemy of unknown strength.

Before launching his Lafayette Road offensive, Bragg determined to secure his flank in the vicinity of Jay’s Mill. He dispatched his reserve corps and five brigades of Maj. Gen. Ben Cheatham’s Division. Rosecrans meanwhile shifted divisions from the 20th and 21st Corps north to bolster Thomas. Both the Federal and Confederate commanders were dispatching units without regard to the chain of command, a breakdown in command and control that would be further exacerbated by the terrain and lack of visibility.

Actions on the afternoon of Sept. 19, 1863. Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com.

The Fighting Moves South

Cheatham’s 7,000 Confederates slammed into the Federal divisions shortly after noon, in the vicinity of the Brock farm.[3] After committing Cheatham, Bragg dispatched a third division under command of Maj. Gen. A. P. Stewart and ordered him to move to the sound of the guns.[4] Stewart arrived south of Cheatham’s lines shortly before 2:00 p.m. in time to stabilize the faltering Confederate line. Moving with Stewart were the 4th Georgia Sharpshooters and the 37th Georgia Infantry.[5] The Georgians were able to dislodge the stubborn Federal defenders of Maj. Gen. Van Cleve’s Division from their positions on the Lafayette Road. Having taken a significant amount of ground, Stewart had insufficient men to maintain his position and was forced to withdraw east of the Lafayette Road.[6]

Georgians Enter the Ditch of Death 

Brig. Gen. Hans Christian Heg. NPS

Intent on finding the enemy flank, Rosecrans met with the improbably named Brig. Gen. Jefferson Davis, and directed him to move his division across the Viniard Field, well south of the engaged forces. Expecting to find the Confederate left flank, Davis instead encountered the main body of Bragg’s waiting assault force-25,000 strong. In the next two and a half hours the most savage combat of the battle would swirl about the Viniard Field until the Federal line collapsed at 4:30 p.m. and the Northerners were sent streaming back across the Lafayette Road. Attempting to rally his 3^rd Brigade, Norwegian-born Col. Hans Christian Heg rode along the front line of his men admonishing them by personal example of courage. As he wheeled his horse about, Heg was struck by a bullet which pierced his abdomen. He reeled from the wound but kept to the saddle and remained with his men.[7]

Pursuing the fleeing Federal troops, the Georgians of Brig. Gen. Henry Benning poured volley after volley into the backs of the retreating Federal Soldiers. Sgt. W.R. Houghton of the 2nd Georgia recalled the action:

“We stood there… shooting them down… It was horrible slaughter.”[8] The slaughter would soon be visited upon Benning’s men as they advanced into the field of fire of the brigade of Col. John Wilder, whose men were armed with seven shot repeating rifles. Benning’s Georgians were cut to pieces. Of 1,200 Georgians 490 became casualties. The Federals had also suffered. Among the fallen was Heg who would die of the effects of his wound at a field hospital the next morning.[9]

Monument to the 2nd Georgia Infantry at Chickamauga. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

A Restless Night

By 6:00 p.m., fighting had mostly ended in the Viniard Field where 15 brigades had contended. After nearly 12 hours of continuous combat the fighting was concluded, except for a rare night assault initiated by the division of Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne across the Winfrey Field. The men of both armies settled in for a restless night. Despite temperatures that plunged below freezing, Soldiers of both armies were forbidden from starting campfires due to the proximity of enemy forces.

With the arrival of Lt. Gen. James Longstreet on the field, Bragg reorganized his army into two wings. Longstreet was given command of the left wing while Maj. Gen. Leonidas Polk commanded the right. Bragg’s battle plan remained unchanged: attack and drive the Federal army south, away from its line of retreat to Chattanooga.

On the opposite side of the Lafayette Road, Rosecrans, having gone without sleep, surveyed his lines with the intent of supporting Thomas’ lines to the north. Rosecrans would agree to reinforce Thomas – a decision that would have fateful consequences on the second day of the battle.

Monument to Col. Peyton Colquitt at Chickamauga.
Photo by Maj. William Carraway

Action Resumes, The Federal North in Peril

Although Bragg had intended to attack at dawn, the Confederate assault did not get underway until 9:30 a.m. when the corps of Lt. Gen. D.H. Hill struck Thomas. Though bloodily repulsed on part of their lines, two brigades of Hill’s Corps succeeded in turning Thomas’s left flank. The Confederates drove south down the Lafayette Road into the Kelly Field and threatened the entire Federal position. Rosecrans, sensing the threat, shifted forces from the south and by 11:30, Hill was forced back, but not before Brig. Gen. James Deshler, a brigade commander in the division of Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne, was killed, struck in the chest by an artillery shell.[10] Moving in support of Hill, Col. Peyton Colquitt, commanding Gist’s Brigade of Georgian’s and South Carolinians was mortally wounded. Colquitt, had formerly commanded the 46^th Georgia Infantry Regiment.[11]

Federal Disaster

Lt. Gen. Longstreet's Assault. Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com. 

Hill’s success worried Rosecrans, who began shifting additional forces north. In the course of redeployment, the Federal exposed a division-wide gap in their line. Just as the gap opened, Longstreet launched an assault into the gap. The divisions of Davis and Maj. Gen. Phillip Sheridan were crushed by 12,000 surging Confederates. 

Brig. Gen. W. H Lytle

Commanding Sheridan’s 1^st Brigade was Brig. Gen. William Lytle, an Ohioan, Lytle had been a celebrated poet before the war and was popular in the north and south. Pressed by a brigade of Alabamians, Lytle was mounted and directing the movement of his troops when he was struck in the back by a musket ball. He remained in the saddle continuing to issue orders until he was struck in the head spattering blood on a staff officer’s uniform. Lytle’s men attempted to bear him away from the conflict, but he asked to be left on the field where he expired.[12] Surging forward, Confederate Soldiers recognized Lytle and formed a guard around his body. News spread among the gray ranks. Presently, Confederate Brig. Gen. Patton Anderson, overwhelmed with grief, stood before Lytle. Anderson and Lytle had been good friends before the American Civil War. They parted amicably in Charleston in 1860 promising that nothing would interfere with their friendship. Weeping, Anderson removed Lytle’s wedding ring and secured a lock of his hair to send home to his widow.[13]

With defeat swiftly degenerating into a rout, Rosecrans, his chief of staff and future president, James Garfield, and three corps commanders were driven from the field. One third of the Federal army ceased to exist as a fighting force. If not for the determined stand of Maj. Gen. Thomas’s men on Snodgrass Hill, the entire Federal army might have been destroyed in detail. Thomas held just long enough to preserve the Federal army before withdrawing to Rossville to the North. Nevertheless, hundreds of Federal Soldiers were captured by onrushing Confederates.

Maj. Gen. George Thomas' desperate stand. Map by Hal Jespersen, www.cwmaps.com. 

Aftermath

On the morning of September 21, Confederates awoke to find that the Federal army had slipped away. Rosecrans would reestablish his base at Chattanooga but his tenure as army commander was drawing to a close. In just over a week Rosecrans would be replaced by a hard fighting western general named Ulysses Grant.

Although he was technically the victor, Bragg had failed in his objective of destroying Rosecrans. He would continue to bicker with his subordinate commanders until November when he would challenge the Federal army for control of Chattanooga.

More than 34,000 of the 125,000 Soldiers engaged at Chickamauga became casualties. But D.H. Hill remembering the battle years later observed that true casualty of Chickamauga was hope.

“It seems to me that the élan of the Southern Soldier was never seen after Chickamauga; the brilliant dash which had distinguished him was gone forever. He fought stoutly to the last, but after Chickamauga, with the sullenness of despair, and without the enthusiasm of hope. That ‘barren victory’ sealed the fate of the Southern Confederacy.”[14]

 

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[1] Powell, David A., and David A. Friedrichs. The Maps of Chickamauga: An Atlas of the Chickamauga Campaign, including the Tullahoma Operations, June 22 - September 23, 1863. New York: Savas Beatie, 2009. 48

[2] Powell, 53.

[3] Powell, 68.

[4] Cozzens, Peter. This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1996, 169.

[5] Powell, 79.

[6] Powell, 84.

[7] Cozzens, 223.

[8] Powell, David. Chickamauga Campaign- a Mad Irregular Battle. Savas Beatie, 2016, 19.

[9] Cozzens, 289.

[10] Powell, 163.

[11] Powell, 164.

[12] Cozzens, 386-388.

[13] Cozzens, 389.

[14] Johnson, Robert Underwood, and Clarence Clough Buel. Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. Vol. 3. Century Company, 1888.

Prelude to Chickamauga: The Opening Movements

By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

Federal Soldiers maneuver near Chattanooga during the 150th anniversary reenactment of the Battle of Chickamauga.  Photo by Capt. William Carraway

Situation in the West

Where May 1863 saw the apogee of Confederate hopes with an improbable victory at Chancellorsville, July represented a stunning reversal and a resurgence of Northern fortunes. In addition to General Robert E. Lee’s defeat at Gettysburg, Federal forces under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had forced the capitulation of Vicksburg, Mississippi effectively dividing the Confederacy in two.

Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans

Meanwhile, in Tennessee, Federal Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans was about to achieve a strategic victory of maneuver against his old foe Confederate Maj. Gen. Braxton Bragg and his Army of Tennessee. In January, Rosecrans had fought Bragg to a standstill in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and forced the southern army to retreat to Tullahoma.[1] Remaining in Murfreesboro for six months, Rosecrans rebuilt his army before launching his Tullahoma Campaign to drive Bragg from his strong defensive positions. In early July, Rosecrans sent his three army corps on separate routes of march flanking Bragg from his lines and forcing him to retreat to Chattanooga. The campaign was nearly bloodless and a brilliant study in maneuver. But Rosecrans was set on driving Bragg completely out of Tennessee. To that end, he set his sights on Chattanooga, a vital rail hub key to the launching of operations into the deep south.

Approaches to Chattanooga

Anyone who has driven north through Monteagle, Tenn. is familiar with the Cumberland Plateau. It rises sharply, dividing Chattanooga from the rich farmland of middle Tennessee. This terrain feature provided Rosecrans with a significant challenge. He would have to cross the plateau with an army and all its supply wagons. Moreover, once across the plateau, he would be vulnerable to attack from Bragg who could isolate his elements and attack them with their backs to the mountain removing any avenue of escape. To compound his problem, Rosecrans would then have to cross the Tennessee River to approach the defensible city of Chattanooga.

Nashville, Chattanooga, And St. Louis Railway. Map of Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Park. LOC

To cross the river, Rosecrans employed clever subterfuge. Sending his three corps to the west and southwest of Chattanooga, Rosecrans dispatched a diversion force of four brigades to demonstrate north of the city. While the bulk of his forces moved west screened by mountains the diversion force shelled Chattanooga by day and by night lit dozens of campfires to lend the appearance of vast numbers of encamped Soldiers. The plan worked. By early September, Rosecrans had crossed downstream and to the rear of Chattanooga.[2] Through deception, Rosecrans had brought his Army within striking distance of Chattanooga, traversing both mountain and river utterly uncontested. As with Tullahoma, Bragg found himself outmaneuvered with the enemy threatening his communications and his route of escape.

Cannons guard the formidable approaches to Chattanooga. Photo by Capt. William Carraway

Bragg Retreats

Alarmed by the developments and hoping to reverse the setbacks of the summer of 1863, Confederate President Jefferson Davis dispatched two divisions from Mississippi under Maj. Gen. John Breckenridge, a former United States vice president[3], and two divisions from the Army of Northern Virginia under command of Lt. Gen. James Longstreet[4] to bolster Bragg’s ranks. These reinforcements would prove critical to the battle of Chickamauga, but for now, Bragg was on his own. Abandoning Chattanooga, Bragg retreated to the vicinity of Lafayette, Ga. Rosecrans, exultant at the victory, began pursuit. Compelled by Washington telegraphs to pursue Bragg, Rosecrans divided his army and plunged into Georgia with 60,000 men moving along three separate avenues of approach. Nearly 6,000 would not return.

Civilian reports confirmed Rosecrans’ suspicions that Bragg was making a disorganized retreat. Crestfallen deserters confirmed the observations and convinced Rosecrans that he was moving into terrain devoid of effective enemy resistance. Ignoring the advice of Maj. Gen. George Thomas, who commanded Rosecrans’ XIV Corps, Rosecrans did not pause to consolidate and reinforce Chattanooga. Instead he dispatched his army along diverse routes with the intention of concentrating at Lafayette, Ga.

The Trap is Set

Gen. Braxton Bragg. LOC

Rather than fleeing to Atlanta, Bragg was himself concentrating forces near Lafayette, Ga. Anticipating actions, Bragg had enacted deception operations of his own sending deserters into Federal ranks with false reports of a disorganized retreat. Confederate officers primed civilians with tales of an Army on the verge of ruin with the intention of luring Rosecrans into a false sense of security. Far from the demoralized army that Rosecrans envisioned, the Army of Tennessee, swelling in size to 63,000 men, was poised to strike. Knowing that the mountains west of Lafayette canalized movement to three passes, Bragg ordered his generals to be prepared to advance upon Federal elements in the vicinity of McLemore’s Cove.

Marching into McLemore’s Cove, Soldiers of Thomas’ Corps were confronted by forces of D.H. Hill’s Corps at Davis’ Crossroads on September 10. Despite outnumbering the Federals three to one, the Confederates failed to seize the opportunity fearing that they, themselves, were outnumbered.[5] Thomas was able to withdraw the bulk of his forces before they could be destroyed in detail. Meanwhile, to the north near Graysville, Ga., Federal forces attempting to cross Pea Vine Creek were thwarted by the 6th Georgia Cavalry supported by Captain Gustave Huwald’s Tennessee Artillery Battery.[6]

After the abortive attempt by Confederates at Davis’ Crossroads and the actions along Pea Vine Creek, Rosecrans belatedly realized the peril of his position. He had sent his army in motion along separate routes of march confident that his enemy was fleeing. Instead, Bragg was numerically superior, concentrated, and in a position to seize the initiative. Recognizing the danger Rosecrans resolved to concentrate his forces along the banks of the Chickamauga River north of Lafayette. Bragg intended to give him battle before he could concentrate.

Crossing the Chickamauga

On September 18, 1863, lead elements of the Confederate Army encountered Federal resistance at Reed’s Bridge, a crossing of the Chickamauga Creek. Federal forces under Col. Robert Minty attempted to burn the bridge but were compelled to withdraw by Confederate pressure. Among the units present at Reeds Bridge was the 1^st Georgia Cavalry.[7]

Meanwhile to the south at Alexander’s Bridge, Federal Col. John Wilder’s brigade defended the river crossing with seven-shot Spencer Carbines. These weapons allowed Wilder’s Brigade to summon the firepower of two divisions worth of firepower. While Wilder was able to hold his position, Confederates secured a bridgehead across the Chickamauga at Reed’s Bridge. Unable to drive Wilder’s men from the north side of Alexander’s Bridge, Confederates managed to cross the stream nearby at Lambert’s and Bedford’s Ford.

The site of Alexander's Bridge in 2018. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

On the morning of September 19, Federal and Confederate forces faced each other in a line running roughly north to south with the Federals arrayed on the west side of the Lafayette Road. General Bragg was resolved to cut off Federal avenues of retreat while Rosecrans’ intent was to hold the Lafayette Road line to prevent the destruction of his forces. Rosecrans was committed to fighting a defensive battle. The initiative thus shifted to Bragg.

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[1] Street, James. The Struggle for Tennessee: Tupelo to Stones River. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1990., 59.

[2] Powell, David A., and David A. Friedrichs. The Maps of Chickamauga: An Atlas of the Chickamauga Campaign, including the Tullahoma Operations, June 22 - September 23, 1863. New York: Savas Beatie, 2009. 16

[3]Cozzens, Peter. This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1996, 48.

[4] Cozzens, 60.

[5] Powell, 28.

[6] Powell, 27

[7] Powell, 46

Hurricane Response Lessons from the Past: Hurricane Dora, September 1964

By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

Base Operations at Travis Field, Savannah, Ga. Nearly 70 families sought shelter from Hurricane Dora at the 165th Air Transport Group Headquarters
at Travis Field in 1964. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Introduction:

On September 10, 1964, Hurricane Dora made landfall just north of St. Augustine Florida drenching South Georgia with rain. The Georgia National Guard response to Hurricane Dora in 1964 provides insight into how the Ga. Department of Defense approaches hurricane response operations in the 21^st Century. While the Ga. DoD of today has the advantages of satellite coverage, internet and cellular phone communications, a review of the actions in 1964 demonstrate that many of the key response tasks of the Ga. National Guard have not materially changed since 1964. During recent hurricane responses such as Irma, Matthew and Michael, Georgia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen have deployed on debris clearances missions, staffed points of distribution, retrograded aviation assets and provided power generation capabilities to civil authorities as they did in the wake of Hurricane Dora in 1964. While technology may have changed, the fundamental role of leadership and mission command in domestic response operations has not.

Dora’s Approach

On September 1, 1964, reconnaissance aircraft investigating a tropical depression in the Caribbean discovered a growing tropical storm. The next day, the storm reached hurricane strength and was designated Hurricane Dora.[1]

The Civil Defense Division Situation Board at the Ga. DoD Headquarters, Atlanta. Georgia Guard Archives.

The Civil Defense Division, forerunner of GEMA

Meanwhile, at the Georgia National Guard Headquarters in Atlanta, Maj. Gen George Hearn, Georgia’s Adjutant General monitored the storm's approach and discussed courses of action with his civil defense directors. In 1964, the Ga. DoD was comprised of two divisions – the military division with the Ga. Army and Air National Guard, and a civil defense division. The Georgia Civil Defense Division was established through the Civil Defense Act of 1951 with the primary responsibility of preparing for the possibility of nuclear attack. Gradually, the role of the state civil defense divisions broadened to include other domestic emergencies, notably, hurricane response. In November 1978, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was established through the merger of several federal agencies that had a roll in emergency response. Accordingly, On July 1, 1981, Georgia’s Defense Division was redesignated the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.[2]

The Georgia DoD Response

As the days ticked away through the first week of September and impact to Savannah appeared increasingly likely, Hearn ordered the 165^th Air Transport Group to begin assisting civil authorities with evacuation of hospital patients and long term care facilities in the Chatham County area. On September 8, the 165^th ATG began transporting patients with Air National Guard jeeps and buses. The same day, the 165^th ATG dispatched its inventory of C-97 Stratofreighters to Nashville to wait out the approaching hurricane.

Colonel Bill Kelly, Base Detachment Commander, Travis Air Field (second from left) with C-97 Stratofreighter. 

By September 9, Hearn had directed Col. Bill Kelly, base detachment commander at Travis to be prepared to set up field kitchens to provide food services following Hurricane impact. Kelly also dispatched Ga. ANG generators to vital infrastructure locations including police, fire and medical facilities. Nearly 70 families of service members living at Travis Field were housed at the headquarters of the 165^th ATG. Among those seeking shelter were three expecting mothers.

1964 Tracking map of Hurricane Dora. National Oceananic and Atmospheric Administration.

The next day, Dora had reached Category 2 strength while its track had leveled westward sparing Travis Field a direct impact.[3] Just after midnight September 10, the eye of Hurricane Dora made landfall just north of St. Augustine Florida, approximately 120 miles south of Brunswick. That day, nearly 80 Soldiers of the Brunswick-based 3rd Battalion 118th Field Artillery were activated by Georgia’s Governor to assist city and county police in navigating debris-strewn roads. Brunswick’s streets were flooded to a depth of three feet while trees and powerlines were down throughout the region.[4] Guardsmen throughout the impact area were also stationed at businesses to prevent looting. Meanwhile, the Ga. Air National Guard’s 224th Mobile Communications Squadron on St. Simons Island dispatched emergency power generators to Brunswick and St. Marys, Ga.  

Airmen of the St. Simon's Island-based 224th Radio Relay Squadron prepare to set up an antenna during a unit training assembly in April 1957. They are,
left to right: Airmen Peyton M. Harrison, Harris T. Mincher, William H. Reynolds, Hershel C. Buchan and Johhny M. Mullins. The 224th was redesignated
the 224th Mobile Communications Squadron March 16, 1961 and provided emergency back up power generators during the response to Hurricane Dora
in 1964. Georgia National Guard Archives.

After tracking westward and downgrading to a tropical storm, Dora tracked north at the Georgia, Alabama border and began a northeasterly transit of Georgia passing between Savannah and Augusta and dropping from five to ten inches of rain across southeast Georgia.[5] Dora dissipated over the Atlantic but not before causing upwards of 250 million dollars in damage in Florida and Georgia.[6]

Maj. Gen. George Hearn

Aftermath

Governor Carl Sanders, speaking to the National Guard Association of Georgia annual convention Sept. 12, 1964 in Augusta praised the work of the Georgia National Guard and its adjutant general.

"It is fitting," said Sanders "that I take this opportune moment to extend the gratitude of all Georgians to our most capable Adjutant General, George J. Hearn, who sprang immediately into action at the first sign of this recent crisis to provide the guidance and to exercise unified control over the civil defense activities within our State. This essential coordination and clear-thinking once again turned a time of crisis into a time of victory.”[7]

 

 

[1] “Hurricane Dora Calmed by Georgia Guardsmen.” Georgia Guardsman Magazine. September 1964, 12.

[2] “Civil Defense Changes Name to GEMA.” Georgia Guardsman Magazine, March/April 1981, 16.

[3] “Hurricane Dora - September 7-15, 1964.” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/dora1964.html

[4] Horace S. Carter. Preliminary Report on Hurricane Dora. United States Weather Bureau (Report). Athens, Georgia. Sept. 11, 1964, 1.

[5] David Roth. Dora 194 Rainfall. Weather Prediction Center, Camp Springs, Maryland - WPC tropical cyclone rainfall data, Public Domain.

[6] Dunn, Gordon E; Staff (March 1, 1965). "The hurricane season of 1964" (PDF). Monthly Weather Review. 93 (3): 177. Bibcode:1965MWRv...93..175D. doi:10.1175/1520-0493-93.3.175

[7] “NG Association Installs Rhodes, Names McKenna President Elect. Georgia Guardsman Magazine, September/October 1964, 6.

Georgia Army National Guard Commanding General promoted to Major General

 By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp pinned the two-star rank of major general to the uniform of Randall Simmons, commander of the Georgia Army National Guard during a ceremony at the state capitol September 9, 2020. Major General Simmons’ promotion was directed by order of the Secretary of the Army in August.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp administers the oath of office to Maj. Gen. Randall Simmons during a promotion ceremony at the Ga. state capitol
Sept. 9, 2020. Photo by Capt. Fred Dablemont.

“I'd like to thank Governor Brian Kemp for hosting today's promotion ceremony,” said Simmons. “I could not be more humbled to serve on this team during such a historic period in our country's history I am honored to serve alongside the best Soldiers, Airmen, state and federal civilians, and a host of interagency partners every day. Your efforts make our state and nation safe with your service here at home and abroad.”

Simmons expressed gratitude to God and thanked service members, civilian supporters and friends who have mentored him over the years. He acknowledged Maj. Gen. Joe Jarrard, former commander of the Ga. ARNG and Adjutant General of Georgia; Maj. Gen. John King, former director of the joint staff of the Ga. DoD and Maj. Gen. Tom Carden, Georgia’s Adjutant General. Carden, who attended the ceremony, congratulated Simmons.

“Randall is an amazing leader and a lifelong friend,” said Carden. We are proud of him and his family. It is a great day for the Georgia National Guard.”

Simmons has served as the commanding general of the Ga. ARNG since September 2017. Since April 2020, Simmons has concurrently served as commander of Joint Task Force Georgia, the Georgia Department of Defense coronavirus response mission.

Simmons enlisted in the Georgia Army National Guard in 1989 as a forward observer. In 1992 he was commissioned a second lieutenant by the Georgia Military Institute. Assigned to the Savannah-based 1^st Battalion 118^th Field Artillery Regiment, Simmons served in positions of increasing responsibility to include command of Battery A, 118^th FA in Springfield, Ga. He deployed to Iraq as the executive officer of the 1-118^th FA from 2005 to 2006. From 2009 to 2010, Simmons deployed to Afghanistan as commander of the 1^st Squadron, 108^th Cavalry Regiment.

Upon his return from Afghanistan, Simmons served with the Macon-based 48^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team as executive officer and deputy commander until January 2012 when he assumed duties as the personnel officer for the Georgia Army National Guard.

Brig. Gen. Randall Simmons directs the placement of units in support of civil authorities charged with enforcing the mayor’s curfew in Atlanta
June 3, 2020. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

In December 2012, Simmons was appointed to serve as the 16^th commander of the 48^th IBCT. Simmons led the 48^th IBCT through a successful Afghanistan Deployment in 2014. The following year, Simmons was appointed to serve as Chief of Staff for the Ga. Army National Guard until his September 28, 2017 appointment as commander, Ga. ARNG. Simmons is the only Ga. ARNG commander to have served in combat at the battalion and brigade level of command.

In his closing remarks, following the promotion ceremony, Simmons thanked his family for their unwavering support and remarked on the meaning of the ceremony.

“If this promotion does nothing else, I hope it inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more; in this organization anything is possible,” said Simmons. “Thank you all for your continued support and well wishes.”