From the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion
Archive and files Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
In early September, 1863, the Federal Army of the Cumberland began moving toward Georgia. On the extreme right of the Federal lines, General Alexander McCook crossed the Tennessee River at Capertons Ferry below Bridgeport, Alabama and pushed over Sand Mountain to Wills Valley. From that position on September 7th he reported: We have no news of the enemy, save that a large body of cavalry came up on Lookout Mountain this morning, attacking a lieutenant and 10 men about a mile in front of our picket. They killed one man and captured 3 others. Wheelers command, and I think all of their cavalry, is over in Broomtown Valley. Stanley goes over to-morrow and, of course, there will be a fight. I will do all I can to help him.
On the same day, at the Alpine Presbyterian Church, Confederate Generals Joseph Wheeler, Nathan Bedford Forrest, and John A. Wharton met to make plans to resist McCooks advance. McCooks Chief of Staff, Gates P. Thurston, wrote: Eight deserters, from the Fourth Georgia Cavalry, came into our lines to-day, having left Whartons division last night, near Alpine. General Stanley starts in the morning with about two-thirds of his effective force. He expects to meet Wheelers force the first or second day, and thinks they will probably fight him.
On the 8th of September, Brigadier-General George Crook, commander of the second division in Stanleys Federal cavalry Corps, reported, my command being in advance of General Stanelys expedition into Broomtown Valley, met the enemy at Alpine where a skirmish ensued; the enemy retreated toward Rome; my loss was 3 killed and 11 wounded; could not tell what damage was done to the enemy.
On the September 10, 1863 George W. Brent, General Braxton Braggs adjutant, informed General Joseph Wheeler: Colonel Avery, in his communication of 8 p.m. yesterday, states that he has falled back to a point on the Rome road, 25 miles from that place, 7 miles from Alpine and 7 miles from Summerville, and that he was forced back by superior numbers of the enemy. He reports the enemy moving in heavy force toward La Fayette with cavalry, infantry, and artillery; and also with both infantry and cavalry toward Rome on his left. The general commanding desires that you will immediately, with such of your forces as you can command, leaving enough to guard the front and left of General Hill, move rapidly on the Summerville road for the purpose of discovering the designs, movements, strength, and position of the enemy. You will throw out scouts on the Alpine and LaFayette roads for the same purposes. You will also closely reconnoiter to the left to ascertain if the enemy is moving toward Rome.
General Alexander McCook reached Alpine on September 10, 1863, and made his headquarters at the Knox Plantation. Mindful of his orders to establish contact with General George Thomas 14th Army Corps, that he believed to now be in LaFayette, he attempted to open communication by way of Broomtown Road. His couriers quickly returned with the information that the road was blocked by Confederate cavalry. On arriving at Alpine, General McCook stated, I discovered that the enemy had not retreated very far from Chattanooga, and not being able to communicate with General Thomas by way of the valley, I dispatched couriers by way of Valley Head and learned to my surprise that he had not yet reached La Fayette as ordered. His reasons for not having reached that pace became more apparent as we progressed. Under these circumstances, I did not move upon Summerville as ordered. My corps was isolated at Alpine, and had it moved to Summerville it would have been exposed to the entire rebel army.
We were called up at 3:30 o'clock on the morning of Friday, September 11th, the historian of the 73rd Illinois Infantry Regiment stated. When we reached the valley we found the 1st and 2nd Divisions; also a small village named Alpine, located just across the line, in Georgia. General McCooks head-quarters were at Alpine. We passed a mile or more beyond the village, and went into camp in the midst of a nice grove of young timber. Near the point where our camp was located, our cavalry and that of the enemy had quite a skirmish on September 8th, resulting [in] the loss of two killed and four or five wounded, on our side. The rebel loss was not ascertained, beyond the certainty that it exceeded our side.
General James Negley, of Thomas 14th Army Corps, had been turned back by Confederate forces in the Battle of Davis Crossroads to the north. The Federals withdrew to the base of Lookout Mountain and fortified, expecting a major Confederate attack. General Rosecrans ordered General McCook to move up and support the 14th Corps. McCook, however had no way of know how strong the Confederate force between him and Thomas was.
General Alexander McCook opted to take his entire force back over Lookout Mountain to go up Lookout Valley and cross at Johnsons Crook in order to reach the 14th Army Corps in McLemores Cove. Before leaving, however, the Federals cleaned out the Knox plantation and neighboring farms of food, burning all they could not carry with them. The Alpine Presbyterian Church provided consolation to the people of the area during the difficult years of the war and trying time of Reconstruction that followed. Their descendants still worship in the church today.
The artist John White has produced an outstanding painting titled Prelude to Chickamauga, in which he depicts the meeting of Confederate cavalry leaders at the church when they planned a defense against McCooks invasion in September 1863.