Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-03-24
GEN. PAT. CLERURNE.
A Vivid Description of the battle
of Franklin.
NJ. E. Robert in Philadelphia Times.

Nj. E. Robert in Philadelphia Times.
1t was the Both of November,
1864. At o'clock in the afternoon
the line of battle was formed, Stew
art on the right, Cheatham on the
left, their right and left fianks, in
terlocked like Parthian fields, COM
posing the centre. Gen. Stephen
D. Lees corps was held in reserve.
Cleburne's position was in the GEN.
tre; his division formed in three
battle lines and he at its head. Thus
arranged, Hoods line was nearly
two miles long, curved like Mus
sulman's scimiter, with the blade to
the foe. But let US follow Cleburne.
Bugles were blowing, drums beat
ing, and bands playing. A courier
dashed up to Cleburne's presence,
and soon the word "AttentiOn?" was
given, then Forward, march," and
the column passed over the hill and
through the little skirt of woods.
Soon they emerged into an open
with "proper cadence" toward the
rampant of blood and death. The
Federal batteries began to open.
First came solid shot bounding over
the earth and tearing and crashing
through the ranks; then the shrek
ing shells flew through the air on
the wings of destruction. bursting
under and above and around the
men, and at every explosion un-
binding more evils than ever flew
from Pandora's box. Twilight was
coming on. "Forward, men !" was
repeated all along the line. A liv-
ing sheet of fire was poured into
their ranks. But the men pressed
forward until the terrific roar ran
from centre to flank.
Night came and the two armies
fought like two blind giants in de-
spair. Cleburne's old war cry rang
out above the din of arms "Fol-
low me, boys % Once again, and
again, seven times, Cleburne's divis-
ion, and indeed, all of Hoods army,
charged the breastWorks. And
once again, and again, and again,
seven times, were they repulsed.
Every time they formed and re-
formed under a most CALLING fire.
At one time, just after dusk, Gle
burne captured portion of the
works and turned the guns of a
Federal battery on their former
owners but it was only for few
moments-a little silver rift in the
battle clouds that envelOped him in
darkness. 1t was the hottest fire
Cleburne had ever met. 1t was but
one stream of blazing hell. Con-
federates were on one side of the
breastWorks and federals on the
other. Men fell flat on their faces
and fired from behind the bodies of
their dead comrades. Dead soldiers
filled the intrenchments. Blood
made the earth as slippery as an
ice-pond. Thus the firing was kept
up until after midnight, and gradu-
ally died out. But both armies
held their own. The confederates
passed the night where they were,
Just outside the breastworks. The
federaIs, only a few feet off, held
their cover until near daybreak,
when they quietly marched away
and retreated back to Nashville.
But when the morrow's sun be-
gan to light up the sky the surviv-
ing soldiers looked out upon sad
battlefield. The dead were piled
up one on top of the other in awful
heaps and wounded seemed thicker
than the uncounted stars. Horses,
like men, had died game upon the
defenses. Cleburne's body lay
there on top of the breastworks,
CHASTITY in the sleep of death,
and through. His mare had her
fOrefeet on top of the works, dead in
that position.
Not far from where Cleburne lay
was seen the dead body of Gen.
John Adams, of Pulaski, Tenn. His
horse had his forefeet on one side of
the works and his hindfeet on the
other, dead. The general seems to
have been caught so that he was
held to the horses back, sitting
bolt upright in the saddle, as if liV-
ing, riddled and torn with balls. |
Gen. Stahl lay by the roadside and
his horse by his side, both dead,
and all his staff. Gen. Gist, from
South Carolina, was lying with his
sword, reaching across the breast
work, still grasped in his hand. |
He, too, was dead. Gen. Granbery,
of Texas, and his horse were seen,
horse and rider, right on top of the |
dead. All dead! Four
thousand five hundred soldiers all
lying side by side in death. Thir-
teen confederate generals were
killed and wounded. Six brothers,
members of Mississippi regi-
ment, were all dead. fThis was
the bloodiest picture in the book of |
timer"
The route over which Cleburne's
had marched the day pre-
yious to the battle of Franklin lay
through some of the richest and
loveIiest country in all the south.
The roads from Mt. Pleasant to Col
umbia ran through a farming dis
trict, fertile as the famous blue
grass region of Kentucky, and in
the highest state of improvement.
Six miles from Columbia is what is
known as the ''Polk and Pillow Set
tlement," or, as it is now called,
Ashwood. Here the distinguished
and wealthy families bearing those
names lived in style of elegance
and ease but few baronial estates of
Europe could afford. Gen. Leoni-
das Polk, the Bishop, was born here;