The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-12-06
The Great Battle of
Franklin.
Additional Details.
Our Men Assaulted by
Superior Numbers.
Accounts Of the Cor
respondents.

telegraph 70 the LOUISVILLE JOurnal ana
the Cincinnati Gazette. Both agree ia
awarding the praise due to Col Opdyke,
Of the l25th Ohio, commanding the first
brigade, "a division of the 4th army
corps, for his distinguished services in
the battle. A gallant officer who be-
longs to the staff Of that brigade,
furnishes us with the following memo
Fanda on that point
At the outset Of the battle, the lst Brig.
I'd Division, 4th Army Corps, was in re-
serve. But on the giving way Of part Of
the 23d Corps, oPdyke's Brigade was or
dered up to I'll the vacancy. The rebs at
this time held portion Of the vacant line,
but Col. opdyke led his men in person, and
Selling q musket, he himself went in with
his men, and with dubbed gun, assisted to
expel theenemy. Not man Of the Ist
Brigade, ID Division, 4th Army Corps, gave
back. We captured in our Brigade eight
stand Of rebel colors. Gen. Thomas the
other day visited Col. Opdylse, and compH-
mented him on the splendid fighting of
his nen, and said; "Col. Opdyke, you
saved the army and saved Nashville" The
contest at the works was 50 close that bayo-
nets and clubed muskets were used by both
sides. At one time the union and rebel
troops were in the same line Of works"
The first troops TO I'll the gap, made
by the giving way Of part of our line,
was the l2Sth Ohio, Capt Bates in com
maDd, and the oath Wisconsin, Msi.
McArthurs.
The Louisville Journal dispatch says:
1propose 10 give in this the particulars
only OF the fight at Franklin. During
the march from Spring Hill to Columbia,
IN the progress Of which we passed with
in two hundred yards Of the rebel army,
We lost bat fifteen wagons. Cox's di-
vision arrived at Franklin at daylight
yesterday morning and constructed a
line Of works TO protect the crossing of
trains over Harpeth river
Woods division, in charge Of trains,
was passed safely over
Kemble's and Wagner's divisions
were about to cross, when report came
that the enemy was preparing to charge.
The troops were formed at once for
battle About half-past two o clock the
enemy, with Stewart on the left, Cheat
ham, commanding Hardees old corps,
90 the right, and Lees corps in reserve
IN the centre, charged our works. Our
line, AZ semicircle, extended from
Harpeth river on the right to Harpeth
on the left.
Kem5le's division Of the 4th corps
held the right Cox, of the 23d corps,
the centre Ruger, of the 4th, the left
and Wagner, OF the 4th, held the outer
line covering the centre. The enemy
advanced about 81 o'clock, driving our
outer line before him. Wagner retired
before asuperior force to the main line,
aud fought his division gloriously with
Ruger aud Cox.
Inns seems TO have been the first at
tack, led by Cleburn's division, Of
Cheatham's corps Following this at
tack the enemy charged forward at all
points, aud the battle ragged furiously
from the right to the left.
/ heard the commanding Generals
to-day remark that, save that at Chick
amauga, they never heard such contin-
uous firing rs they then heard. Gen
erals Schoheld and Stanley both repre-. |
sent 1t as the most terrific struggle ever
witnessed Wagner having retired to |
the main line, the enemy appeared four |
lines deep and charged lmpetuously to-
ward our centre.
Two raw regiments, the l73d and I83d |
Ohio, shrank before the shock, and the |
.araar,,u o,,.
ley at once perceived the danger, and
appealed to Col 0pdyke, whose brigade
Was composed Of veterans. Nobly his |
appeals were answered. The panic. |
stricken troops were reformed, and the |
veterans pushed forward. Gen. Stanley
led the charge. The line was regained,
and in fact the day was won.
Too much praise cannot be rewarded /
Colonel 0pdyke. General Stanieys |
horse was killed in the charge. and he |
himself painfully wounded. Reiley's
brigade Of Cox's division captured eigh- |
teen battle-hags. The 4th corps took |
in all over thirty flags
The battle proper lasted two and a |
half hours. After dark the enemy /
charged repeatedly, but was as often |
beaten back with terrible loss. Prison |
ers say Hood assured his army that if |
the Yankee line were broken our army |
would be lost, and if lost the war was |
over.
They fought so desperately that the |
rebel muskets were often thrust be- |
tween the parapet and the head-log. |
Swaths of dead lay all along our line.
In front Of Reileys works lay the dead
body Of the rebel Brigadier-General /
Adams His horses fore feet were on
our parspet, when volley killed both, |
and swept into eternity the line he led. /
The enemy continued to charge our
works until nine o'clock at night Our
loss in killed and wounded cannot /
exceed fifteen hundred. The enemy's /
will exceed I've thousand
The original plan was TO retire the /
main army 10 the defenees. of Nash
vile, and, in accordance Herewith, our
forces retired during the night in the /
direction Of Nashville.
Military men all unite in the opinion
that Generals Stanley and Schofield
conducted the retirement from Pulaski
IN the face OF the enemy with admira-
bic skill, GROWING all with a magnii
SCAN - AASA fiSNNi az EAnhllns
Gen. Wood succeeds Gen Stanley in
command Of the 4th corps, Gen Stan
ley being unable TO take the field. His
desperate bravery 81 the Franklin fight
manly contributed to turn what threa-
tened 10 be q disastrous repalse into q
glorious victory. When a part of his
command had given way before the
enemy be rushed 10 the front, and hay
ing his horse shot under him and him
self wounded, ne still led on the charge,
waving his hat, and calling on his men
TO follow. de rallied his faltering +
troops, and repealed seven successive
charged Col opdyke, Of the l25th
ONO, commanding a brigade, especially
distinguished himself during the en-.
gagement Col Schoheld, brother 70
Gen. Sehofeld, chief Of artillery, also
distinguished himself by the admirable
positions IN which he placed the artil-
lery and the manner IN which he fought
them.
The great importance of the victory
at Franklin cannot be overestimated
ss 1t checked Hoods onward course
and gave the Federals time TO make
due preparations 70 meet him.