Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-12-03
DAILY LEADER.
me Battle at franklin, Tennessee.

The shock Of arms between doOd ana
Thomas which has been looked for so long
and which was so pompousiy predicted by
Davis in his speech at Macon, has at last
taken plsce, with what results our readers
already know. Hood, after remaining
quiet for several weeks st Florence in Or
; der to re-clothe and shoe his army SO far
as was practicable, they being in very
wretched condition, moved northward to-
ward Nashville, with four corps Of infan-
try besides his cavalry under Forrest A
Nashville letter estimates his force at
$4,000 of the former and 10, 800 of the lat
ter. After the departure of Shefman from
Atlanta with the cavalry under Kilpatricl1
the rebel cavalry in Tennessee cOnsideE-
ably out numbered our own but in infantry
they we're much inferior. Hood began his ad-
vance across the Tennessee about the 22nd
of November and as he came northward,
General Thomas, IS was his original in
tention, gradually fell back skirmishing
with the enemy, forming lines of battle
and then quietly Withdrawing, taking with
him all army property and thus augment
ing bis strength. Neither Huntsville,
Pulaski, Columbis, nor Franklin were Of
any particular consequences, as it was no
longer necessary to keep up railroad COM
municstion by the way of Huntsville, with
Chattanooga, after the departure of Sher-
nan into Georgia, one line of railroad
being sufficient to supply the garrison
At Chattanooga and Bridgeport.
General Thomas therefore, wisely
fell back to ward Nashville and his rein
forcements. In addition to the troops left
him by Sherman he received 8 large num-
Der of endorsements from Missouri under
A. J. Smith, beside others from various
quarters in Kentucky and in the North,
so that Hood has formidable host to face
in whatever he may attempt todo Hoods
bsse ct Florence, on the Tennessee, is now
so far away from his present position,
about one hundred and twenty miles AT
at least, and his facilities for moving sup
plies SO inadequate, that what he does must
be done quickly. He must strike boldly, as
he hiss done, and attempt to support him
self on the surrounding country, or must
beat hssty retreat il unsuccessful, either
backward to the Tennessee, down the
Chattanooga railroad toward Chattanooga,
or attempt to force his way through East
Tennessee, effect junction with Breckin-
ridge and finally move on to Richmond in
time 70 meet Sherman, who, the rebels
think, will be transferred to Grant from
Savannah or Beaufort. If defeated st
Nashville, he can scarcely hope to re-cross
the Tennessee st Florence. That river is
now quite high and it is understood that a
feet of twenty gunboats are moving up
the river with view to the destruction of
the pontoon bridge which Hood left be-
hind him in order to save his retreat if
that became necessary It is also under
stood that we have a couple of gunboats
above the Muscle Shoals that now,
by reason of the h1gn water,
might move down the river, over
the shoals, and thus destroy the Pontoon
line of retreat. Uuder these circumstsn-
ces, it is ghlyProJa5Ls that Hood i0iu at
tempt to push his 10Gy through East Ten
nesses after failing IN his demonstration on
Nashville This possibly, be might do by
by the aid of his superior cavalry force.
On Wedneay afternoon Hood made an
assault upon our lines in the vicinity of
Franklin Tennessee, q point about fifteen
miles South OF Nashville. The enemy be-
gan his movement about two o'clock P. NJ,
when our forces gradually withdrew across
the Harpeth River, taking position behind
some rude field works constructed there.
The rebels assaulted our lines time and
again, but we're repulsed with Overwhelm-
ing slaughter. The slaughter of the enc
my and the number of prisoners taken, are
proof of what success was achieved by
our forces under Old Pap Thomas, as the
soldiers call him, always cool and uniformly
successful.
After the engagement on Wednesday
afternoon our forces Withdrew still further
toward Nashville. There can be scarcely
doubt, however, that this hairbrained
movement of Hoods must meet with even
more decided disaster than any he has yet
suffered. Many of his troops are from
Tennessee, who have only been kept from
mutiny after their defeat at Atlanta, by
the promise of again pressing the soil OF
their native State. If Hood fails in this
harzsrdous enterprise, his Tennessee
troops must be detached from him by de-
sertion and struggling. He is liable to
utter annihilstion if he does not succeed,
and therefore it is that he made such q
desperate attack on our lines st Franklin.
five are not very much mistaken, his
movement on Nashville will prove as un-
fortunate to him as was his evacuation Of
Atlanta. Full details Of the fight are
published in another column, and while
we must lament the dead of our Union
soldiers, we cannot but be thankful that
they were so few, and thst Hood has
placed himself in a position which threat
ems to be the utter destruction of the
rebel army of the Southwest.
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