In honor of meeting at or near Chickamauga Battlefield on the 146th anniversary year of the battle, and in keeping with the Chattanooga Civil War Round Table's tradition of meeting "in the field" in September, our Round Table met at Davis' Crossroads near LaFayette, Georgia.

Near here, around September 11, 1863, Confederate General Braxton Bragg had halted his southeasterly retreat from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. His Confederate Army of Tennessee had been manuvered out of Chattanooga by Union General William Rosecrans' Army of the Cumberland. Rosecrans hoped to continue his pursuit of Bragg into Georgia by trying to march around Bragg's left flank and threaten his supply line, the Western and Atlantic Railroad. However, to get past Lookout Mountain, Rosecrans was forced to split his army to access the few passes over the mountain. Consequently, the far-flung corps of his army were not within close supporting distance of each other as they marched into northwest Georgia.

Unknown to Rosecrans, Bragg's army stopped retreating near LaFayette, Georgia. Opposite Union General George Thomas' approaching corp, the Confederate army was somewhat consolidated and hidden behind the hills and ridges of Pigeon Mountain. McLemore's Cove lay between the two armies. General James Negley's Union division was leading Thomas' Corp over Stephen's Gap toward LaFayette. Those attending this month's Chattanooga Civil War Round Table meeting found out what Bragg planned to do to this well advanced Union division. Negley's division was almost unsupported except for Union General Absolum Baird's slowly approaching infantry which was working its way down the east side of Lookout Mountain. We also found out why Bragg was unable to destroy or capture them in spite of his superior numbers and close proximity. By being here, in the field, we could see for ourselves some of the difficulties facing both armies and understand why a Confederate opportunity for victory was lost!

Today, Davis Crossroads looks not too different from its wartime appearence. The photo of the crossroads, at left, was taken looking north. LaFayette is about 6 miles out of sight to the right; Lookout Mountain is about 5 miles out of sight to the left. The Martin Davis house is just out of the picture to the left, the Sons of Confederate Veterans sign is at the left edge of this photo and a close-up of the sign is shown below.

Martin Davis had settled in this area in the 1830s. He had been a supply officer for General Winfield Scott and was involved in the Cherokee Indian removal (a.k.a. "The Trail of Tears"). The Martin Davis house and grounds are located in the southwest corner of the intersection of Georgia highways #341 and #193. Although the appearance has changed much since the war, the house and outbuildings are full of antiques collected over the years by Mr. Frank Shaw. Since Mr. Shaw's death, a trust fund that he created helps to maintain the property which is managed by Mr. Jim Stob. Tours of the house and grounds are welcomed.

This Sons of Confederate Veterans sign perhaps exaggerates the hoped for outcome from a battle here. If the Confederate forces had effectively eliminated Union General Negley's division and put Baird's division to rout, a Confederate victory would have hurt the Union Army of the Cumberland, but would not have destroyed it. McCook's, Crittenden's and Granger's Corps, although scattered, were still very much intact and most capable of holding off any determined Confederate attack. And, Thomas still had over half his Corps atop Lookout Mountain.

From the front of the Davis house, we look east toward LaFayette. Pegeon Mountain, which is a series of ridges and hills, can be seen in the background. Several east-west passes in the few gaps of this spur off of Lookout Mountain are still traveled today. At the time of the fight, Confederate General Joe Wheeler's cavalry had blocked these passes by felling trees over the roads. Although this would effectively block any eastward movement by Union forces, it would become a major obstacle to Confederate forces moving westward to attack Negley.

Round Table members gathered in the front yard of the Davis house to hear speaker and Round Table President, James Ogden, talk about the Davis House and Grounds. He noted that the basic part of the house was added onto by the front porch, back rooms and the out buildings. Mr. Shaw needed extra room to house all of his antiques, so today, the house and outbuildings contain a massive Coca-cola collection, general store items, kitchen utensils, schoolhouse items, and a medical and legal history of the Shaw family (no relations to the Shaw Industries of the carpet industry.

Jim, with the help of a couple of assistants, uses a large map of the general area to discuss the Chickamauga Campaign. Although not visible in this photo due to inclement weather, Lookout Mountain is in the background of this westward looking shot. Union General George Thomas' Corps crossed the mountain to enter McLemore's Cove. Both Negley's and Baird's divisions would march across the valley and draw the attention of an alert Confederate General Braxton Bragg whose headquarters was in LaFayette.

Opposite the above view, and looking east, Round Table members learn of the skirmishing that took place here and westward as Confederate forces pressured Union forces to fall back toward Lookout Mountain. An alert Negley was able to extricate his division from Bragg's snare. Afterward, General Bragg blamed his officers for the missed opportunity. His contempt only made matters worse within the Army of Tennessee's command structure which continued throughout the upcoming Battle of Chickamauga and the Chattanooga Campaign.

At right, a picture of Martin Davis hangs in the entrance. In 1859, he died in the family orchard just northeast of the crossroads. His wife, Julia Davis and their six children (plus slave labor prior to the War), continued to work the farm long after the War.

This is just a glimpse of over 1,600 items of Coca-Cola memorabilia in one room of the house. What a collection!

This antique bedroom has an inviting air even to today's visitors.