Reminiscences of the Chattanooga campaign: A paper read at the reunion of Company B, Fortieth Ohio volunteer infantry, at Xenia, O., August 22, 1894

In Short

Isaac C. Doan’s memoir recounts his service as a sergeant in Company B of the Fortieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the 1863 Chattanooga campaign. From the opening skirmishes near Crawfish Springs and the carnage of Chickamauga to the punishing starvation camp on Moccasin Point and the dizzying heights of Lookout Mountain, the narrative chronicles a soldier's endurance. It has lasted not as a grand political treatise, but as an unvarnished, boots-on-the-ground testament to the ordinary men who bore the staggering physical and emotional costs of preserving a fractured nation.

The Story

The narrative opens on a balmy September day in 1863 as the Union reserve corps breaks camp near Crawfish Springs, marching directly into the sharp crack of rebel pickets at the Chickamauga River. The soldiers quickly taste the grim reality of war, navigating sudden skirmishes, nocturnal blunders behind enemy lines, and the overwhelming chaos of a full-scale battle where flanks are repeatedly turned and units are forced into desperate retreats. Doan vividly captures the deadly solemnity of advancing into combat, noting how thoughtful men approach the line with pale cheeks and braced nerves rather than empty jests.

As the campaign intensifies, the Union forces fall back toward Chattanooga, only to be thrust into the horrific carnage of Chickamauga's Horseshoe Ridge. There, two slender Union brigades endure wave after wave of massive assaults from ten rebel lines, holding their ground at a staggering forty-four percent casualty rate until the October night provides exhausted relief. The narrative follows the battered regiment into a miserable, starving camp on Moccasin Point, where soldiers are reduced to foraging for raw corn and dodging screaming artillery shells fired from the towering heights of Lookout Mountain across the river. Amidst this acute deprivation, operations at Brown's Ferry and the clever opening of supply lines slowly restore full rations and renew the army's fractured strength. During lulls in the campaign, the men even explore the vast, shadowy depths of Nickajack and Murrell caves, finding temporary eerie distraction from their grim surroundings.

The campaign reaches its breathtaking climax in late November with the assault on Lookout Mountain—the famous battle above the clouds. Doan details the grueling climb up the rugged, cloud-shrouded mountain slopes under enemy fire, where the regiment successfully captures thousands of prisoners. Yet victory exacts a heavy personal toll, exemplified by the heartbreaking death of Major Acton, who falls to a sharpshooter's bullet while leading an assault. The narrative culminates the following morning with the emotional sight of the Stars and Stripes unfurling over the mountain peak, answered by the triumphant shouts of a hundred thousand veterans in the valley below. Finally, the troops witness the magnificent, spontaneous charge up Missionary Ridge, securing permanent Union control of the strategic gateway to Georgia and bringing a hard-won, sorrowful closure to the campaign.

How It Unfolds

First blood at Chickamauga The memoir begins as the Union reserve corps breaks camp near Crawfish Springs and encounters sudden picket fire at the Chickamauga River. The author is accidentally left behind in the darkness during a silent nighttime withdrawal, navigating enemy territory entirely alone before narrowly avoiding friendly fire from nervous troops who shoot first and ask questions later.

The meat grinder of Horseshoe Ridge During the fierce engagements of the main battle, Union lines are flanked and forced into a chaotic, hard-fought retreat across the rugged countryside. The men ultimately establish a desperate, heroic defense on Horseshoe Ridge, holding off ten massed rebel lines through relentless charges and countercharges that exact a staggering forty-four percent casualty rate.

Starvation on Moccasin Point After falling back toward Chattanooga, the troops endure a punishing month-long siege on less than quarter rations that leaves them perpetually ravenous and exhausted. Soldiers routinely resort to eating raw corn stolen from army mules or dug directly from the mud, all while dodging constant, intrusive artillery fire from the towering heights of Lookout Mountain.

Subterranean diversions Seeking temporary escape from military hardship and camp monotony, groups of soldiers explore the vast, dark labyrinths of Nickajack and Murrell caves. These eerie underground excursions nearly end in absolute disaster when their candles burn out completely, leaving them stranded in terrifying pitch-black darkness until shouting matches guide rescuers to their location.

The battle above the clouds The campaign culminates in a daring, vertical assault up the rugged, fog-shrouded slopes of Lookout Mountain under heavy enemy fire. The successful capture of the summit opens the strategic valley, highlighted by the emotional morning unfurling of the American flag and followed immediately by the triumphant, spontaneous charge up Missionary Ridge.

The People

The narrative centers on ordinary citizen-soldiers like Isaac C. Doan, who wants simply to fulfill his duty and survive the brutal campaign intact, though he is repeatedly obstructed by treacherous terrain, superior enemy forces, and flying lead. He emerges older and more reflective, carrying deep memories of camaraderie and narrow escapes rather than glory. Alongside him is Major Acton, who wants to lead his men honorably through every peril. Obstacles appear in the ruthless Confederate sharpshooters and redoubt defenders who make his conspicuous light blue overcoat a fatal target. Acton ends up killed in action during an assault, his life abruptly cut short at the height of his heroism. Other unnamed figures populate the ranks, including foolhardy youths who enter battle with laughs and jests only to break under pressure, contrasted sharply with serious, pale-cheeked veterans who brace their nerves and stand firm against impossible odds. Behind the lines, anonymous teamsters and desperate enlisted men struggle against acute starvation, wanting only basic sustenance while blocked by overworked mules and strict military supply priorities. Finally, General George H. Thomas stands as an immovable anchor for the entire Union army, holding the line against overwhelming Confederate legions and demanding steadfast resilience from every soldier under his command.

In Its Own Voice

Reflecting on the psychological burden of combat before a major engagement, the author notes the different ways soldiers face impending violence:

I have seen the thoughtless and fool-hardy go in with a laugh and jest upon their lips, but they were not nearly so apt to stand fire as those who advanced with pale cheeks and serious aspect...

Describing the terrifying intensity and heat of relentless firing during the defense of Horseshoe Ridge, Doan remarks on his weapon's exhaustion:

I fired eighty rounds from my breech-loading carbine, and the cartridge chamber became so hot that I could not bear my hand upon it, and I was actually afraid the thing would shoot back in my face...

Capturing the profound sensory shift of emerging from a subterranean expedition into the open air, he praises the natural world:

Never before did the day burst upon me with such splendor. Emerging suddenly from our six hours of constant groping among the shadows of old night...

What It's Really About

The book explores the heavy psychological toll of war, contrasting the romanticized notions of military glory with the gritty, degrading reality of survival. It examines how ordinary citizens adapt to extreme physical deprivation, hunger, and constant proximity to death without losing their humanity. Beneath the tactical movements of the Chattanooga campaign lies a deeper meditation on resilience, comradeship, and the profound contrast between the dark, destructive violence of human conflict and the majestic, enduring beauty of the natural world. Doan argues that true courage is not the absence of fear, but the deliberate bracing of one's nerves in the face of inevitable peril, elevating the common soldier's endurance into a timeless testament of duty.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate authentic, ground-level historical accounts and firsthand Civil War personal narratives will find immense value in this memoir. Reading it feels like sitting across from an aging veteran who speaks plainly, blending dry humor with stark, unfiltered observations about raw corn, freezing sleet, and the deafening roar of battle. Modern readers must navigate nineteenth-century prose styles and occasional period idioms, but the reward is an unvarnished intimacy that grand military histories often miss. What stays with you long after finishing is the visceral imagery—the hot carbine barrel, the terrifying pitch-black darkness of the caves, the silent sacrifice of abandoned pickets, and the breathtaking moment the American flag unfurls above the clouds. It offers a poignant reminder of what ordinary men endured to preserve a nation, leaving readers with a profound appreciation for the quiet, unheralded resilience of the human spirit under unimaginable pressure.