Compiled by; Randy Maxfield
Excepting occasional cavalry harassment by both sides, the 8th Arkansas Infantry and the rest of the CS army spent the first six months of 1863 foraging, rabbit hunting, practicing the manual - of - arms and waiting. General Rosecrans and the Federals were in and around Murfreesboro, Tennessee on the Stone River, while the 8th Arkansas Infantry and the 47,000 - man Army of the Tennessee, not 40 miles away, lay at Tullahoma on the Duck River. Confederate soldiers like explain that Tullahoma was a name formed from the two Greek words: tulla; meaning mud, nad homa; meaning more mud. Sam Watkins of the 1st. Tennessee Infantry thoughts, "Its a bad thing for an army to remain too long in one place, the men become discontented....., and we had no diversion... except playing poker....". Soon however Sam's boredom would be broken, for the federal objective was still Chattanooga, a major railroad hub some 80 miles to the east.
On June 24 and after much preparation and postponement, Rosecrans stepped off. And so did the rain, for the next 17 days. The roads became quagmires. An artillery man said they traveled not on the roads but under them. Along east-west ridge having four distinct gaps had separated the two armies. Hardees' corps (which contained the 8th Arkansas Infantry of Cleburnes division) was at Wartrace, Tennessee near the 2nd - from - the - east most ("Liberty") gap. A lead federal Corps, McCooks',"met fierce resistance form Cleburnes division" as it advanced. Two additional regiments bolstered McCook and forced the rebels to retire. Rosecrans soon had nearly positioned himself to preclude Braggs' covering of Chattanooga and on June 30 he realized it: once again abandoning his position. It was a Confederate joke that said Bragg would never get into haven; for the moment he was invited to enter - he would fall back.
The Army of Tennessee first crossed the Elk river, then the Tennessee, making Chattanooga on July 4. The 8th Arkansas Infantry corps (Hardees) was positioned north-west of town but General Hardee himself was moved to Murfreesboro to aid johnson - Vicksburg having fallen the same day. In his place, D.H. Hill was promoted to Lt. General and assumed command. On August 1 the 8th Arkansas Infantry made up part of a new corps: Liddells (under Govan) brigade, Liddells division, Reserve (Walkers') corps. Govan had been promoted from command of the 2nd Arkansas and had been an Arkansas planter before the war. Liddell too, had been a planter, but in Louisiana. A former West Pointer, he'd been a staff officer under Hardee. For various reasons the Army of Tennessee now numbered only 30,000. On ATheugust 7 Rosecrants, with twice that number, arrived and pressured Bragg - who was forced to yield the city. But later and 25 miles away - at Lafayete; "The men were eager enthusiastic, and in fine condition", for reinforcements were now arriving and when Longstreets corps, from Virginia, would appear, Bragg would actually outnumber Rosecrans. Until then, Braggs prepared a plan to snare the probing but scattered Federal corps, who'd boldly ventured south of Chattanooga in search of the supposed, Confederate army thought - to - be in shambles.
Bragg had sent "deserters" into the Federal lines to plant the rumer of their supposed dis-array and had decided to sweep the Federal corps individually into McLemores Cove-and distroy them. But typical snafu's nixed these plans and Rosecrans now began to realize his misassessment and the grave peril of his scattered forces.
On August 13 he commenced an immediate rally near Lee and Gordon's mill. Bragg followed and during this jockeying the 8th Arkansas went into action at Alexanders Bridge, Georgia, and skirimished at Pee VIne Ridge. Soon only a creek named Chicamauga separated the two armies. The Cherokee explained Chicamauga to mean "river of blood". On August 18 the first of Longstreets corps, detached from the Aarmy of Nothern Virginia, had arrived having traveled no less than 900 miles by 16 different railroads in-a roundabout route forced by Federal occupation of Knoxville.