The Battle of Franklin
A historical preservation movement is underway
in Middle Tennessee to preserve a battlefield in Franklin that
has drawn the attention of national celebrities to the cause
of saving a the land where so many fought and died. It was a
n engagement that earned a reputation in the annals of world
military history as one of the most traumatic battles ever fought
– one that would leave the Army of Tennessee in shambles
and shake Confederate command to it’s core.
It would, however, become a legend among those who study battlefield
tactics and the story would be among one of the first Hollywood
films ever made on the War Between the States in Tennessee.
With Atlanta secured by Union forces in November 1864, Gen.
William T. Sherman began his infamous "march to the sea"
burning towns and laying waste to farmlands. His "scorched-earth"
invasion left thousands of southern civilians dead and motivated
the Confederacy’s western command to find a way to divert
Sherman’s forces into a defensive march back towards Union
strongholds in Tennessee.
Sherman, who had only recently been in pursuit of the Army of
Tennessee, decided to place Gen. George Thomas in charge of
the state’s Union forces for either a defensive stand at
Nashville or an offensive march on Alabama.
Union forces were spread from Chattanooga to Nashville, however,
and Confederate Intelligence saw the widely spread forces as
an opportunity to retake the city. The closest Union relief
was in Pulaski, 80 miles south of Nashville. With close to 40,000
Confederate regulars mustering outside of the city, Gen. George
Thomas had no option, but to order Major Gen. John Schofield
into a forced march from Pulaski to Nashville. His assignment
was to engage and delay the Confederates until reinforcements
could reach the city.
The Confederate Army of Tennessee was under the command of Texas
Gen. John Bell Hood. Although regarded as one of the South’s
best commanding generals, Hood was still nursing wounds from
previous battles. He had no use of one leg and one arm and had
to be strapped onto his horse daily. Under his command, however,
were some of the best officers and battle-hardened soldiers
the South had to offer. Hood knew of Schofield’s position
and dispatched forces to prevent him from reaching Nashville.
On Nov. 21, Tennessee forces moved on Schofield’s right
position. The Union General quickly withdrew from Pulaski and
reached Columbia on the 24th where he remained for four days.
On the 28th, Gen. Schofield learned that Gen. N.B. Forrest was
taking position 11 miles away in Spring Hill, Tenn. threatening
Schofield’s march to the city. To prevent giving Forrest
a chance to dig in, Schofield put in motion all of his trains
and three divisions of infantry towards Spring Hill. Under the
command of General Stanley, the Union forces reached Spring
Hill at the same time the Confederates did. The brief battle
allowed Gen. Stanley to stop Forrest’s advancing troops
and take up defensive positions.
Confederate forces fell back from the position and posted pickets
on the line while they regrouped and continued to muster troops.
During the night, however, Schofield continued to march his
troops towards Nashville. His entire army managed to pass through
the Confederate lines without harassment and within 200 yards
of the southern camps. By morning, Union forces arrived in Franklin
12 miles away.
Schofield, who was being pursued by Forrest, found himself with
the Harpeth River at his back and unable to cross the north
bank until his trains arrived in Franklin. Schofield had to
take up position and dispatch his troops to defend it. The trains
arrived around noon and Schofield issued the order to begin
withdrawing Union forces at sunset. The Union general, however,
had underestimated Hood’s determination.
When word of the Union’s overnight advance reached Gen.
Hood, he exploded into a rage. Hood was not thinking clearly.
Because of the lingering wounds, Hood had been drinking a steady
supply of Laudanum, an old-fashioned painkilling mix of opium
and alcohol. The mix affected Hood’s judgment and his personality.
He called all of his generals together for a meeting in the
Rippavilla plantation and proposed a plan that was cause for
fear in the most hardened campaigner.
Hood was not inclined toward strategy and executed movements
on enemy lines. He wanted the Army of Tennessee to make a full
frontal charge against the barricaded Union positions in Franklin.
Gen. Forrest and others pleaded with Hood to reconsider. The
strengthened barricades gave the Union forces a superior battlefield
position and the generals argued a high casualty rate was to
be expected if the orders were carried out. The drunken rage
of the Texas general would not hear of any other plan, however,
and the order was given to push the Union forces into the Harpeth
River.
At 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 30, 1864, the Army of Tennessee began the
tremendous charge on Franklin. Confederate generals took up
lead positions with their troops, unsheathed their swords, and
gave the order to charge. The men marched headlong into a hellish
steel curtain of rifle and artillery fire. Union General Wagner
had formed lines on the Columbia pike. The Confederates pushed
over his barricades, enveloped both of Wagner’s flanks
and fiercely attacked his frontal position. The Confederate
wave tore into the Union forces prompting General Wagner’s
men to collapse from the line and begin a disorderly retreat.
The Confederates pursued capturing two batteries and numerous
prisoners.
Union Colonel Opdycke was guarding Wagner’s rear position
when he saw the barricades being overrun and Wagner’s men
retreating. He immediately ordered his men forward into the
Confederate lines. Deploying as they marched forward, Opdycke’s
men engaged in a brutal hand-to-hand encounter that pushed the
Confederate soldiers back to the outer lines of the barricades.
According to General George Thomas, it was the single decision
that saved the Northern forces from disaster at Franklin. During
that one push by Colonel Opdycke, Union forces captured 400
prisoners, nine battle flags, and retook the captured batteries.
With the battlefield line drawn at the earthworks, the Army
of Tennessee and the Union forces stayed in a virtual slugfest
as wave after wave of Confederates tried to break the Union
position. Only a last minute action by General Nathan B. Forrest
saved the entire Confederate force from being destroyed.
By sunset, the battle had virtually ended. The Union broke off
and crossed over the Harpeth River around midnight and fell
back towards Nashville. What was left of the Army of Tennessee
pursued and entrenched themselves outside the city limits.
Southern leaders were in shock over Hood’s assault on Franklin.
With one order, the Confederate general had virtually destroyed
the Army of Tennessee. The battlefield was littered with the
bodies of the dead and dying soldiers. While Confederate command
assessed the battle’s casualties, residents of Franklin
immediately began working to help the injured. The Carnton Plantation’s
fields had seen some of the heaviest fighting. By the day’s
end, close to 200 wounded men lay under the barren trees south
of the house.
With the battle over, Mr. John McGavock and his wife called
in their servants to help push the furniture against the wall
and roll up the home’s carpets. They began to bring the
wounded soldiers into their home where they rendered medical
attention to them. The back parlor and the upstairs nursery
were turned into operating rooms, where the more seriously injured
could be treated. The makeshift hospital had no bandages so
Mrs. McGavock had to tear curtains, linens, and every other
available piece of cloth in the house to cover the wounds.
The Carter House in Franklin had been at the heart of the battle
and was riddled with cannon fire and bullets from the opposing
forces. The family hid in the basement of the house while the
battle raged above them. Capt. Tod Carter, a 21-year-old officer
in the Army of Tennessee, who was one of three sons of Fountain
and Mary Carter serving in the Confederate Army, was carried
back to his home after the battle where he later died of his
wounds in his own bed.
By morning, the Battle of Franklin entered the annals of military
history when the bodies of Confederate Generals Adams, Cleburne,
Granbury, and Strahl were laid out on the back veranda of the
Carnton home. Generals S.R. Gist and John C. Carter died later
of wounds received in the battle and nine more were taken out
of commission due to injuries or capture, bringing the total
number of general officers lost to 15. In fact, it is noted
that more generals were killed at the Battle of Franklin than
in any other battle in history. With over 6,000 Confederate
casualties, including 54 Regimental commanders, General Hood’s
charge made Pickett’s charge at Gettysburg pale in comparison.
Union reports showed just over 2,300 casualties with the biggest
losses in Wagner’s division. The Union Army successfully
fell back to Nashville and defended the city, while Sherman
continued his rampage through the South.
The heavy losses on both sides prompted investigations into
the battle. Union command decided to censure the actions of
General Wagner and he was relieved of command at his own request.
Confederate General John Hood was also blamed for the heavy
casualty rate and also requested to be relieved of his command.
The Confederate charge at Franklin went into the record books
as one of the greatest mistakes in military history. It still
remains one of the most studied battles in history and regarded
as the most courageous assault ever attempted.
There are numerous books available on the Battle of Franklin
and how it impacted military strategy around the world.
A special thanks for this story has to go to Thomas Cartwright
at The Tod Carter House. The home is registered as a National
Historic Landmark and is regarded as the principal memorial
of the Battle of Franklin. The Carter farm office, which sits
on the battlefield proper, is listed as the War Between the
State’s most battle-scarred building still standing in
America. The building was used by both Confederate and Union
soldiers escaping the gunfire of the battlefield. Over 2,000
holes are still visible in the structure and experts have marveled
at how the building has stood through the years. The Tod Carter
House is open daily and guided tours are available. There is
a nominal admission fee to the facility. The home and grounds
are Williamson County’s most visited historical attraction.
Following the Battle of Franklin, the McGavoks donated two acres
adjoining the family graveyard of the Carnton Plantation to
serve as a cemetery for the nearly 1,500 Confederate soldiers
killed in the battle. It is one of only a handful of cemeteries
exclusively dedicated to the Confederate Tennesseans who perished
in battle. Succeeding owners of the Carnton home could never
get the blood stains removed from its floors where the wounded
were laid after the battle. In fact, some stains are still visible
today. The home is being restored to its original condition.
The Cemetery and the Plantation home is located one mile south
of Franklin. It is a registered historical site and open to
the public.
The City of Franklin has earned a reputation as one of America’s
best places to buy antiques. Numerous shops and stores line
the downtown business sector. Franklin’s colorful historic
district is considered one of the better-preserved municipalities
in the South. Guided tours are available through many of the
City’s antebellum homes and buildings.
American historians have through the years completely overlooked
the battles fought in the western theater of the War Between
the States. Their focus on the Virginia campaigns has left major
engagements like the Battle of Franklin completely out of historical
textbooks.
In 1995, a mega-reenactment of the Battle of Franklin was held
in Spring Hill, Tenn. Over 100,000 people were in attendance
at the event. Along with American scholars, military observers
from around the world descended on the city to witness the reenactment
and study the battle.
A little known fact is that Tennessee was home to 1,500 battles
in the War Between the States and 51 Tennessee residents would
rise to the rank of General in the Confederate Army.
With heritage tourism becoming a large part of Tennessee’s
tourist economy, a new focus is now being placed on the western
theater and the vital role it played in the war. The renewed
interest is due in a large part to heritage organizations like
the Sons of Confederate Veterans and other reenactment groups.
Managers at Tennessee’s National Military Parks say the
renewed interest is welcome as they are often still overlooked
by historians and tourists wanting to know more about the War
Between the States.
