Daily Yellowstone journal., 1883-09-15
DEATH Ar FRANKLIN.
Battle In which Thirteen Confederate
Generals Were shot.

w. r.. hoocfi, IN fnli1uelpnla Ilfncs.l
II was the 30th of November. 1864.
1t o'clock IL the afternoon the line of
patt!e was formed, Stewart on the right.
Cheatham on the left, their right and
Eft tianks. intorlocked like Parthiau
shields, composing the center Gen.
stephen ID. Lees corps was held in re-
serve. Cleburne's position was in the
center; his division formed in three
battle lines and he n. its head. Thus
arranged, Hoods line was nearly two
miles long. advancing, curved like n
Mussnlman's cinetsr with the blade TO
the foe. But let us follow Cleburne.
Bugles were blowing, drums beating
and bands PLAYING. \ courier dashed
up to C!ehurHHs presence and soon the
word Attention" was given, then
Forward, march," ard the column
nassed over hill and through the little
skirt Of woods. Soon they cmegged
into an open field and steadily they
passed on with "praper cadence" to-
ward the rampant Of blood and death.
The Federal batteries began TO open.
First came sol d shot booming over the
earth and tearing and crashing through
the ranks; then the shriekiug shells
few through the air on the wi7gs of
destruction, bursting under and above
and around the men, anil at every ex-
p!osion Unhinding mere evils than ever
flew from Pandora's bo". Twilight was
coming on. Forward. mcn." vas re-
peated all along the line A living
sheet Of fire was poured into their
ranks. But the men pres ed forward
until the terrific roar ran from center
to flank, from wing TO wing.
Night came and the two armies
fought like two blind giants Ia despair.
I Cleburne's old war-cry rang ont above
the din OF arms: Follow me, boysw
. Once again, and again, and again, seven
times, Cleburnc's division, and indeed
all of Hoods army, charged the breast
works. And once again, and again,
| and again, seven times, were they re-
/ pulsed. Every time they formed and re-
formed under most calling fire. At
one time, just after dusk, Cleburne
captured a portion Of the works and
turned the guns Of Federal battery on
their former owners; but il was only
for q few momerts-a little silver rift
in the battle clouds that enveloped him
in darkness. 1t was the hottest fire
Cleburne had ever met. II was but one
stream of blazing hell. Confslerates
were on one side Of the breastworks and
Federals on the other. Men fell fiat on
their faces and fred from behind the
bodies of their dead comrades. Dead
soldiers filed the intrenchments.
Blood made the earth as slippery as an
ice-pond. Thus the fire was kept up
until after midnight, and gradually
died ont. But both armies held their
own. The Confederates passed the
night where they were, Just outside the
breastworks. The Federals, only few
feet off, held their cover until near day.
break, when they quietly marched
away and retreated back to Nashville.
But when the morrow's sun began to
light up the sky, the surviving sol.
diers looked out upon sad battlefield.
The dead were piled 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 oa the top Of the breastworks,
ghastly la the sleep OF death, pierced
with forty-nine bullets, through 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. Adams.
His horse had his forefeet on one side
of the works and his hindfeet on the
other, dead, The General seemed to
have been caught so that he was held
TO the horses back, sitting bolt uprigh,
in his saddle, as il living, ridlled and
torn with balls Gen. Stahl lay by the
roadside and his horse by his side, both
dead, and all bis staff Gen. Gist, from
South Carolina was lying with hi,
sword, reaching ACROSS the brca-twork
still grasped in his hand. He, too, Wa
dead. Gen. CRANBERRY, of Texas, and
his horse was seen, horse aud ii,ler
right on top of the brcastworks, dead
All dead -Four thousand five hundred
soldiers all lying side by side in death
Thirteen Confederate Generals were
killed and wounded. Six brothers
members Of Mississippi regiment, wer,
oil dead "This was the bloodiest pict
ure ! the book of time!"