The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-12-06

and Kimbalrs and Wagner's of the
fourth corps. Kimball was on the right
of the line, Cox in the center and Ru.
ger on the left, Wagner occupied the
position Immediately in front of and
some hundred yards from the main line
Wegner's had nothing of any conse.
quence to protect them, but the other
three divisions had tolerably good
line Of earthworks behind which to
fight The rebels begun pressing US as
early as two o'clock
By three we were in position behind
our works, and at half past three the
assault commenced. When the enemy
first advanced to attack, he had Cheat.
hams corps on the right and Stewards
on the left S. D. lees corps was held
as q reserve on the center, ready to
assist Cheatham or Stewart, as occasion
might require. 1t was half past three,
as have said, when Cheatham threw
bis corps upon Wagner with great i'm
petuosity. Wagner's men fought des~
pc asely for half an hour, until the su-
perior numbers of the enemy compelled
them to fall back in some haste to E
second line Hating behind this line,
they became TO some extent mingled
with Cox's and Ruger's men on our left
and center; bat this did not prevent
them from fighting with obstinate
and distinguished bravery until the
end Of the battle The rebels, encour-
aged by seeming success in driving
Wagner back, advanced with ardor and
loud cheers to the assault on the second
line
The order in which they advanced to
the assault was very peculiar. A semi
circle, two regiments in depth, ex-
tended all round our line, and behind
each alternate regiment were placed
four others, so that the assaultiDg
columns were really six regiments deep,
Hood himself appeared, about 4 P. r.,
at the heads of his columns. Pointing
toward our lines, he said, " Break those
lines, boys, and you have finished. the
war in Tennessee-break them, and
there is nothing to oppose your march
from Nashville to the Ohio river"
Loud cheers answered the rebel leader,
and Immediately the whole space in
front of our lines was cEammed with
the advancing multitudes. Captain
Lyman, commanding the artillery
brigade of the Fourth Corps, had placed
bis eighth battery in the most favorable
positions around our lines, and from
these, storms Of shot and shell were
hurled into the charging ranks. With
most reckless bravery the rebels rushed
on, and when they wefs within 8 few
hundred yards Of our works our boys
opened upon them with 80 terrible
fire Of. musketry that it seemed az if
nothing could live before it; but no
wayering was perceived in these ad
vancing lines. On they came. They
rushed up to the very parapet of our
works, and stuck theii muskets under
the heads of the logs on our battle>
ments
On the Columbia pike the pressure
was so great that some of Cox's and
Wagner's men temporarily gave way
Up to this time the brigade commands
ed by the gallant Col Opdyke, of the
l25th Ohio, had been held in a manner
in reserve. When our lines gave way
along the Columbia pike, it remained
in reserve not long. Sol Opdyke, said
Gen. D. S. Stanley, "our line is broken
yonder; it must be restored" at shall
be restored" replied Opdyke, and his
brigade rushed boldly into the opening.
The rebels, who had crowded over our
works, had not time to retire, and Coxs
and Wagner's men, broken but min
ute before, rallied and attacked the en-
envy on the flank, while Opdyke charged
them in front. A close hand to hand
fight ensued, with bayonets and butt
ends of muskets.
Hundreds of rebels were captured
here. The men of the Fourth and
Twenty-third corps wed with each 9th
er in bravery. Reilys' brigade of the
latter, fairly covered the ground in
front of it with the rebel dead
The rebel Gen. Adams was killed,
and he and his horse fell into the ditch
together in front of the l04th Ohio
Seventeen distinct attacks of the enc
my, some of them real, some feints,
we're repealed.
On Kimbalrs front the fighting was
not so severe, the rebels charging but
twice By dusk they were repulsed,
bet the firing did not cease till nearly
nine.
At least FIVE thousand rebels were
killed, wounded and captured, while
our own loss, which is greater than at
first reported, will probably reach fif-
teen hundred. Some calculations place
the rebel loss at seven thousand.
We have taken from the enemy more
than thirty flags. Some regiments
among which was the 10th Ohio
taking half a dozen apiece. Gen D. S.
Stanley was slightly wounded in the
back of the neck. Gen. Schofeld |
the fight from the fort on the |
north bank Of the stream where some |
heavy guns and batteries Of the 23d |
Corps were placed, and which did great |
in damaging the enemy's right |
wing
Soon after the firing ceased our forces |
TO withdraw. Some little |
skirmishing took place in the neigh
borhood Of Brentwood, but in accord |
ance with our original plan, TO fight |
The battle near the city, we continued |
10 withdraw until at shutdown this |
evening our troops were all in position |
around the Capital of Tennessee
So ended the battle of Franklin, one |
Of the most desperate conflicts OF the |
entire war. The enemy is reported to |
be moving around the left flank, as if |
10 attack Murfrsesboro.