The monument of shell across the highway in back of you marks Maj. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner’s headquarters site.
After leaving the Brotherton House, you continue for 1.1 miles and make a right turn. The triangular shell monument on the right along the highway commemorates Col. Hans C. Heg (Union).
8. Wilder Monument. This imposing monument was authorized in 1892 and completed in 1902, to honor Col. John T. Wilder and his troops. It is built of Chickamauga limestone and rises to a height of 86 feet. A spiral staircase leads to a platform at the top where you can obtain an excellent view of the battlefield and surrounding area.
Wilder’s troops occupied the ground in this vicinity when Longstreet sent the left wing of the Confederate Army forward. This brigade of mounted infantry was armed with the Spencer repeating carbine, a seven-shot weapon. These troops, numbering more than 2,000 men, poured a deadly fire into Longstreet’s veterans, but were unable to stop the Confederate advance. They remained on the field until the last minute and had to fight to get to their horses.
The monument stands upon the ground where General Rosecrans had his headquarters on the 19th and early morning of the 20th of September 1863.
9. Snodgrass Hill. The log cabin on Snodgrass Hill marks the home of the Snodgrass family.
The troops from the center of the Union line began to fall back toward this hill when Longstreet’s men rushed through the gap in the Union line. Brannan’s Division and fragments of Negley’s, Wood’s, and Van Cleve’s Divisions held the positions on the hill. About 2 p. m. Steedman’s Division arrived to reinforce the line on the extreme right. The Union troops held the hill during the afternoon and at dusk began the withdrawal that led them through McFarland’s Gap and into Rossville.
Union monuments at Viniard field, Chickamauga Battlefield.
