William Starke Rosecrans (September 6, 1819 – March 11, 1898) was an inventor, coal-oil company executive, diplomat, politician, and United States Army officer, but he’s best known for being a prominent Union general during the Civil War. In particular, he commanded the Army of the Cumberland for a time, and though he was the victor at prominent Western Theater battles, his military career was effectively ended following his disastrous defeat at the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863. The battle of Chickamauga in September 1863 was one of the biggest battles in the Western theater. In that campaign, Braxton Bragg’s Confederate army routed the Union Army of the Cumberland led by William Rosecrans, but the retreating Federals were rallied by George H. Thomas, forever known as the “Rock of Chickamauga,” and they made a defensive stand that allowed the Union army to regroup and retreat in an orderly fashion back to Chattanooga. Thomas would soon succeed Rosecrans as commander of the army, and the Union would eventually break the Confederates’ siege and pave the way for Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign.After the battle, Rosecrans wrote an account of his role that became part of The War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. This edition of his account includes illustrations and maps of the campaign, and it also includes pictures of the important commanders of the battle.