The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-11-11

Shoulder to shoulder down behind thei
breastworks, they poured In such, tel
rife and well-sustained fire that Hood feare
they had been largely reinforced
Globurne swept down upon tho center undo
tho hottest fire he had ever met and withon
pausing to fire shot no dashed at the work
and carried them with yell. II was singula
that ho lived to reach them, on horseback as n
was and special target for hundred mnskets
and his horse was at the brcastworl
lust opposite Carriers farmhouse whei
the bravo man reached his death. M
whore on tho center is there any relic q
the works sheltering tho Foderals that day, tho
farmers having plowed them down. The spo
pointed out to strangers ia one between the
highway fence and Clubhouse built since the
war, and Che field was covered with potatoes
last spring. There are men in and about
| Franklin who served under Cleburne, and il
would DO doing little enough for his memory
for thom to erect post and board on the spot.
Within ten minutes OF Cleburnes death, Brig.
Gems Strahl and CHS. were shot down as they
advanced at the head of their troops.
| For quarter of u mile more along the right
! Of the pike il an Usage orange hedge, the
bushes standing six feet high. There il hardly
! al opening where dog could crawl through,
but Il seems singular that such thing az u
! hedge should have played an important thinB
/ in that ight Advancing diagonally across inc
meadows at the Federal center, this hedge sud
! denly checked Confederate brigade, \
: score of pioneers with their axes would have
cleared the way in five minutes, but thcro
were no pioneers there. The hedge was an
/ abbatis never encountered III battle before
] The lines surged against it, but only 10 recoH,
the FpIerals from the other side maintained
such fire that the brigade was driven back
with loaded guns in Their hand.
The Confederate troops on the Hanks had
moro or less protection, and therefore adj
vanced with less desperation. While they
| fought well they did not fight like the men
in tine centre, who had to capture the Federal
position to stop tho murdcr0U5 fire which was
piiing the guound with their dead ard wound
cd The fight on the TANKS for two long hours
had all the ferocity of Port Republic or SpOtt
sylyauia. Parts of the Federal line were cap
turod by sudden dashes, held for ten minutes,
/ and then a rally would drive the ConiedorateS
ont Hood had at least 800 men killed inside
the Federal lines, and thousand more within
thirty feet of the brcastworks. On what other
field has the historian recorded such deter
mined resolution to secure victory!
But it was in the center that all the furies of
men crazed by noise Of battle and sight or
blood ragged hottest Beaten back from his
first rush, Cleburue formed his men WITHIN
pis,o!-shot of the Federal center and adj
vanccd again. The lines had to pass over 800
dead and wounded, but they reached the breast
works, rushed up their sides and for ten min
utes Federal and Confederate fought over the
same defense. 1t has been recorded by Con
federates that every Federal held his
post with such yalor az made each one hero
All along the center the bayonet was freely
used to repulso the assault but at the end of
ten minutes the Confedcrates secured POSSES
sion, capturing several pieces of artillery,
which were at once turned on the Federal
lines One who helped bury the dead told mo
that in and about the Entertainments scarcely
hal NOT hoo tNvinn
and most of them were burned by the pow
der which sent the fatal bullet. On line not
over eighty rode long l2S Confedcrates were
killed with the bayonet alone
After the Federal confer had been forced
back Federal brigade suddenly charged
through the smoke - regain what had been
lost. aud right calamity it performed tho
work capturing nearly 800 prisoners, several
stands OF cOior+, and clearing the line of Con-
federatcs Then followed such struggle as
warriors never see but once. To retreat was to
be exposed 10 a murdcrous fire of artillery
and muskehy, which would leave none alive
1t could be no worse to remain and fight for
possession of the ridges of earth already slip
perry with blood. Two bodies of men, each
bent ON destroying the other, fired into each
others faces iabbed each other with the bay
onet-used the same ridge OF earth for shelter,
and the defense was taken and retaken again
and again.
NlbnI came uOWH, anu tiltH tNciS ydiu VI
that long limo witnessed a hand to hand con-
dict unequaled i'll ferocitY. The coming of
night was a surprise to thousands They had
fought hour after hour without Thought or
the time Schoteld could not be driven, and
Hood would not sound the retreat and so the
darkness of winters night only mtenslhed
the conflict Cheutham captured portions of
the Federal line three times, but WIS AZ often
driven out Lee sent him division from the
reserve, but each desperate effort was met by
one as desperate So continuous was that
sheet of flame along the semi circle that dark
ness was turned into MONDAY for mile
around SO vigorously was the Federal artll-
lery worked that the earth kept a continuous
trembling for five miles around FRANKLIN.
Chimneys on frame houses four miles away
were toppled down, and wagons were moved
along by the conclusions
After o'clock the battle lost much of it's
tiercenoss, but it was after midnight before
the Confederate lines retired out OF musket
range Even then the work of death didn't
cease Pickets and skrmishers crept over tho
dead to add to their number, and here and
there cannon beloved out Its notes OF de1l-
ance and sent shell whistling into the dark
ness Three hours before daylight Schofield
began his retreat, and at daybreak the
Federal position was deserted He had turned
at bay and secured his revenge. While no
had surrendered the field, it had cost Hood
such a sacrifice as had appalled, the living.
All along the lines the dead were thicker than
before the stone wall at the base of Marye's
Hill. Cleburne, Ghist, Adams, Cranberry and
Strahl were lying dead half dozen other
brigadicrs wounded, and colonels, captains
and leutenants were dead by the score
Valor had been met by equal valor. Despera-
ton had met its match. Not one other battle
of the war furnished such examples of hero
ism in assault-not ono other furnished such
examples of herosm in defense. Hoods loss
was fully 6,000 and he had only one wounded
to four killed. Schoted did not lose over
2. 800, and he had six wounded to one killed.
Hood claimed that if Lees corps could have
been used he would have won II victory, but
the assertion may be doubted. He could only
have increased the number of his battle lines
on the same front, and this would simply
have increased his loss Every battle-haS
captured in that fight was captured inside the
Federal line. and each side took about dozen.
Hood deserves credit for his pluck With
the field covered with his dead and wounded
with twelve generals dead or disabled-with
n hundred of the best line officers IN ms army
gone foreyer-with captains commanding
regiments and sergcants commanding COM
panies, he issued orders 10 march ON after
SchoACd: with less than $4,000 men he was
to meet both SchOfod and Thomas IN front Of
Nashville