National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-03-05


you'd have been useless to the confederate au-
4orities, when he was released Shortly after, on
fhe 10Th day Of June, he resigned his commission
In the United States army,
AND, ABANDONING BROTHER,
Major Lawrence 4. Williams, and numerous rela-
tiyes and friends in the loyal States as well as his
country and Government, he followed the perni-
cioas example ofColorel Lee, and went South to
support the fatal cause of slavery, State sover-
eighty and secession. How much his conduct
was Influenced by devotion 80 these destructive
ideas. or by his attachment to Colonel Lees daUgh
tor, it is ofeourse difficult to determine. Taking
with him letters from many distinguished persons
whose sylnpathieS were with relatives and friends
in the Southern arIny he was gladly received by
the confedeTates, who were charmed with his
handsome appearance his military bearing, his
varied accomplishments, and the enthusiasm with
which he enlisted in their cause. he was imme-
diately commissioned as q colonel of artillery
and assigned 10 duty with Bishop General Polk,
then commanding in Western Kentucky, with
headquarters at Columbus. Here the ardent and
impdlSiye temperament of Colonel Williams, com
Lined
WITH a NAUGHTY AND ovERBEARING MANNER,
which was intensified by the strcteSt ideas Of dis
cipline, new and distasteful TO the volunteer sol
diery of the West, involved him in q difficulty
with private, which resulted in the death of the
soldier This affair made Colonel Williams un-
popular in General Pnlk's command, and, although
he behaved with great courage and gallantry at
the battle OF shiloh some months afteryard, he
was astransfeTTed 10 the stafof General Bragg, then
in command Of the confederate forces in Tennes-
see, where he remained until the 1st day of June
1868. As in the darkest hour of the Revolution
treason was invoked 10 bring about results which
could not be secured by open and honorable war
fare during the rebellion when the cause Of the
National Government was passing through It's
period Of deepest gloom, the same coWardly ageI-
ces were called into existence by the confederates
TO accomplish their destructive purposes Had the
dark and EeacheroJIs designs OF Benedict Arnold
been successful the result must have bee,.,- lie
separation of the Northern tfp9eSsin the Southern
colonies, and the final conquest ofau by the Brit
ish crown. HadI HadIs 1liams and Peter succeeded in
their atte2a. . in all probability the army of Gen
-srai RosecranS would have been destroyed, the
East might have been separated from the West,
and secession made an accomplished fact But
fate determined otherwise, and Andre perizhed at
that critical period OF the Revolution Williams
and Peter did at corresponding period Of the re-
belhoH.
THE CAMPAIGN DURING WHICH
were fought the battles of Fort Donelson Shiloh
and Corirtli with many minor engagements, had
ended in the summer of 1862, by the retreat of
the States of Tennessee and Kentucky 10 the Ohio
River The friends of the Southern confederacy
were greatly clatcd and those of the Union were
equally depressed. General RosecEans assumed /
command Of the Army of the Cumberland, re-
rruited its depleted ranks. and marched south TO
Nashville, Tenn, in the latter part of the same
year The flower of the Southern army, under |
General Bragg. was assembled at NrrfreesboTo /
about thirty miles southeast of Nashville Both J
A. / i
which was expected 20 bedeeisive in its chagac- |
ter. General RosecFans advanced and de- |
hvered battle on the last day of December, !
1862 At the close of that day the adva ntages were
most decidedly with the confederate troops. Mass
ing his forces upon the right wing of the Union |
army, which was at the time weakened by too |
great an extension, General Bragg fell upon il,
Crushing il completely and driving it back with
terrible loss upon the rear of the centre and left
General RoseegaEs nevertheless held mis- ground,
although almost entirely surrounded by the enemy
who was then greatly superior in the number and
efficiency Of his cavalry Onthe I'd day of January,
1868, when the conflict was renewed, General Bragg
was driven back with great slaughter, and at the
close Of the engagement retired in a southerly di-
rection to repair his losses and recruit his shat
tered command. Notwithstanding the immense
efforts
PIT FORTH BY BOTH PARTIES,
.he battle of Murfreesboro Or Stone River as it IS
sometimes called. was indecisfve The National
:rOops retained possession of the field, but it was
By prccarious tenure. Their line of fcornnunica-
lion with the rear, every mile OF which required
protection, was more than two hundred miles in
length. About ten thousand men on each side
were killed, wounded. captured, or otherwise
placed kors de combat The confederate army had
ullenly retired scne thirty miles south, and the
whole of the surrounding country was veNed with
Ele incuTsiens of his cavalry General Rosecrans
Hxed his headquarters at MurfreesboFo, and began
for q farther advance upon his oppo-
nent Directly south Of Nashville twenty miles dis
tant on the line Of the Nashville and Decatur Rail-
road, and on the turnpike also leading south from
the former city lay the town of Franklin. At this
point rested the right wing Of the Union army.
About twelve miles east was the village of Triune,
something less than half of the distance to Muir
which is also directly east of Franklin
A division Of the Union army, under the COM
mand of General Gordon Granger was stationed
at friune. It will thus be seen that the forces
under the direction of General Rosecrans were
disposed in the form of triangle, of which Nash
vile WAS the apex, while Franklin and Murfrees-
Bore' occupied the other angles
FRANKLIN Is A Dull AND SLEEPY,
but pleasant town of about 1900 inhsbit-
ants, surrounded by rich and fertile country, and
a number Of wealthy families nearly
al Of whom were the friends and advocates Of
secession. 1t is located on the left bank OF the
Harpeth River, stream flowing in northwesterly
direction and iischarging its waters into the Cum
barland. On the right bank, opposite the town,
and a rocky bluff which rises TO the height of
one hundred and seventy five or two hundred feet
from the bed Of the river was fertilization of con-
siderable strength, incloSing some three or four
acres of ground and commanding not only the
own Of franklin, but the railroad and turn
pike bridges and the surrounding country in
every direction. This post was called Fort |
Stranger, and at the time the occur {
renee took place about to be detailed {
was in charge of Colonel John P Baird, of
he Eighty fifth Indiana Volunteers, with portions
of other regiments including also a force of cav
airy and artillery. The Sixth Kentucky Cavalry {
was encamped i'll grove near the turnpike, some {
ouf hundred yards from the fort. This regiment ,
vas commanded by Colonel Louis D. Watkins, who q
lad been, before the breaking ont OF the rebellion
lieutenant IN the Fifth United States Cavalry of
he regular army. From what has been already {
aid, the Importance of this place can be readily
If it could be captured and large 7
ebel force interposed between Nashville and Muir
reesboro', $
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ARMY S
lnder the command of General RosecranS was in {
,Yitable. On the road leading south from Frank
in, directly in front of Fort Granger at the towns
If Spring Hill and Columbia, from ten to twenty /
niles distant was stationed large force of cav
dry and artillery commanded by General Van {
Dorm an old army officer and one of the most bril-
liant Of the confederate leaders. This force in t
inded the commands Of Generals Forrest, Wheeler q
md other noted officers. In northeasterly direc-
ion General John Morgan was collecting a large
orce in the vicinity OF Lebanon, and the evident
Intention Of the confedeTates was to tal upon the
ear of General Rosecrans' force at Murfreesboro'
.ut OF his communications with Nashville. and :
nus capture or destroy in detail the whole Union
rmy. The first and most important step in this '
was the capture of Fort Granger. Such
ras the situation, in military point of view,