“Some other soldiers will watch us”: A Private’s Perspective of the Chattanooga Campaign, Sep. 20 - Nov. 25, 1863

Cassius Marcellus Hibbard was a private in the Union Army and served during the Civil War from 1862-1865. As a member of the Army of the Cumberland he fought in the Battle of Chickamauga, lived through the Siege of Chattanooga, and fought in the Battle of Missionary Ridge. Some 34 years later, he wrote a memoir of his experiences from September 20, 1863 through November 25, 1863 as an infantryman during this crucial period of the American Civil War. This memoir, previously unexamined, provides a window into the dangers and deprivation of the life of a common soldier and gives a personal account and allows a unique historical perspective on the Chattanooga Campaign of 1863. By analyzing this memoir and putting it into context with other sources, I complicate the dry narrative of traditional history as told from the perspective of the commanders with the gritty, lived experiences of a foot soldier, including the decisive and impetuous charge led by enlisted men at Chattanooga.Winner, Outstanding Oral Presentation, School of Graduate Studies and Research.