Private Sam Watkins, Company H, 1st TN, describes Franklin action

Sam Watkins, Company Aytch

FRANKLIN

“The death-angel gathers its last harvest.”

Kind reader, right here my pen, and courage, and ability fail me. I shrink from butchery. Would to God I could tear the page from these memoirs and from my own memory. It is the blackest page in the history of the war of the Lost

Cause. It was the bloodiest battle of modern times in any war. It was the finishing stroke to the independence of the Southern Confederacy. I was there. I saw it. My flesh trembles, and creeps, and crawls when I think of it today. My heart almost ceases to beat at the horrid recollection. Would to God that I had never witnessed such a scene!

I cannot describe it. It beggars description. I will not attempt to describe it. I could not. The death-angel was there to gather its last harvest. It was the grand coronation of death. Would that I could turn the page. But I feel, though I did so, that page would still be there, teeming with its scenes of horror and blood. I can only tell of what I saw.

Our regiment was resting in the gap of a range of hills in plain view of the city of Franklin. We could see the battle-flags of the enemy waving in the breeze. Our army had been depleted of its strength by a forced march from Spring Hill, and stragglers lined the road. Our artillery had not yet come up, and could not be brought into action. Our cavalry was across Harpeth river, and our army was but in poor condition to make an assault. While resting on this hillside, I saw a courier dash up to our commanding general, B. F. Cheatham, and the word, “Attention!” was given. I knew then that we would soon be in action. Forward, march. We passed over the hill and through a little skirt of woods.

The enemy were fortified right across the Franklin pike, in the suburbs of the town. Right here in these woods a detail of skirmishers was called for. Our regiment was detailed. We deployed as skirmishers, firing as we advanced on the left of the turnpike road. If I had not been a skirmisher on that day, I would not have been writing this today, in the year of our Lord 1882.

It was four o’clock on that dark and dismal December day when the line of battle was formed, and those devoted heroes were ordered forward, to

“Strike for their altars and their fires,
For the green graves of their sires,
For God and their native land.”

As they marched on down through an open field toward the rampart of blood and death, the Federal batteries began to open and mow down and gather into the garner of death, as brave, and good, and pure spirits as the world ever saw. The twilight of evening had begun to gather as a precursor of the coming blackness of midnight darkness that was to envelop a scene so sickening and horrible that it is impossible for me to describe it. “Forward, men,” is repeated all along the line. A sheet of fire was poured into our very faces, and for a moment we halted as if in despair, as the terrible avalanche of shot and shell laid low those brave and gallant heroes, whose bleeding wounds attested that the struggle would be desperate. Forward, men! The air loaded with death-dealing missiles. Never on this earth did men fight against such terrible odds. It seemed that the very elements of heaven and earth were in one mighty uproar. Forward, men! And the blood spurts in a perfect jet from the dead and wounded. The earth is red with blood. It runs in streams, making little rivulets as it flows. Occasionally there was a little lull in the storm of battle, as the men were loading their guns, and for a few moments it seemed as if night tried to cover the scene with her mantle. The death-angel shrieks and laughs and old Father Time is busy with his sickle, as he gathers in the last harvest of death, crying, More, more, more! while his rapacious maw is glutted with the slain.

But the skirmish line being deployed out, extending a little wider than the battle did—passing through a thicket of small locusts, where Brown, orderly sergeant of Company B, was killed—we advanced on toward the breastworks, on and on. I had made up my mind to die—felt glorious. We pressed forward until I heard the terrific roar of battle open on our right. Cleburne’s division was charging their works. I passed on until I got to their works, and got over on their (the Yankees’) side. But in fifty yards of where I was the scene was lit up by fires that seemed like hell itself. It appeared to be but one line of streaming fire. Our troops were upon one side of the breastworks, and the Federals on the other. I ran up on the line of works, where our men were engaged. Dead soldiers filled the entrenchments. The firing was kept up until after midnight, and gradually died out. We passed the night where we were. But when the morrow’s sun began to light up the eastern sky with its rosy hues, and we looked over the battlefield, O, my God! what did we see! It was a grand holocaust of death. Death had held high carnival there that night. The dead were piled the one on the other all over the ground. I never was so horrified and appalled in my life. Horses, like men, had died game on the gory breastworks. General Adams’ horse had his fore feet on one side of the works and his hind feet on the other, dead. The general seems to have been caught so that he was held to the horse’s back, sitting almost as if living, riddled, and mangled, and torn with balls. General Cleburne’s mare had her fore feet on top of the works, dead in that position. General Cleburne’s body was pierced with forty-nine bullets, through and through. General Strahl’s horse lay by the roadside and the general by his side, both dead, and all his staff. General Gist, a noble and brave cavalier from South Carolina, was lying with his sword reaching across the breastworks still grasped in his hand. He was lying there dead. All dead! They sleep in the graveyard yonder at Ashwood, almost in sight of my home, where I am writing today. They sleep the sleep of the brave. We love and cherish their memory. They sleep beneath the ivy-mantled walls of St. John’s church, where they expressed a wish to be buried. The private soldier sleeps where he fell, piled in one mighty heap. Four thousand five hundred privates! all lying side by side in death! Thirteen generals were killed and wounded. Four thousand five hundred men slain, all piled and heaped together at one place. I cannot tell the number of others killed and wounded. God alone knows that. We’ll all find out on the morning of the final resurrection.

Kind friends, I have attempted in my poor and feeble way to tell you of this (I can hardly call it) battle. It should be called by some other name. But, like all other battles, it, too, has gone into history. I leave it with you. I do not know who was to blame. It lives in the memory of the poor old Rebel soldier who went through that trying and terrible ordeal. We shed a tear for the dead. They are buried and forgotten. We meet no more on earth. But up yonder, beyond the sunset and the night, away beyond the clouds and tempest, away beyond the stars that ever twinkle and shine in the blue vault above us, away yonder by the great white throne, and by the river of life, where the Almighty and Eternal God sits, surrounded by the angels and archangels and the redeemed of earth, we will meet again and see those noble and brave spirits who gave up their lives for their country’s cause that night at Franklin, Tennessee. A life given for one’s country is never lost. It blooms again beyond the grave in a land of beauty and of love. Hanging around the throne of sapphire and gold, a rich garland awaits the coming of him who died for his country, and when the horologe of time has struck its last note upon his dying brow, Justice hands the record of life to Mercy, and Mercy pleads with Jesus, and God, for his sake, receives him in his eternal home beyond the skies at last and forever.

 

James Bragg, Company F, 40th Indiana, writes about Franklin action

“Our division, that of the 2d of the 4th army corps, bore the brunt of this terrible, bloody battle, losing more than 2,000 men. This was the hardest fought and bloodiest battle, for the number engaged, during the war. It was a hand-to-hand contest. The rebels, being stimulated by the aid of whisky, were urged on by the valor of their officers to break through our lines and march on Nashville, Tenn., only thirty miles distant, and the home of many of the brave, rebel soldiers who fell to rise no more at that bloody battle. Each charge made by the rebels was as stubbornly resisted by us Union soldiers. Never wavering or faltering, but each one vieing [sic] with each other in deeds of valor, every one of us baring our breasts to the enemy’s guns to do or to die.”

Source:

“Early Life and Times in Boone County, Indiana; Harden & Spahr,Lebanon, Ind. 1887. Pages 245-246.

Report of capture of Confederate colors by 40th Indiana at Franklin

Col Blake, 40th Indiana Infantry

No. 52 -Hdqrs., Fortieth Indiana Vol. Infantry

Near Huntsville, Ala., January 14, 1865

Capt. L.L. Cox

Acting Assistant Adjutant-General

Sir: In compliance with your request to send you the rebel battleflag captured by my regiment at Franklin, Tenn., together with a statement of the circumstances attending its capture, I have the honor to report that the flag was captured by Private James S. O’Riley, Company I, under the following circumstances: After a part of the second line at the battle of Franklin had given way a number of the enemy came over our works and some into the yard of the brick house just to the right of the Columbia Pike. Private O’Riley with others stopped behind the house, and the fire they opened prevented the farther progress of the enemy at that place. O’Riley did not long remain behind his shelter, but sallying out met a color-bearer of the rebel force at the other end of the house, and running him through with his bayonet carried off his flag in triumph. Colonel Blake afterward obtained the flag and probably knows where it is. I shall request him to send it back to the regiment.

I remain, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

H. Leaming,

Lieutenant-Colonel, Comdg. Fortieth Indiana Infantry Volunteers

Capt. James G. Staley, Company F, 128th Indiana, was killed at Franklin

Capt. James G. Staley was from Monticello, IN when he enlisted 1/22/64 as a 1^st Lt., into Co F. He was killed at Franklin on November 30th, 1864. The following is an account of his death. The 128th IN was positioned on the far left Union flank, in Stiles’ Brigade. They faced the onslaught of Scott’s and Featherston’s Confederate Brigades.

“… the 128th Indiana occupied breastworks near the extreme left of our line; that the enemy charged right up to and planted their colors on our works, and that their dead and dying which filled the ditches, sufficiently proved how bloody and disastrous was their repulse.

“When the assault was made, Captain Staley was standing up watching the enemy and directing the fire and the use of the bayonets of his men. Just then Captain Bissell, of the same regiment, was shot through the head and fell against Lieutenant Bliss, who, with the assistance of Captain Staley, laid him upon the ground and placed a blanket under his head. This had scarcely been done when some one called out ‘They are coming again,’ and all prepared to receive the enemy. As Captain Staley turned to the works, a minie ball struck him in the forehead, and he, too, fell into the arms of Lieutenant Bliss and died almost instantly. There was no time then to listen to parting words. A desperate hand-to-hand conflict was straining every nerve for the possession of the works. The deadly musket shot, the clash of arms as bayonet came to bayonet and sword to sword, the hurried breathing of the men through their shut teeth, their words of encouragement and mutterings of vengeance, with the thunders of the two pieces of artillery that flanked the company, combined to bring into heroic exercise every muscle of the body and every power of the mind.

“Darkness came on and still the fighting continued. Every man was needed to repulse the desperate assaults of the enemy. The body of Captain Staley was carried to the rear by the stretcher corps and buried in the same grave with that of Captain Bissell, near the large brick dwelling house on the hill south of Franklin. This statement was made by Lieutenant Bliss. The grave where the heroes slept was left unmarked, but to have done otherwise was impossible. Though we had repulsed the rebel army, it was determined to withdraw under cover of darkness, and at midnight we retreated across Harpeth river and abandoned the battlefield and Franklin to the enemy.”

Captain Staley’s remains were recovered and brought home, through the efforts of the Christian Commission arriving at Monticello on February 7, 1865, and on the 12th were reinterred with appropriate ceremonies.

A Standard History of White County Indiana  by W. H. Hamelle 1915

Franklin historian Eric Jacobson will sign copies of his new book Saturday

Battle of Franklin Trust historian and author Eric Jacobson will sign copies of his long-awaited book on the Battle of Franklin titled Baptism of Fire: The 44th Missouri, 175th Ohio, and 183rd Ohio at the Battle of Franklin, this Saturday at the Carter House from 11-1.

His previous book For Cause & For Country precedes this new volume.

The book can be ordered via PayPal here.

Eric Jacobson has been a student of the American Civil War since the mid-1980s. He has authored two prior books, For Cause & For Country and The McGavock Confederate Cemetery, and has a deep and heartfelt interest in elevating the stories about Spring Hill and Franklin to their appropriate place in history. For many years he has assisted a variety of organizations, from Franklin’s Charge to the Civil War Trust, in their efforts to preserve and reclaim critical portions of both battlefields, which are so crucial to a greater understanding of the men and boys who fought there in 1864. Eric is the Chief Operating Officer and Historian for the Battle of Franklin Trust and works in the historic Franklin community, and nearly every day he walks the hallowed ground on which so many Federal and Confederate soldiers so valiantly struggled. His interpretive and preservation efforts at Carnton Plantation and The Carter House, in particular, have been extensive. He lives in Spring Hill with his wife, Nancy, and their two daughters.

Review: Thomas Y. Cartwright’s “Valley of Death” DVD

Review of:

Franklin storyteller and historian Thomas Y. Cartwright

The Valley of Death: Franklin, November 30, 1864

Hosted by Thomas Y. Cartwright
Copyright 2011, The Lotz House
[Order from LotzHouse.com]

Thomas Y. Cartwright is one whose name is practically synonymous with the Battle of Franklin. Former long time Director of the Carter House, Cartwright has been a frequent contributor to many Civil War film and documentary projects.

In 2008, Cartwright stepped down from the Carter House to pursue his writing more. He recently locked arms with The Lotz House Museum in Franklin to help promote his walking tours of the Battle of Franklin. It is safe to say that no one knows the stories that have shaped the Battle of Franklin better than Cartwright.

The DVD being reviewed – The Valley of Death – is a production of The Lotz House and features Thomas Y. Cartwright as the host for nearly one solid hour. The best audience for this guide is not for the ‘beginner’ of the Battle of Franklin. I say that because Cartwright reels off names of commanders, generals, officers and units that flow effortlessly from his tongue, but that even challenge the serious student’s attention at time.

His battle descriptions are not for the faint of heart. His depictions of the battle are at times horrific and gross, just like the real Battle of Franklin was.  Cartwright does not use a script and yet his narrative flows smoothly most of the time.

Almost one hour in length total, the DVD is divided into twelve (12) vignettes of varying length. Here is the order of his narrative and the length of each section:

1. Winstead Hill, 6:22
2. Eastern Flank,  4:32
3. McGavock Cemetery, 5:22
4. Carnton Plantation, :45 secs
5. Hughes Ford, :60 secs
6. Fort Granger, 4:30
7. Wagner’s Line, 3:34
8. The Cotton Gin, 10:06
9. Carter House, 10:10
10. The Lotz House, 3:37
11. City Monument, 1:17
12. Rest Haven Cemetery, 3:40

The DVD production makes ample use of reenactment footage from Battle of Franklin actions, many authentic period images, appropriate background music, and even some living history portrayals. It is fast-paced and filled with first-hand accounts of soldiers that Cartwright is famously known for sharing from his elephant-like memory.

Here is a 2:32 excerpt from the DVD as Cartwright describes the action around the Carter cotton gin.

The DVD could have been improved much if there were maps shown when Cartwright paints the picture of troop placements and movements. If you’ve never been to Franklin, or do not understand the topography of the field, you may find it difficult at times to get your bearings. The more versed student of Franklin will not have a problem keeping one’s place though.

The Carter House and Cotton Gin sections get a combined film time of over 20 minutes, or 33% of the film’s content. This is expected knowing Cartwright’s background as former Director of the Carter House. However, the amount of time for some vignettes was just too short: Carnton (45 secs), Hughes Ford (60 secs), and the Lotz House (3:37).  The inclusion of Hughes Ford, albeit brief, Fort Granger, and Rest Haven was nice. Many Franklin visitors might miss those sites if not pointed out by Cartwright.

The vignette on Rest Haven Cemetery (3:40) includes coverage of the Unknown Franklin Civil War Soldier Memorial. It would have been much better in this section if the production included a sampling of some of the photos that were taken of that event in October 2010. Here is a link to a Flickr photo gallery from that weekend.

The video below is not from the DVD, but was taken on site at the Carter House a few years ago when Cartwright still worked there.

Cartwright’s command of the battle details and story is virtually encyclopedic.  This is a resource that is a must for the serious student of the Battle of Franklin.  The Franklin community is fortunate to have our own “Shelby Foote” and his name is Thomas Y. Cartwright.

72nd Illinois soldier writes about Franklin

Letter transcripts courtesy Raymond Drake, full transcripts at Edward Stevens’ Civil War Letters.

Edward Stevens, 72nd Illinois Infantry, survived the Battle of Franklin

 

Dec. 2nd, 1864

We have fell back as far as Nashville with the enemy close upon us. We had a desperate fight at Franklin, eighteen miles from here. Our Regt. loss is heavy. The most I regret is we lost our Battle Flag, but honorably, as we was the only Regt that stood our ground. We are expecting attack every moment so I must stop. I’m all safe as yet. Will give you a more minute description of the battle when I write again.

Edward Stevens, 72nd Illinois Infantry

Dec 10, Nashville

[In part] The Battle of Franklin was almost enough to suit me. Our Regiments loss is one hundred and fifty-eight killed and wounded. I would like to give you the particulars of the fight, but it is too cold.

Dec 23rd, Columbia, Tenn

[In part] Hood is still on the skiddadle. I should like to know how much farther we will follow him. I hope they will give us winter quarters soon. We are now in Genl Smiths command, which used to be the sixteenth corp, but it is now composed of detachments from different ones. Ours is the first Brigade, Third Division detachment of the 17th A. Corps, but it generally all called the sixteenth corps. There is one thing l like about this command. They are all old troops. I never want to get into a fight with new troops again as there is more danger from them than from the enemy. We had a fair trial of that at Franklin. We were then with the 23rd corp in which is a number of conscrípts and raw recruits.

Your affectionate son,
Edward

——————————————————————————–

History of the 72nd at Franklin:

“At Franklin, [they] hastily threw up some light earthworks. About 4 o’clock that afternoon Hood attacked them, and the battle raged from that hour until midnight, with terrific fury. In that fight the Seventy-second lost 9 officers out of 16 engaged, and 152 men, who were either killed or severely wounded. That night they left their works and retreated towards Nashville, which they reached on December 1; and here the Seventy-second was thrown on the extreme right of the Federal lines enclosing Nashville. under command of General A. J. Smith.
- Adjutant General’s Report

63rd Indiana soldier, Isaac Clark wrote about Franklin

John Halliday, recently posted a comment on this blog and he excerpted this quote from Issac Clark’s (63rd Indiana) diary:

Nov. 29-30, 1864.

We marched all night.  Arrived at Franklin, Tenn. in the morning.  Here we halted, and built a line of works, and we thought (as the rebels seemed anxious for a fight) that we would try our hand on them at this place, so we made necessary preparations.  We had cannon placed along our line of works, about 50 yards apart, besides a number of well fortified forts, containing several pieces of artillery. At 4 o’clock p.m., the enemy came, they drove in our pickets and made a desperate charge upon our works, but were driven back with great slaughter, however this did not satisfy them, and they came again and again until they had made as much as 8 or 10 different charges upon our works.  They took a portion of our works at one time, but were immediately retaken by our men; they fought with a desperation worthy of a better cause.  The battle lasted 7 hours; we retreated at 11 p.m.  Co. D, had one man killed, Co. E., one wounded.  The enemy loss was reported at 8 or 10 thousand. Our regt. , had helped build a great many lines of works during the war, but this was the first time that they had the privilege of fighting behind works during a general engagement.

Clark’s account is now the second authentic, first-hand account of the action at Franklin provided by a 63rd Indiana soldier. I previously blogged on A.L. Ewing’s (63rd Indiana) account.

Why Franklin matters, 146 years later?

A couple years ago I was engaged in a conversation with Widow of the South author and long time Franklin resident Robert Hicks.  At one point Robert posed this challenge to me.  He said something like, “The question we must be able to answer today . . . is why does Franklin matter?” That question has been racking my brain ever since. It’s what fuels me blogging on Franklin and leading the Facebook Group.

146 years ago today – November 30th – the second battle of Franklin was fought in Williamson County, in the little town of Franklin, Tennessee.  In a day and time when Civil War history is hardly even mentioned in school classrooms and textbooks – even in the very states that were impacted the most by the war – I find it almost incredible that one need even ask this question today, why does the battle of Franklin (30 November 1864) matter? What are the chief lessons we can still learn from this battle that might even benefit us today?

In order to answer this basic question, it is necessary to succinctly summarize this major Civil War battle.

The Civil War – or as some would say . . . the War Between the States, started in April 1861.  The United States Army at the outbreak of the war had a standing Army of about 10,000 soldiers.  That was it. When the first shot was fired over Charleston Harbor on April 12, 1861, and effectively started the Civil War, most people, from pundits to politicians, thought that if there was going to be any war it might last for 90 days. Maybe.

Over 3 1/2 years and hundreds of thousands killed Americans later, everyone was wondering when this tragic cloud was ever going to pass. As the 1864 election loomed on the horizon in the fall of 1864 most northerners also thought that the Commander in Chief – Abraham Lincoln – didn’t have a chance of being re-elected as President.

The only realistic chance the Confederate States of America had in winning this long-protracted war in late 1864 was to see Lincoln defeated, and then maybe popular opinion and support in the north would erode enough for the next U.S. president to call an end to the military action and seek a truce with the CSA, thereby officially recognizing the Confederate States of America as a legitimate political entity, instead of being viewed legally by the United States as states that were involved in insurrection.

The worst news possible for the CSA came on November 8, 1864. Lincoln had won re-election. This more than anything – at the time – assured that the cherished Confederate cause would inevitably be lost. Why? Because with Lincoln’s re-election it all-but insured that the North would continue to fight a war against the CSA with now (late 1864) considerably better resources in people and material.  With Lincoln’s re-election, all the North had to do was to virtually outlast the CSA, battle by battle.

Thus, with that background, we come to late 1864 in middle Tennessee in order to set the stage to understand the Nov 30, 1864 battle of Franklin.

In July 1864 CSA President Jefferson Davis replaced General Johnston as the Commanding General of the Army of Tennessee. Johnston was not making the progress Davis desired in Georgia/Atlanta and Davis knew he had a fighter in Kentuckian John Bell Hood. From late July through September Hood would stand up to the Union commanders, including Sherman, but even his tactical victories did not come at a reasonable cost. Hood would lose thousands of men in his first 90 days of command, men he could ill-afford to lose for what would come in the fall.

As General Sherman made the decision to march toward the sea (Nov 15th), and make Georgia howl, Hood decided to head toward middle Tennessee with the hopes of recapturing Nashville, which had fallen in February 1862 to the Union without a shot even being fired.  Hood believed that his Confederate Army of Tennessee (of roughly 23,000 troops in November 1864), which had thousands of native Tennesseans in the ranks and several in leadership, would fight with such heart and vigor that it would nearly be like one Rebel killing five Yankees. Hood believed that a Confederate victory at Nashville would result in a re-invigoration of the Confederate cause, bringing in tens of thousands of new Confederate soldiers all throughout the South, especially Tennessee.

So, Hood’s ultimate goal and prize was Nashville, after all General George H. Thomas only had about 11,000 soldiers defending Nashville.  But a funny-thing happened on the way to Nashville for Hood.  The first was the Spring Hill debacle.

On his way to Nashville – in late November 1864 – Hood’s forces would be engaged by U.S. General John M. Schofield’s forces on November 29th.  Though neither side would lose a lot of men, Hood did lose a real opportunity for a knockout punch of Schofield’s troops at Spring Hill. To make matters worse, the entire US army would awaken before sunrise on the morning of the 30th and make their way toward Nashville.  Schofield knew he had to get his men to Nashville first so he could join up with Thomas and prepare for the inevitable battle at Nashville in December. With most of Hood’s Confederate army still sleeping, the Union army slipped through cracks along the Columbia Pike. The bird had flown the coup!

By the time Hood learned of the Union army’s escape from Spring Hill, it seemed the Rebel commander was more focused on assigning blame to his subordinates than focusing on chasing after the Union army. Seething, sore and perhaps sulking, Hood and his army arrived about 2 1/2 miles outside of downtown Franklin about 1pm on the 30th.  His horse carried his disabled body – lacking one leg – up Winstead Hill so Hood could survey the Harpeth Valley and the position of the Union army.  What he found was not good.

The entire Union army – around 20,000 strong – was also securely entrenched in a roughly two mile arc around the horseshoe shape of the Harpeth River at Franklin.  When Schofield got into Franklin in the early morning hours of the 30th he found the two main bridges had been destroyed by Franklin residents, who had figured on the Union army coming from the north not the south.  Not having time to get his entire army and miles of supply wagons across the raging Harpeth in time, Schofield had no option but to entrench; and entrench they did.

The Union troops had worked feverishly for several hours the morning of the 30th placing breastworks, digging trenches and placing osage orange abatis in front of their lines.  Even as late as 2pm many in the Union army did not think Hood would be so foolish as to assault the defended Union lines.

With just a few more hours of daylight left now, Hood gathered his trusted subordinate Generals in the parlor of Harrison House, about 300 yards behind Winstead Hill, and announced his intention; his Confederate Army would make the nearly two mile open ground march through the Harpeth Valley as it headed north toward the Union line at Franklin. Hood was sure that his men would break through several points in the Union line and eventually drive Schofield’s army into the Harpeth. Though his ultimate goal was Nashville, he believed that the opportunity to drive the Federals into the Harpeth would be victorious and thus render the Spring Hill debacle as irrelevant.

To a man, not a single General under Hood’s command agreed with the assault.  It was viewed as unwise at best and suicidal at worse.  But the CSA Generals manned-up and did their duty with courage and seasoned humility. General Cleburne told a colleague that if “we are to die today, let us die like men.”

The charge would be made with virtually no support from Confederate artillery, across nearly two miles of open ground, against a Union army of 20,000+ securely protected by earthworks and artillery support provided by batteries across the river in Union Fort Granger, among other battery support.

The entire Confederate army lined up east-west across the Harpeth Valley with Winstead and Breezy Hill, intersected by Columbia Pike, being the center. It was now 4 o’clock.  The signal was given, the Confederate bands began playing, and Hood’s brave men started their march toward Franklin.  Within 45 minutes the Confederate assault was in full force.  Initially the Rebels seemed to gain the upper hand as they overwhelmed a couple of Union brigades out in front, about a mile from the main Union line. The Union soldiers, half-stunned and thoroughly scared, fired 6-8 rounds and then ran for their very lives back to the Union main line.  The Rebels were given orders to shoot them in the back.

As the lead Federal troops hastily skeedaddled back to the line, their entrenched comrades could not shoot at their Confederate attackers for fear of friendly fire casualties. By the time many of these men got back to their main line thousands of Rebel troops were so hot on their heels that hand-to-hand fighting broke out within minutes in the hop spots around the Carter House and the Carter Cotton Gin, both very close to the Columbia Pike.

For the next few hours – from five until nine – over 40,000 Americans would fight a horrific battle centered around Fountain Branch Carter’s 280+ acre farm near downtown Franklin. The action was horrific and almost beyond imagination in its atrocities.  At some parts of the Union line, twelve to fifteen separate Rebel charges would be counted. They just kept coming and coming. It was a terrible slaughter for the Confederates. The Federals captured at least 18 Rebel colors or flags during the action.

The fighting around the Carter House and Cotton Gin was most intense.  Hand-to-hand fighting took place here as men from both sides fired their rifles point-blank, then turned their empty rifles around and smashed the butt of their guns into the head of their enemy.  Bayonets were employed. They used axe heads and picks, anything to try and kill their fellow man.  Hand-to-hand fighting, especially in the dark, was very rare in the Civil War. About 85-90% of the primary action at Franklin was fought in the dark.

The Rebel army nearly broke successfully through the Union lines in at least two places but was eventually repulsed by troops of the likes of Opdycke’s Tigers.

By 9′oclock in the evening, the worst fighting was over. Several Confederate Generals lay dead or mortally wounded just outside of the main Union line. The Rebels lost – killed, wounded, missing or captured -around 6,500 of their 23,000 engaged. A staggering number, including some 1,750 killed outright.  The Union numbers were much smaller. They had roughly 2,500 casualties, with less than 200 dead.

Compared to other major battles Franklin was a bloodbath.  The casualty rate at Franklin was four to five times worse than almost every other major action in the long Civil War (1861-1865).  Indeed, some historians say that Franklin was the bloodiest five hours during the Civil War. One can count on one hand the number of other Civil War battles that can begin to compare to the atrocity at Franklin.

Unbelievably, and some might say incredulously, Hood would pick up the remains of his defeated Army of Tennessee in the early days of December and limp into Nashville, once again on the heels of the retreating Union Army under Schofield.  But by mid December the Union Army had a strong numerical advantage over Hood’s CSA men as Schofield’s troops combined strength with Thomas’s men already at Nashville.

Barely two weeks after suffering the horrendous defeat at Franklin, Hood’s Army of Tennessee engaged George H. Thomas’s Union armies at Nashville on December 15-16. Hood would be outnumbered nearly two to one at Nashville and though his men fought valiantly and courageously, the outcome would be no better than Franklin.  Hood lost over 6,000 men at Nashville. The Army of Tennessee was all but obliterated in just two weeks. Hood would retreat back into Alabama in late December and would give command of his men over to General Dick Taylor in mid January.

So, why does the Battle of Franklin matter?

To be fair, we should combine the action at Spring Hill and Nashville into the equation and re-state the question; why does the middle Tennessee campaign (including Franklin) matter?

It meant a lot to the Confederate cause for what it did NOT accomplish.  The middle Tennessee campaign – Spring Hill / Franklin / Nashville – did nothing to bring about Confederate control or capture of Nashville, Hood’s stated objective. Instead, what happened on the rolling fields of the Harpeth Valley and around the hills of Nashville in late 1864 simply brought about the effectual destruction of a once-proud Confederate army and forever rendered the chances of a Confederate re-capture of Nashville null.

As historian Wiley Sword has described the campaign, it was the Confederacy’s “last hurrah”. With the recent re-election of Abraham Lincoln just weeks before Franklin, the defeat of the Army of Tennessee at Franklin-Nashville was an omen that the Confederate cause had run its course – at least in the western theater – and Robert E. Lee would not be able to count on any assistance or support from any Confederate victories or armies west of Richmond any longer.

Within four months after the respective battles of Franklin-Nashville, Lee would surrender to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia.

But why does the Battle of Franklin matter today? 146 years later?

I think Franklin matters today for several reasons.

First, some of the other major battles were fortunate to get their own national military parks, some with thousands of preserved battlefield acres, to commemorate, memorialize and honor their brave dead. Places like Chickamauga, Shiloh, Gettysburg and Stones River. Franklin missed that opportunity over a hundred years ago and therefore this little community has always struggled to tell its story on a national level and thus have the ability to tap into the power of the American psyche.

You won’t find names and places like Little Round Top or Devil’s Den at Franklin.  We don’t have a bloody Wheatfield nor a Sunken Road.  You won’t find Lee or Jackson named at Franklin.  You won’t find Grant or Sherman at Franklin.

Instead, Franklin tells its story through the likes of names like Schofield, Strickland and Stiles for the Blue, and the likes of Hood, Cleburne and Forrest for the Rebs.  Our battlefield is hallowed by the likes of Winstead Hill, the Carter farm, the Carter cotton gin, Carnton plantation, the Harpeth River, and McNutt hill.

If Gettysburg got front page attention in the New York Times, the Battle of Franklin has been given sparce mention in the “other news” section on page twenty.  Our story is also not very well known because the cameras of Brady and Gardner never made it to the Cumberland River. The picture media mainly stayed out east in Virginia and Pennsylvania.

The Franklin story of 1864 is special and perhaps matters more for the headlines it is making today.

No other community in America has been more successful in recovering more Civil War battlefield land – assumed forever lost to commercial development – than Franklin has in the past ten years.  No, we don’t have 2,000 acres of pristine battlefield land laden with scores of markers.  Instead, one has to get in one’s vehicle and drive to several points of interest around Franklin to get a sense for the action that took place in our story; stops like Winstead Hill, Cleburne’s Park, the Cotton Gin site, the Carter House, the Lotz House, Fort Granger, Carnton Plantation, and of course McGavock Confederate Cemetery.

The story of Franklin, nearly 150 years later, is being told on the backs of $25 private donations to organizations like Franklin’s Charge and Save the Franklin Battlefield. Its being led by the likes of the Franklin Battlefield Trust and the myriad of Union and Confederate descendant organizations that struggle to raise funds to install another marker at Winstead Hill, to restore a tattered 140 year old Confederate flag, to properly commemorate a marker dedicated to an unknown soldier.

The Franklin story in 1864 was told by the likes of the names of Hood,  Carter, Lotz, Cleburne, Schofield, Stiles, Cox, Courtney and Forrest, among others.

The Franklin story of 2010 is carried on the backs of people named Hicks, Jacobson, Cartwright, Thompson, Warwick, Flagel, Prouty, and Gant, to mention but a few.

The modern story of Franklin is one worthy of all the honor, dignity, and courage of the men who faced one another in the Harpeth Valley in late 1864.

The men who fought on the fields of Franklin in 1864 sacrificed to live the story; nearly 150 years later our generation is called upon to sacrifice to share the story. We will continue to sacrifice our time, talent and treasure to support our community treasures like Carnton, the Carter House, the Lotz House, the Cotton Gin, and the new marker dedicated to the Unknown soldier at Resthaven.

Our story is embodied in the spirit of the two true living sons who came to Franklin in October 2009 to help our community honor and rebury an unknown soldier whose remains were unearthed while a backhoe was laying the foundation for a Chick-fil-A on Columbia Pike. Union son Harold Becker – whose father fought at Franklin – and Confederate son James Brown, Jr., – whose father fought at Gettysburg – brought a spirit of humility, comraderie and dignity to our community last year.

I will never forget the evening they first met in my living room. They embraced one another and then both immediately broke into a sorta mea culpa as they essentially shared the same basic thought and belief they no doubt got from their father; “my father never said a bad word about the Rebels/Yankees. He had nothing but utmost respect for them.“

That’s the Franklin legacy. People today from very different backgrounds and communities, united on telling a story that divided us 146 years ago, but brings us together to fight for a cause greater than anyone of us individually can accomplish on our own today.

That’s why Franklin matters . . . .

(Visit FranklinMatters.com to participate in the Battle of Franklin Facebook Group, some 2,600 strong as of Nov 30th, 2011)

Franklin after-battle report, 104th Ohio Infantry

Nashville [Franklin], TN after battle report:

No. 134.

Reports of Col. Oscar W. Sterl, One hundred and fourth Ohio Infantry, of operations November 30 and December 15-16, 1864.

HDQRS. 104TH REGT. OHIO VOLUNTEER INFANTRY,

Nashville, Tenn., December 6, 1864.

SIR: In obedience to your command, I have the honor to transmit a report of the part taken by the One hundred and fourth Regt. Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the battle at Franklin, Tenn.

The regiment (in connection with the brigade) reached Franklin, Tenn., from Columbia, about 5 o’clock on the morning of the 30th ultimo, and bivouacked in line until about 8 a.m., when the brigade went into position in two lines, on the right of the division-the One hundredth and One hundred and fourth Ohio formed the first line, the One hundredth on the right, its right resting on the Columbia pike, and the One hundred and fourth joining it on the left. The regiment immediately erected in its front a good breast-work, most of the companies putting head-logs upon their works.

These were scarcely completed until the rebels advanced in two lines against the Second Brigade of the division, on our left. A curve in the works of the left wing of the regiment enabled the left companies to enfilade the lines of the rebels as they advanced, and the three left companies fired several rounds, doing good execution, when the rebel lines fell back in disorder and confusion.

Immediately afterward a brigade of the Fourth Corps, which had been posted on a ridge about 500 yards in front of our works, began falling back, first in good line and order, and afterward in great haste and confusion, when it became apparent that the real charge was being directed against that part of the line occupied by this regiment, the One hundredth

Ohio, and the brigade of the Second Division on the right of the pike. As the line of the Fourth Corps fell back from the ridge it was followed at a distance of not over 100 paces by the first line of the rebel infantry, which gained rapidly upon it, so that the men of the Fourth Corps had scarcely crossed our works until the ditches in front were filled with rebels, scrambling to get over the works, and in some instances, upon the right of the regiment and in front of the One hundredth Ohio, many of the rebel passed over the works in company with the rear of the Fourth Corps men.

The confusion and hurry of the crossing of this advance line, their officers crying to them, to “get to the rear and reform,” came near throwing our lines in confusion, and the three right companies borne back by them, and in doubt as to the commands, fell back a few paces, but in almost a moment afterward rushed back, with fixed bayonets, and regained their works. The

Sixteenth and Twelfth Kentucky rushed from the second line simultaneously with them, and joined them and the One hundredth Ohio, on the first line, from which (having overcome all the rebels who had crossed the works) they kept up a constant and destructive stream of fire, cutting down by hundreds the rebels who had accumulated and massed in the ditches and immediately in front. The other seven companies to the left, so soon as the Fourth Corps men had crossed, began to pour forth such a severe fire that through the rebels in greater number than their line had gained the ditches, were unable to attempt getting over the works, but were cut to pieces by the destructive fire of the men. The rebels in this charge were seen in three lines at least, but if no more, the smoke of the firing prevented us from seeing their approach. So soon as it became apparent that this charge was repulsed, the firing was stilled, and those of the rebels in the ditches who were not killed or wounded were ordered to ground arms and surrender, when about 300 climbed over the works and were sent to the rear. Then almost immediately second charge of the rebels followed, equaled only in fierce determination and bravery by that of the first charge; this was again met by a fire equally as true in aim and destruction as before, resulting in the complete repulse of the enemy, when about 200 more prisoners were taken in over the works. By the time the second charge was repulsed night had come, and, though firing was afterward directed at our line from the front, and replied to by our men, yet no subsequent charge was successful in reaching near to our works. The regiment remained in the works until after 11 p.m., when, with their command, retired across the Harpeth River, and took up the line of march toward Nashville.

Eleven rebel battle-flags were taken in front of our lines (two by Color-Corpl. Newton H. Hall,* Company I, who shot their bearers, and crossed over and captured them during the heaviest of the firing); 9 of them were turned over to brigade headquarters; the others are reported as having been sent to friends at home by mail before it was known by the captors that they should be turned over, or orders received requiring it. The slaughter of the rebels way very great, the ditches were filled with them, and the ground for many rods in front was literally covered with their dead and wounded.

The officers and men all did nobly, and when the battle was ended and the rolls called scarcely any were missing.

Our casualties in this engagement were: Killed, 1 commissioned officer, 16 enlisted men; wounded, 2 commissioned officers, 32 enlisted men; missing, 6 enlisted men; total, 3 commissioned officers and 54 enlisted men.

I am, sir, very respectfully,

O. W. STERL,

Col., 104th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

ACTG. ASST. ADJT. Gen., 1ST Brig., 3d DIV., 23d A. C.

 

New York Times headlines, December 12, 1864

THE WAR IN TENNESSEE.; Reports from Nashville. The situation in Middle Tennessee–Relative Positions of the Two Armies–Further Particulars of the Franklin Fight.

Special Dispatch to the New-York Times. WASHINGTON, Sunday, Dec. 11. Dispatches received by the Government from Gen. THOMAS represent the position of affairs at Nashville unchanged. Gen. THOMAS says that the recent storm has interfered with army movements on either side for several days at least.

NASHVILLE, Saturday, Dec. 10. The situation of affairs remains unchanged. In front of the Fourth Corps not a shot was fired up to 2 o’clock this afternoon. Since then some slight skirmishing has occurred. Owing to the slippery state of the ground, the men find it impossible to move about. The rebels can be plainly seen from the front of the Fourth Corps standing about their camp fires. Hostilities may be said to have ceased on account of the bad weather. Deserters who come in say that the rebels have strong intrenchments, with two rows of chevaux de friese, with wires stretched around to strengthen them. No report has yet been heard from the gunboats which went down the river yesterday morning. No cannonading has been heard here since their departure. The river is three feet deep on the shoals, and falling From Our Own Correspondent.

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 4, 1864. THE SITUATION The most splendid military exhibition of the war in this section may be witnessed, as I write, from Capitol Hill. The entire Federal lines of battle, almost from right to left, may be plainly seen with the naked eye. Over fifty thousand troops occupy our lines, which is just five miles. A.J. SMITH’s corps is on the right, resting on the river, on low-ground, on what is known as the John Harding pike — a branch road of the Charlotte pike. What is known as the right wing extends east to within a hundred yards of the Franklin pike. Then comes the Fourth Corps, temporarily commanded by Gen. THOMAS J. WOOD, in place of Gen. STANLEY, who was wounded at Franklin. Gen. WOOD’s headquarters is at the Widow ACKLIN’s, on the Granny-white road. Our line of battle just escapes the exquisite grounds of this lady, although all of her “nigger huts,” walls and fences have been torn down for breastworks. The centre extends east to beyond the Murfreesboro pike; then comes the left — the Twenty-third Corps — under Gen. SCHOFIELD, which extends to the river, Gen. STEEDMAN, with his command from Chattanooga, filling in, and in reserve, upon a high bank of the river, a few hundred yards south of the reservoir. Our extreme left rests upon a bank 76 feet above high-water mark. The rebel line of battle is plainly visible, about two miles from town. It is believed that DICK TAYLOR’s forces, numbering nearly ten thousand strong, are in reserve. and it may be that this corps is operating near Murfreesboro. Gen. FRANK CHEATHAM is commanding the enemy’s right wing. He has three divisions — Gens. GEORGE MANEY’s, BATES’ and ANDERSON’s. It is a curious fact that these three General officers, commanding divisions, and the corps Commander, (CHEATHAM,) are citizens of Nashville. CHEATHAM was a “sporting man;” MANEY was a lawyer, rather a fast young man; BATES was Attorney-General of the State when the war broke out, and was not universally admired; ANDERSON was Postmaster of this city, and is not considered a man of extraordinary mind. STEPHEN D. LEE’s corps is in the centre, and STEWART commands a corps on the enemy’s left. STEPHEN D. LEE’s corps is composed of three divisions, and STEWART has four. In LEE’s corps, PATRICK CLEBURNE (if not killed) commands a division, and so does Gen. STEVENSON. In STEWART’s corps, QUARLES and WALKER command divisions. Gen. BATTLES, of this county, commands a brigade in GEO. MANEY’s division. PAT. CLEBURNE, of Arkansas, (a native of Ireland,) is one of the most earnest and intrepid commanders in the rebel army, and is generally found conducting the enemy’s rear upon all critical occasions. Teere are many rumors in regard to his death. Gen. GORDON, a prisoner, says that before he was captured, a report was rife that either CHEATHAM or CLEBURNE was killed. CHEATHAM has his headquarters at the residence of Mr. EDMUNDSON, on the Murireeshoro pike, four miles from town. He can’t very well be dead, of course. Mr. EDMUNDSON was in the city yesterday, and says that FRANK insists that HOOD’s destination is Nashville; that he has orders to take this city or go to hell. This is all rebel blow, at any rate, and may be the inventions of FRANK himself. But, many of the prisoners report CLEBURNE killed, and venture a description of his fall. The story which would seem to most earnestly urge his death is told by our General, KIMBALL, and reiterated by his staff officers. Gen. KIMBALL says that during the thickest part of the Franklin fight he saw a rebel General upon the ground, and that he gasped “I’m mortally wounded.” Before he could order his removal, WAGNER’s division gave way, the line was changed, and the wounded man removed by rebel soldiers. I give you this as I hear it from various sources, but will add that I did not hear Gen. KIMBALL tell the story. It seems pretty generally believed, by the way, that either CLEBURNE or some other general officer was killed in the battle of the 30th ult. FORREST has command of the entire rebel cavalry, and has two divisions upon each flank. Gen. WILSON, late of the Army of the Potomac, commands all our cavalry, and is one of the most pertinacious soldiers in the service. His military skill and his bravery are a match for FORREST’s cunning and intrepidity. Commodore FITCH commands upon the Cumberland, and assists in protecting our flanks to a considerable extent. He has one iron-clad up the river, above the position of our left wing, and another down the river near Hyde’s Ferry, watching the enemy upon our right. There are, also, several other gunboats, of various shapes and sizes, patrolling the river from Carthage up to Clarksville down. At the latter place is a turreted craft, not unlike the ocean monitors. From Carthage to Clarksville, then, it will be almost an utter impossibility for the rebels to cross the river. As fast as HOOD advanced, after leaving Pulaski, he destroyed the Tennessee and Alabama Railroad, running from this city to Decatur. This would urge the belief that it was his intention to either cross the river and strike for Kentucky, or fall back toward Bridgeport, along the line of the Chattanooga road, if he falls to attack this place. On our left, quite a large body of our cavalry are across the river, but the enemy are wholly upon the Nashville side.

THE FIGHT AT FRANKLIN. I must put in a little word for The TIMES in this connection. It was the first newspaper in the country, of course, (in this case,) that had the news of this fight, and my dispatch was the first one and the only one sent anywhere over the wires Wednesday night, 30th ult. I had previously sent you a dispatch that Gen. THOMAS intended to draw the enemy to this point. Subsequently I went to a party, and was returning home about 12 o’clock Wednesday night. As I arrived at the St. Cloud I met Gen. MILLER, who informed me that Gen. THOMAS had just received intelligence of a great victory at Franklin. I went Into Gen. THOMAS’ rooms, and he permitted me to send the news North. Well, speaking about the fight at Franklin, I will reiterate that it was, beyond a doubt, one of the most gallantly-contested battles, and the cleanest victory (won in an open field) of the war. Had HOOD succeeded in whipping us, he would have captured our entire wagon trains, and routed a large portion of our army. The real fight lasted just one hour and forty minutes, in which time six thousand of the enemy were placed hors du combat, while our own loss falls a little below a thousand. This dreadful check may be the cause of the delay in rebel demonstrations in our front, if that, indeed, is the programme. The enemy really at Franklin, was at least one-third stronger than our own forces. They fought us with two whole corps and part of another, while less than half of both the Fourth and Twenty-third were engaged upon our side. They charged, as if every man was iron-clad, four times against our works, and, with the exception of the first charge, were driven back in great disorder. Our artillery, too, made prodigious havoc in their ranks, actually mowing the brave men down or scattering them in confusion. I have one or two quite interesting items in connection with this fight, which I have omitted to mention: We lost two battle-flags, which were captured from WAGNER’s division, during the panic which temporarily existed in that body, and we captured thirty-two stand of colors, the Twenty-third Corps getting the credit for twenty-two of them, and the Fourth Corps for ten. Many of these trophies are now to be seen at SCHOFIELD’s headquarters. Gen. GORDON was captured by a stalwart fellow of the Sixteenth Kentucky, who grabbed him by the coat-collar, actually “yanking,” or “Yankeeing” him, square off his feet. Gen. STANLEY, Commanding Fourth Corps, was evidently a target for both rebel artillery and infantry. He was actively engaged in rallying WAGNER’s division, and the enemy’s sharpshooters got a sight at him. He was twice (slightly) wounded in the neck, while two bullets passed through his clothes. A cannon-ball sent his horse to thunder, it going one way and its rider the other. Gen. BRADLEY was shot in the arm while upon the left of his brigade, leading his men back to a position from which they had wavered a little. I tell you what it is, it’s mighty queer work, sometimes, fighting these fellows, especially when they get right well warmed up. Their demonstrations upon certain occasions are fearfully demoralizing. At such times a gill of “fluid” is a quart of courage “every pop.” The ladies of Franklin, most of whom are rebels, and beautiful rebels too, some of them are, assisted en masse, in caring for our wounded. Mrs. CARTER and her daughters contributed in this holy work. Mrs. Dr. CLIFF, a Union lady of renown, and Mrs. WILLIAMS, an estimable woman, threw open their houses for the reception of sufferers. Miss FANNY COURTNEY, decidedly loyal from the commencement, although she has two brothers in CHEATHAM’s corps, made herself useful. Her sister, formerly Miss OCTAVIA COURTNEY, was some time ago married to Lieut. COCHNOWER, son of the merchant of that name in Cincinnati. She is an elegant lady, and waved a string of red, white and blue ribbons when Gen. NEGLEY entered Franklin nearly three years ago. When BUELL’s retrograde movement took place, a little over two years ago, Miss FANNY COURTNEY, upon the approach of the rebel columns, saddled a horse, forded Harpeth River, and came to this city alone during night. FANNY is all right — I know her; she is pretty, too. You may recollect that, in a letter of mine, within a couple of weeks ago, in which I gave your readers a brief description of several towns along the Tennessee and Alsbama Railroad, I stated that Franklin, of all other towns, had been most first in the hands of our forces and then in the possession of the enemy, and so on. Of course, just now, it is again in the Southern Contederacy. If the citizens of Franklin had been compelled to take the oath of allegiance to every Government that came along, they would have become frightfully profane by this time, and might practiceswearing for a living. It is rumored that ISHAM G. Harris, the nomandic Governor of Tennessee, is with the advance of Hood’s army. He is enjoying, at least, all the felicity that Moses did — he can look into Nashville. King ISHAM, as Governor JOHNSON calls him, has been a wanderer upon earth for a long time. Should he ever again visit the capital during the rebellion, he will no doubt bring with him the State archives, but it is rather hinted that he might forget that million-dollar school fund, which disappeared from Nashville just about the time ISHAM did. However, in all probability, HAREIS will not come, this trip. BENJAMIN C. TRUMAN.

New York Times headlines, December 6, 1864

THE WAR IN TENNESSEE.; THE BATTLE OF FRANKLIN. Gen. Stanley’s Account Interesting Particulars. REPORTS FROM LOUISVILLE.

CINCINNATI, Monday, Dec. 5. Major Gen. STANLEY, who was wounded in the battle of Franklin, arrived here yesterday. He says the reports of the battle that have reached the public have not been exaggerated. The rebels met with their heaviest losses in attacking our trains, which were of enormous size and value, and filled the roads for twelve miles. It was not intended that Franklin should be held longer than was necessary to get our property out of the way. The rebels had been pressing us very hard from Columbia, and at one time we were in great danger. HOOD lost his opportunity by not attacking in force at Spring Hill. SCHOFIELD’s army consisted of the Fourth and Twenty-third Corps, together with a few regiments which had recently entered the service. They left Pulaski on the 23d of November, and were so closely pressed that at times it was thought the artillery wagon trains would have to be abandoned, but by good management they were all brought through safely. Gen. STANLEY has been in nearly all the battles in Tennessee and Georgia, but he says that the musketry fire at Franklin was for an hour the most intense he ever witnessed, besides this we had twenty-eight guns in action, with full sweep of the rebel columns. A dispatch to the Commercial from Nashville says Murfreesboro, Bridgeport and Chattanooga are safe. Nashville and the surrounding country for miles have been converted into huge forts. The destruction of rebel property to facilitate the defence of the city has been immense. Almost all the rich property-holders hereabouts are rebel sympathizers. The advance of the rebel army has necessitated the destruction of property. The Federal position is perfectly satisfactory.

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Monday, Dec. 5. The Journal of this morning, contains the following: NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 4. Nothing of special interest has transpired to-day along the lines. Our artillery was used at different points against the rebels, who are engaged in erecting breastworks within half a mile of ours. Prisoners brought in to-day say that Brig.-Gens. GIST, STAHL, GRAMBERRY and BROWN of the rebel army were killed at Franklin, and that Gen. CHRATHAL lost every Brigadier in his corps.

New York Times headline, December 4, 1864 – The Battle of Franklin

FURTHER DETAILS OF THE BATTLE AT FRANKLIN.

CINCINNATI, Saturday, Dec. 3. The correspondent of the Gazette, writing from Nashville, gives the following particulars of the battle of Franklin, Tennessee: The plan of the battle was very simple. We had no time in fact to get up a complete plan, as the enemy pressed us too sorely and obliged us to fight him. The original plan was to withdraw the force of Gen. SCHOFIELD until the meeting of our reinforcements, and then give battle in the vicinity of Nashville, but the over-sanguine rebels pressed us too hard, and when SCHOFIELD perceived he could not avoid a contest, he drew up his army in line of battle in front of Franklin. At 3:30 the assault was commenced by the rebels. CHEATHAM’s corps was on the right, STEWART’s on the left and S.D. LEE’s in reserve, on the centre. CHEATHAM threw his whole corps on WAGNER’s division with great impetuosity, and, after an hours’ desecrate fighting, he pushed WAGNER back on our second line, where WAGNER’s men became mingled with those of COX’s and RUGER’s on our left and centre. The rebels encouraged by their success in driving back WAGNER with loud cheers, advanced on our second line. Their order of advance was very peculiar — a semicircle of two regiments deep extending all around our lines, and behind each alternate regiment was placed four others — so that the assaulting columns were six regiments deep. Gen. HOOD appeared about 4 P.M. at the head of his command, and, pointing toward our lines, said: “Break those lines, boys, and you have finished the war in Tennessee! Break them and there is nothing to oppose your march from Nashville to the Ohio River!” Loud and ringing cheers answered the words of the rebel leader, while the whole space in front of our lines was crammed with the advancing enemy. Capt. LYMAN, commanding an artillery brigade in the Fourth Corps, had placed his batteries in most favorable positions, and from these storms of shot and shell were hurled into the charging rebel ranks. With the most reckless bravery still the rebels rushed on, and when within a few hundred yards of our works our boys opened upon them a terrible fire of musketry, that it seemed as if it was impossible for anything to live before it. But no wavering was perceived in those advancing rebel lines. On they came to the very parapets of our works, and stuck their bayonets under the logs on our battlements. On the Columbus Pike the pressure upon our lines was so great that some of COX’s and WAGNER’s men temporarily gave way. Up to this time the brigade commanded by Col. OPDIKE, of the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Ohio, had been held in reserve. Col. OPDIKE, by the orders of Gen. STANLEY, rushed forward with his brigade to restore our broken line. The rebels who had crawled over our works, had not time to retire and COX’s and WAGNER’s men, who had broken away but a moment before, rallied and attacked the enemy on the flank, while OPDYKE charged on the front. A desperate hand-to-hand fight ensued with bayonets and the but-ends of muskets. A hundred rebels were captured here and the line was restored. For two hours and a half the battle now raged all along our lines. The men of the Fourth and Twenty-third Corps vied with each other in bravery. RILEY’s brigade, of the Twenty-third Corps, fairly covered the ground in front of it with rebel dead. The rebel Gen. ADAMS was killed. He and his horse fell into a ditch in front of the One Hundred and Fourth Ohio. Seventeen distinct attacks of the enemy were repelled. At dusk the rebels were repulsed at all points, but the firing did not close until 9 o’clock at night. At least 5,000 rebels were Killed, wounded and captured, while our loss will probably reach fifteen hundred. We have taken from the enemy thirty flags; some regiments, among them the Seventieth Ohio, taking half a dozen each. Gen. SCHOFIELD directed the battle from the fort on the north bank of the stream, where some heavy guns and the batteries of the Twenty-third Corps were placed, and which did great service in damaging the enemy’s right wing.

Franklin (TN) community becoming national model for battlefield preservation

Released April 14th, 12:30 p.m., CST.

The Franklin (TN) Civil War preservation community continues to have much to celebrate when it comes to reclaiming hallowed ground, land that played a crucial role during the American Civil War (1861-1865) . In 2007, in partnership with the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT), a small portion (i.e.,  one-half acre) of the original Carter family garden was purchased for future posterity and remembrance of the horrific action that took place just 50 feet south of the present Carter House grounds. The half acre of land cost $210,000.00. The Battle of Franklin Trust, which stewards the Carter House grounds property, is hosting a dedication ceremony this Saturday at the site.

Carter garden section of the Battle of Franklin

Preservationist and author Robert Hicks said, “With the creation of the Battle of Franklin Trust and all of it’s plans for the future and with the ongoing work of Franklin’s Charge, as it moves forward to reclaim the battlefield around the cotton gin, reconstruct the gin and the historic trench line, Franklin may prove itself the national model for battlefield preservation it’s often touted to be.”

The Federal or Union defensive line (in discussion here) lay basically across an East-West diagonal line on the western side of Columbia Pike, just 50-60 feet in front of the present day Carter grounds.  That line was an entrenchment that was dug by Union soldiers probably in the early morning hours of November 30th, 1864. The Carter family had a small family vegetable garden that is believed to have originally been a two acre parcel of land, about 50 feet south west of where the slave cabin is presently located.

Location of Carter garden in green box

Many Union soldiers’ letters and diaries record men having spent several hours the morning of the 30th hastily and hurriedly digging trench works along this line.  This defensive line, also known as earthworks, or breastworks, was a significant reason why the Union side at Franklin saw modest casualties-killed (about 150), while the Confederates suffered a staggering amount, (around 1,700), according to Fred Prouty. Historian Eric Jacobson says those numbers are probably even too low.  He believes there were probably 300 Federal killed at Franklin.

During the excavation on the original Carter family garden site, the team also unearthed partial human remains, probably from a Civil War soldier, and other related military items.  Archaeologist Larry McKee has been working on the project and is expected to release his report in a few weeks. Robert Hicks of Franklin’s Charge said, “The fact that human remains were found there simply reminds all of us how hallowed the battlefield — all the battlefield at Franklin — is.”

Carter house grounds, garden was left (west) of the man standing

An army that fought behind defensive earthworks had a distinct advantage against assaulting troops, especially if the defending army also had artillery support. The Union armies at the Battle of Franklin had the advantage of both. Thus, as Jacobson says (p. 374 below), the ” . . . cards were stacked against them [the Rebels] almost from the start”.

I own a letter from a Union soldier who fought at Franklin for the 63rd Indiana (on the far eastern Union flank) named Addison Lee Ewing. His first letter after Franklin states the following:

“There is no quicker way of suffering this war than by having Rebs charge our works when they invariably get whipped.”

Ewing said it well, the Confederates at Franklin “got whipped”, and the biggest reason was because of the defensive earthworks.

Casting the larger significance of the Carter garden section of the battlefield, historian Eric Jacobson captures it best:

“The significance of the western edge of the Carter garden cannot be overstated. Around 4:30 p.m. on November 30, 1864, elements of Gen. John Brown’s Confederate Division ripped through the main Federal line of defense west of Columbia Pike. Among the units forced to withdraw was the 72nd Illinois Infantry, which held the section of the line which cuts through the garden property. The Illinois troops fell back to a reserve line held by the 44th Missouri Infantry. Only a firm stand by the Missourians prevented Brown’s troops from collapsing more of the Federal defensive position. The garden property was enveloped by a hail of relentless fire for hours and three separate charges made by Federal troops to retake the main line were unsuccessful. The Confederates held the outside of the main line until they started to withdraw around 9 p.m.”

Hoosier Lee Ewing paints the picture in vivid language that only a first-hand participant could have described that day:

“Colonels and Generals rode right up to our faces bringing their men in fine style but “blue coats” wouldn’t budge back one inch and there fell victims to their own mad actions. A person could walk over acres of dead  . . . stepping on one dead body to another. It was a terrible slaughter. “
- Lee Ewing, 63rd Indiana, December 5th, 1864 letter

The Tennessee Wars Commission provided the grant to Franklin’s Charge for the excavation of the Carter garden area. An archaeological team led by Larry McKee – with TRC Garrow Associates Inc. –  found material evidence of that awful day, unearthed just several inches below the surface in the present-day Carter garden. Jacobson says that the team “excavated about 2/3rds of the Federal line that runs diagonally across the property”. They dug down roughly 20 inches and discovered the material evidence including: lots of bullets (Spencers), some fired and some dropped; ram rods, a bayonet, evidence of a fire pot, and human remains.

Among the human remains was “a piece of a skull, a finger, part of an ankle, and portion of femur-leg bone”, according to Fred Prouty.  It would be impossible to know for sure if the human remains were Confederate or Union. However, we do know that it would have been Federal soldiers who would have dug the earthworks and originally manned them.

They dug down from the surface about 18-24 inches and then piled the dirt up in front of the trench, on the south side of the trench.  Soldiers would have then placed head logs, branches, and anything they else they could have found around them (including portions of Carter outbuildings, barns, etc,) on the top of the piled dirt in front. In all, the earthworks would have been roughly five to six feet high, thus giving the Federals a tremendous advantage of protection against the assaulting Confederate troops.

View probably just 20 feet northeast of the original Carter garden location.

The Federals also had the advantage of artillery placed on the line as well as about 50 yards behind the line. As the approaching Rebels came upon the earthworks they faced a terrible blaze of fire from the Federals in this section, some of whom apparently even had Spencer rifles. A Spencer was a ‘repeating rifle’, capable of firing seven .52 cartridges in less than 10 seconds, compared to the standard Enfield rifle that could yield up to three discharges in one minute.

The discovery of the Spencer bullets is interesting as historian Eric Jacobson pointed out. The Illinois troops in that position did not have Spencer rifles. So where did they likely come from?  Jacobson thinks they came from the 28th Kentucky Infantry (U.S.) who was posted a mile out front in Wagner’s brigade (U.S.), before the assault started. Wagner’s entire line made for a hasty retreat immediately upon the start of Hood’s charge and skeedaddled back behind the Union line. As the retreating Union soldiers came flying up and over the entrenchments on the Carter garden they no doubt dropped some Spencer bullets, and many also joined the Illinoisians on the line, discharging their rifles against the coming Rebel onslaught.

Spencer bullets

Three weeks after the battle of Franklin, Lee Ewing (63rd Indiana Infantry U.S.) came back through Franklin on the 20th of December, chasing after Hood’s defeated Army of Tennessee retreating to Alabama from Nashville. Ewing may have been standing right near the Carter gardens when he wrote this:

“. . . we was at Franklin where there are hundreds of new made graves filled by the Enemy. I went into the old breastworks where we lay and all over the front of our Brigade which is pretty well dotted over with rebble graves . . . There are dead horses laying around. Some of them almost up over our old works.”
- Lee Ewing, 63rd Indiana, December 22nd, 1864 letter

The Battle of Franklin Trust will host a ceremony and dedication this Saturday, April 17th, to formally open the recaptured tract of land that served as the garden for the Carter family. The public is invited to attend this free event which will be held from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The Franklin community’s preservation efforts are led and championed by many people, many behind the scenes, and from all over the nation. Robert Hicks said:

Truth is, this hallowed ground — the battlefield at Franklin, like the history of the battle, itself, is our nation’s patrimony. The reclamation of the back portion of the Carter Garden Plot could never have been possible without the passionate work of Thomas Cartwright, the CWPT and a host of individual donors, nation-wide. While it was supported by the many individual preservation organizations in Franklin that make up Franklin’s Charge, along with the collective support from Franklin’s Charge, itself, as we dedicate the garden plot, we are remind, once again that this was a national campaign and its success rests firmly on the shoulders of men and women across the nation.

The excavated Federal line is covered with sand.

Sources:

1. Eric Jacobson, Battle of Franklin Trust historian and Director of Operations
   Phone interview 4/13/10; email correspondence; and personal conversations.
   Also see Jacobson’s For Cause and For Country, 2006 (Hb): pp. 373-74.
2. Fred Prouty, Director of Programs for the TN Wars Commission.
   4/12/10 FCWRT, and phone interview 4/13/10
3. Robert Hicks, Franklin’s Charge, email interview 4/13/10
4. Kraig McNutt Civil War Collection, letter(s) from A. Lee Ewing, 63rd Indiana.

For more information:

1. Flickr photo gallery of the Carter garden section
2. YouTube gallery of videos of the Carter garden section

Historian Eric Jacobson talks about the Eastern Flank at Franklin

The CWPT shot some video of historian Eric Jacobson talking about the Eastern Flank at Franklin during the June 2009 Franklin’s Charge symposium. You will find the link on the CWPT web site here.

Watch the video

I have many videos on YouTube of Franklin content, several by Eric Jacobson.  They are found here.