I am currently reading a book on bad military leaders in history, and this one chapter concerns a man named Nathan Forrest.
I only have very basic knowledge on the US Civil War, so I have trouble understanding the following (second) paragraph. It's supposed to be on September 19.. (I added the first paragraph for context)
On 18 September a stout Union defence at Alexander’s Bridge and Reed’s Bridge provided Rosecrans early warning of Bragg’s attempt to turn his left flank, pushing him away from his base at Chattanooga and potentially leading to his destruction on one of the mountain coves of northern Georgia. Bragg had ordered Forrest to screen the advance and secure the crossing but Forrest had singularly failed to do so, instead transferring most of his available force to meet an imagined threat farther north. As a result, Confederate infantry had to fight for the crossings, costing precious time and enabling Rosecrans to shift more units to the threatened sector. That night Forrest again failed to effectively screen the army’s right flank and gather information about Union dispositions, intelligence that would have revealed a yawning gap in the Union lines. According to David Powell, this was ‘the most significant intelligence oversight of the entire battle’.
The following day Forrest initiated a major engagement in the same area, commandeering rebel infantry and feeding them, along with his own cavalry, into an imbalanced fight piecemeal, wrecking several regiments. As a result, ‘Forrest left Bragg blind that morning.’ The Worst Military Leaders in History
To be specific about my question, what is this "major engagement" and what does it mean to "feed them into an imbalanced fight piecemeal"..
Other sources were insufficient, because they mostly provide summaries of the war like who went where and who won...
If I was knowledgeable enough to elaborate on what I didn't know, I wouldn't be asking this question...