East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1864-12-14
Army Correspondence

ticulars OF our late retreat and battle
at Franklin which ore of considerable
interest. Near Spring Hill, where
we first discovered the enemy as We
came from Columbia, division Of
the 4th corps in advance OF us met
him, and but for having many pieces
of artillery early in place, must have
been severely handled, for until the
artillery opened upon them they were
driving our forces to the wall. After
dark our division reached the same
place, where now buildings were
burning. We approached in line of
battle, but to avoid exposing our
whole line to tho onomy in this light,
our line obliqued to the left and pass
ing through swamp became badly
broken up. For an hour ihore was
much confusion in our ranks. AS
Col. Strickland was forming his brig
ade he was halted and challenged
with "Who goes thar" The thar was
a flea in his car, but he responded
and a volley was fred upon him, for
tunately not taking effect. 1t was
about this time that the 4th corps
pickets fred upon us, and the 1S3d
Ohio, green regiment, returned the
fire.
A whole division Of the 18th corps
that night in the darkness marched
the whole length of rebel lines, be-
tween their skirmishers and main
force. Two regiments Of our division,
cut off by the enemy near the river,
under cover Of the darkness slipped
around between their forces and
joined us next morning. Prisoners
have since told us that our men and
theirs took rails from the same fencc
with which to build temporary works.
With all it was surely night of
"hair-breadth 'scapes." We had been
too slow in our movements about Co
lumbia, the enemy in force had
passed around and between us and
Franklin. Their prisoners say that
had it not been for a cowardly hest
tation on the part Of some of their Of
ficers our army would have been an
nihilatod. We were certainly in a
bad condition to fight formidable
foe, for scattered along the road for
miles with our trains TO protect, and
the darkness imponetrable, we were
! at the mercy Of tho onomy, Lat Cas-
tune favored us and they became our
prey when finally bold council gov
erned their movements. By our
tramp through this great danger,
and greater fatigue we reached
Franklin in time to construct Good
works, which at 4 i, NJ, November
80 were barely done when line after
line came down on us, meeting as
they came in eleven successive charges
the fate as traitors they deserved.
Atthe first charge upon the key of our
position, occupied by division Of the
4th corps, and ono brigade of the 23d
corps, regiment Of tho 18th turned
and ran from the first line. We saw
them and tremblcd. They rallied,
turned again and retook their works,
and many prisoners. The IlIth
Ohio, and tho 10th Illinois and the
left wing of the 23d Michigan fought
desperate hand to hand conflict with
the desparadoes as they came on
through our CALLING fire and mounted
the works. From the top of the
work where four rebels had climbed
one of them took deliberate aim and
shot Col. Loury Of tho 10th Illinois
in the head.
Two companies of the lS3d Ohio,
indiscreetly put upon our first line Of
an important point, ran and left the
works to the enemy who occupied
them and did fearful execution by en-
filading us, until two companies Of the
SOth Ind. retook them. BY this bad
disposition Of new troops our regi-
ment lost Lieut.. Averill and Co. b.
its best man. Had it not been for q
substantial traverse built on the flank
of each company the loss would have
been much greater. The Artillery
acted but minor part in this. Ours
soon silencing tho enemies and dark
ness coming on too early in the fight
for the execution which it might have
done by day light.
Writers for papers in this vicinity
speak of the free use of grapo and
canister. We were not aware Of the
fact and are confident that not O
charge was fred.
This was decidedly an infantry fight
in which our artillery put in its cheer
ing bass notes at intervals during the