Submit_Battle_of

Submitted by Steven.

November 30, 1864: Battle of Franklin, Tennessee

The Battle of Franklin Often referred to as "Five Tragic Hours," the battle was fought on November 30, 1864. After his narrow escape at Spring Hill, General John M. Schofield stopped his army at Franklin, intending to stay there only long enough to get his army across the Harpeth and hurry on to Nashville. But General John B. Hood was determined to not allow his enemy to reach the safety of Nashville's fortifications, and so ordered a frontal assault, knowing the stakes were high. In terms of casualties, it was one of the bloodiest battles of the war, with the Confederates suffering 6,261 casualties, the Federals 2,326. What made it even more costly was the loss of six Confederate generals. In thirteen separate frontal assaults that lasted well into darkness, against a well entrenched foe, their deaths, and the loss of so many among the gray ranks, would forever be written in history as the death knell for the South's great army in the West. The ghastly carnage at Franklin would make even the most hardened veteran weep and for years was avoided by many of them. General Frank B. Cheatham would finally summon up the courage to return in 1880, but was unable to recount the events without turning away from the memory of it in tears. Colonel Virgil S. Murphy would write in his diary: "...an unholy ground that exemplified man's inhumanity to man." Under cover of darkness, Schofield withdrew his forces across the Harpeth, leaving his dead and wounded at the mercy of his enemy. The Confederate Army would linger long enough to bury their dead before following the enemy on to Nashville. But among the carnage and the slain at Franklin lay the broken spirit of the Army of the Tennessee...another casualty of war.

History:
The Battle of Franklin on Nov. 30, 1864 was the bloodiest six hours of combat during the Civil War, a massive frontal assault larger than Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. Six Confederate generals were killed leading their men against the Union fortifications in what many have called a suicidal mission. The self-guided battlefield driving tour covers 15 miles and 29 sites, including three house museums (The Carter House, Carnton Plantation,and the Lotz House), and takes a minimum of 30 minutes to drive (without stops). The sites also include a hillside park, Confederate cemetery, the remains of an eathern fortification, churches, the county courthouse, several private residences, and other homes and buildings used as field hospitals after the battle. Confederate casualties totaled 7,250 (1,750 killed), compared to 2,325 (189 killed) for the Federals. Generals Patrick R. Cleburne, States Rights Gist, Hiram B. Granbury, John Adams, and Otho F. Strahl were killed outright, while Gen. John C. Carter was mortally wounded. Gen. George W. Gordon was captured, and five other generals wounded. Among the casualties were 53 regimental commanders. On Nov. 29, the previous night, Union forces under Gen. John M. Schofield had escaped the Confederate trap at Spring Hill and advanced north to Franklin, where they dug in and built field fortifications perpendicular to the Columbia-Franklin Pike. The defensive works swung in an arc from one bend of the Harpeth River to the other, enclosing the Federal army and the town of Franklin. Not wishing to provoke a fight, Schofield and his army were stuck in Franklin because the bridges over the Harpeth River had been damaged and the pontoon bridge he had requested from Nashville had not arrived. Gen. John Bell Hood, incensed that the Yankees had escaped, ordered a frontal attack against the fortifications despite the protestations of his subordinates. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest urged an attack against the Federal flank. But Hood could not be dissuaded. Propped up on his crutches, the one-legged Hood scanned the Union line with field glasses and proclaimed, "We will make the fight!" The infantry corps of Gen. Benjamin F. Cheatham and Gen. Alexander P. Stewart would charge the Union line. Hood's other corps, under Gen. Stephen D. Lee, and his artillery were still to the south and unavailable. "Boys," one Confederate general told his men, "this will be short but desparate." The assault, beginning at Winstead Hill in late afternoon, was in full martial glory as 18 brigades of Southerners (18,000 men) crossed the two miles of open fields toward the Union line. The house of Fountain Branch Carter sat along the pike just behind the fortifications and served as headquarters for Gen. Jacob Cox. Gen. Schofield watched the battle from Fort Granger, where siege guns lobbed shells into the advancing Confederate infantry. Artillery on the east bank of the Harpeth River also shelled the Confederate right flank. Two brigades of Gen. George Wagner's bluecoats formed an advanced line on the pike and were swept back by the advancing Confederates. The Federals back in the main line dared not fire for risk of hitting their retreating comrades. The Rebel assault breeched the Union line at the turnpike, and soon fierce hand-to-hand fighting surrounded the Carter House, where frightened family members huddled in the basement. A reserve Union force under Col. Emerson Opdycke rushed in to close the breech. The Confederates were slowly forced back. Along the main fortifications the attackers were being mauled by relentless Federal fire. Despite the carnage, the Rebels mounted 12 attacks against the works, repulsed each time. The fighting died down about 9 o'clock that night. Confederate Capt. Tod Carter, son of Fountain Branch Carter, had been at war and away from home for two years. He had returned that day but was mortally wounded. His family found him not far from the house. They carried him back inside, where he died. On the morning of Nov. 31, the Confederates found that the Federals had left the field, retreating back to Nashville. But it was a hollow victory for the decimated Southerners. They had gained very little and at a terrible price. Two weeks later, they would be fighting again, this time at Nashville.

Excert from "The Army of Tennessee" by Stanley F. Horn

"The annals of war may long be searched for a parallel to the desperate valor of the charge of the Army of Tennessee at Franklin, a charge which has been called " The Greatest Drama in American History". Perhaps its only rivial for macabre distinction would be Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. A comparison of the two may be of interest.

Pickett's total loss at Gettysburg was 1,354 ; At Franklin, the Army of Tennessee reported over 6,000 dead and wounded.

Pickett charged after a volcanic artillery preperation of two hours had battered the defending line. Hood's army charged without any preparation.

Pickett's charge was across an open space of perhaps a mile. The advance at Franklin was for two miles, in full view of the enemy's works, and exposed to their fire.

The defenders at Gettysburg were protected by a stone wall. Schofield's men at Franklin had carefully constructed works with trenches and parapet.

Pickett's charge was totally repulsed. The charge of Brown and Cleburne's Divisions penetrated deep into the brestworks, to part of which they clung to until the enemy retired.

Pickett once repelled, retired from the field. The Army of Tennessee renewed their charge, time after time.

Pickett survived his charge unscathed. Cleburne was killed and eleven other general officers were killed, wounded or captured. Six generals were killed.

‘Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg' has become a synonym for unflinching courage in the raw. The slaughter-pen at Franklin even more deserves the gory honor"