Hill; where he arrived just in time to save them from Forrest's cavalry, which was close upon them, but which he drove off; being assailed, soon afterward, by a much stronger force, including infantry, with which he fought till dark; barely holding the road whereby Schofield must make good his retreat.

for his great venture. At length, a | Stanley to follow his trains to Spring dispatch from Sherman" apprised Thomas that the former had cut loose from his base and started southward from Atlanta on his Great March; and no sooner had the tidings reached Hood, still at Florence, Ala., where he had a pontoon bridge, with part of his force on either side of the river, than the crossing of his remaining corps commenced;" while his van, already over, moved through Waynesboro' and Lawrenceburg on Nashville.1

Hood's army was organized in three corps, under Maj.-Gen. B. F. Cheatham, Lt.-Gens. A. P. Stewart and S. D. Lee, beside his strong cavalry corps under Forrest. Each corps was composed of three divisions: Maj.-Gens. Cleburne, Loring, Bate, E. Johnson, and Buford, being the best known of their commanders. Thomas had but five divisions of infantry at the front; but he had collected several more before the struggle was brought to a final issue.

ין

Schofield, with Ruger's division, had been kept awake all day by the enemy's efforts to cross Duck river at Columbia; repulsing, with heavy loss to them, their repeated attempts to do so.. When night fell, he resumed his movement, brushing aside the Rebel cavalry who infested the road, and finding at Spring Hill the enemy bivouacking within half a mile of his line of retreat. He did not choose to have any difficulty with them just then; but pushed on with his entire command; and, after fighting all day and marching 25 miles during the following night, he got into position at FRANKLIN early on the 30th. His cavalry moving on the Lewisburg pike, several miles eastward, had encountered no enemy. Time being absolutely required to save our trains, which choked the road for many miles, Schofield halted on the southern verge of the village, threw up a slight breastwork, and proposed to stop, while his train should be got over the Harpeth and fairly on its way to Nashville.

Gen. Schofield, at Pulaski, now fell back, by order, on Columbia; where his corps was concentrated," as was most of Stanley's; while Gen. Granger withdrew the garrisons from Athens (Ala.), Decatur, and Huntsville, retiring on Stevenson. The force left at Johnsonville now evacuated that post, withdrawing to Clarksville. When the enemy appeared before Columbia, declining to assault, but evincing a purpose to cross Duck- Franklin is situated in a bend of river above or below, Gen. Schofield the Harpeth, which here rudely dewithdrew 1 across that stream; and scribes the north and east sides of a on learning that the Rebels had cross-square, which was completed by our ed six miles above, directed Gen. lines of defense. These were held

15

"Dated Cartersville, Ga., Nov. 12.

12 Nov. 17.

advance a week or ten days longer, I would have been ready to meet him at some point south 14 Nov. 24. 15 Nov. 27-8.

13 Thomas says: "Had the enemy delayed his of Duck river."

19T DIV. 4THA.C

HOOD ATTACKS SCHOFIELD AT FRANKLIN.

20 Div 220 A.C.

ON

4.30 PM.

PONTOON
BRIDGE

TBR.29DIV. 4THA.O
UNION)

SCHOFIELD

30 Div.23 A.C.

by two divisions of his own and all three of the 4th (Stanley's) corps-the whole reported at 17,000, and certainly not much exceeding that number. As the ground rises from the stream, the position was of little worth, save as its flanks were protected by the river.'

18

Hood's army, arriving later, was not ready for the onset till 4 P. M.; when, at the word of command, the charging lines swept on.

681

on his left, reaching westward to the angle of our defenses; Lee in reserve behind them; though Johnson's division of Lee's corps was thrown to the left during the engagement; the cavalry was on both flanks; Forrest, with most of it, on the right. "Break those lines," shouted Hood to his men, "and there is nothing more to withstand you this side of the Ohio river!" Many Tennesseeans were now for the first time in weary months within sight of their homes; one General (Carter) fell mortally wounded within a few rods of his own house. Gen. Schofield watched the progress of the battle from Fort Granger, across the Harpeth.

Though Schofield's command numbered nearly if not quite 20,000 men, a good part of it was already across the river, guarding the trains and our left flank, while two divisions held the lines guarding our right; so that all the force directly confronting the Rebel advance hardly numbered 10,000.

Of these, two

brigades of the 2d (Wagner's) division of the 4th (Stanley's) corps were thrown out in our front, holding some slight works a few hundred yards in advance of our general line; the key of which was Carter's hill, a genHood had delayed the attack till tle eminence, across which ran the all his forces could be brought up; in- | Columbia pike through to Franklin

tending to crush in our front at the first onset by the sheer weight of his assault. Stewart's corps was on his right, next the Harpeth; Cheatham's

10 Gen. Hood, in a personal reminiscence of this conflict, fairly said:

"The works of the enemy were so hastily constructed that, while he had a slight abatis in front of a part of his line, there was none on his extreme right."

Yet, slight as they were, these defenses were of incalculable value. A veteran who fought

Nashville. Behind that hill stood the 1st (Opdycke's) brigade of Wood's 2d division in reserve.

The Rebel charge was so imbehind them said, "Such a line at the Chickamauga would have given us a victory." "Tis sad that, after all we have spent on West Point, we should have had to learn this simple lesson at a cost of 200,000 lives and Two Billions of money. The Turks had mastered it when they last defended Silistria against the Russians, years ago.

petuous, as well as so heavy, that it was scarcely checked by the advanced works held too long by the two brigades aforesaid, but swept over them like a torrent, hurling back our men in tumultuous rout, taking many prisoners, and driving the residue right through the center of our main line, which not merely opened to receive them, but kept widening after they had rushed past. In an instant, the wings next that pike of the 2d and 3d divisions of the 23d (Cox's) corps recoiled before the enemy's charge; the hill was lost, 8 of our guns taken, and the Rebel flag planted in triumph on our breastworks, as the exulting victors, having passed over them, hastily formed on the inside, intending to follow up their triumph. Caissons as well as men streamed wildly to the bridges, supposing the day utterly lost and nothing left to do but save from the wreck as much as possible.

and here they remained till the last shot was fired that night.

J

Our defenses had been regained as much by surprise as by valor-the enemy not expecting a countercharge they must now be held by valor alone. Exasperated rather than disconcerted, Hood threw heavy masses against the lost breastworks, hoping to retake them before they could be adequately manned; while Opdycke, first exhausting all the shots in his revolver, employed it as a club to drive up stragglers to the help of his heroic brigade; and, when he had broken the pistol, he dismounted and borrowed a musket, which he found even more efficient in the work of persuasion; driving skulkers out of the reserve fort in which they had sought and found comparative safety." Of course, his efforts and those of his men were nobly supported by others there being ample scope and work for all

The battle raged fiercely till 10 P. M.; the enemy shifting gradually to our right and attacking on the flank; where they were more especially confronted and repelled by Stanley's 1st division, Gen. Nathan Kimball. But our lines were never again broken: assault after assault being repulsed with great loss to the assailants and smaller to the defenders; until the enemy desisted; and then, a little after midnight-our trains being by this time well on their way

"First brigade! forward to the works!" rang out the steady voice of Opdycke, as the rabble rout swept by; he riding rapidly forward as the bayonets of his men came down to a charge, flashing back the rays of the setting sun. Swiftly, steadily, grandly, that brigade rushed upon the foe; a brief but bloody struggle ensued; and at its close no Rebel remained upon or inside of the works but the dead and wounded, with 300 prisonOur guns were recovered; 10-our men quietly drew out of their Rebel battle-flags taken; our line defenses, and followed; until, about was restored, and Opdycke's head- noon, our weary, sleepless heroes were quarters established here on the pike; safe within the defenses of Nashville. was done entirely on his own judgment), the promptness and readiness with which he brought his command into action at the critical and decisive moment, and the signal personal gallantry he displayed in a counter assault on the enemy, when he had broken our lines, disaster instead of victory would have fallen on us at Franklin."

ers.

17 An official recommendation to promotion, indorsed by Gen. Thomas, thus testifies:

"At the battle of Franklin, Opdycke [formerly Col. 125th Ohio] displayed the very highest qualities as a commander. It is not saying too much to declare that, but for the skillful dispositions made by Gen. Opdycke (all of which

the

dism

HOOD BELEAGUERS THOMAS IN NASHVILLE.

683

Forrest had followed sharply since of a full sixth, not of its numbers,
daylight, but to no purpose.
but of its effective force-
which it had no means of replacing.

Our loss in this sanguinary encounter was officially reported at 189 killed, 1,033 wounded (including Maj.-Gen. D. S. Stanley, severely), and 1,104 missing (many of these doubtless wounded also, and nearly all captured): total, 2,326. Not a gun was left behind in our retreat.

a loss

Hitherto, Thomas had resisted very considerable odds; but, when Hood sat down" before Nashville, the case was bravely altered. The Rebel army had by this time been reduced, by the casualties and hardships of an offensive and unseasonable campaign, to 40,000 at most; A. J. Smith's command, transported from Missouri on steamboats, had just arrived," and

Gen. Thomas reports the Rebel loss in this struggle at 1,750 killed, 3,800 wounded, and 702 prisoners: total, 6,252. Hood, in a conversational account been posted on our right; while Gen. of the battle, says:

"The struggle lasted till near midnight; when the enemy abandoned his works and the crossed the river, leaving his dead and his wounded in our possession. Never did troops fight more gallantly. During the day, I was restrained from using my artilelery, on account of the women and children remaining in the town. At night, it was massed, ready to continue the action in the bra morning; but the enemy retired. We captured about a thousand prisoners, and several stands of colors. Our total loss, in killed, wounded, and prisoners, was 4,500. Among the killed were Maj. Gen. P. R. Cleburne, Brig.-Gens. Gist, John Adams, Strahl, and Granbury. Maj.-Gen. Brown, with Brig.-Gens. Carter, Manigault, Quarles, Cockrell, and Scott, were wounded, and Brig.-Gen. Gordon captured. The number of dead left by the enemy on the field indicated that his loss was equal to or near our own. The next morning at daylight-the wounded being cared for and the dead buried we moved forward toward Nashville: Forrest with his cavalry pursuing the enemy vigorously.'

Eng!

ing in

ather

DET

ted:

ht-s

The loss of Pat. Cleburne-'the Stonewall Jackson of the West' would of itself have been a Rebel disaster. He was an Irishman by birth, who had served as a private in the British army; and who left behind him no superior as a rough and ready fighter. By the carnage of this day, Hood's army was depleted

18 Dec. 2.

Steedman, with 5,000 of Sherman's
men and a Black brigade, had come
up by rail from Chattanooga. Add
the garrison of Nashville, and a divi-
sion organized from the employés
of the quartermaster's, commissary's,
and railroad departments, now work-
ing diligently on the defenses, and it
was clear that Thomas's infantry out-
numbered that which affected to be-
siege him, in a city which had already
been extensively fortified. Still, he
was so deficient in cavalry that he
paused to mount a few thousand men
before challenging the enemy to a
decisive conflict. This perplexed Gen.
Grant; who, chafing at the idea of
such a display of Rebel audacity in
the heart of Tennessee, had left his
on the James and reached
camp
Washington on his way westward,
when he was met by telegraphic re-
ports which convinced him that his
Tennessee lieutenant, like Sheridan,
needed no supervision.

Thomas, reluctant to relax his hold on the railroad to Chattanooga, had left Gen. Rousseau, with 8,000 men, in Fortress Rosecrans, at Murfreesboro': the railroad being further de

19 Nov. 30-Dec. 1.