 Garfield akazoshanda pasi paMajor General Don Carlos Buell paHondo yeShilo uye pasi paThomas J. Wood pakukombwa kweKorinde. Utano hwaGarfield hwakashata uye akatumirwa kunoshanda mukomisheni kuti aongorore mufambiro wemukuru mukuru weUnion Fitz John Porter. Muchirimo cha1863, Garfield akadzokera kunhandare semukuru wevashandi vaWilliam S. Rosecrans, mukuru wemauto eCumberland. Pashure pechiitiko chine ngwavaira cheChickamaugamuna September 1863, Rosecrans akabvisirwa basa rake. Garfield akaponesa mukurumbira wake nokurwa noushingi muhondo dzacho, uye akazosimudzirwa kuva mukuru wemauto. Mukurumbira waGarfield wakapararira, uye William Dennison akaronga kusarudzwa kwaGarfield muna 1863 kuCongress. Sezvakataurwa naWhitelaw Reid, Garfield akanga ari wezvematongerwe enyika muduku ane unyanzvi uye akatanhamara uyo akapinda muuto pakatanga hondo. Garfield akanga asingadi kusiya uto, saka iye pachake akashanyira Mutungamiri Abraham Lincoln nokuda kwezano pamusoro penhau yacho. Lincoln akaudza Garfield kuti akanga ane vakuru vakuru vakawanda kupfuura zvaaigona kutarisira, uye chaaida kwaiva kutsigirwa nezvematongerwe enyika. 