Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-10-09
FEARFUL FRANKLIN.
Some "Reminiscences ofthe BIoodiest
Battle ia History.
c. E. Merrill in the Nashville World.

enjoy the distinction eff having fur
nished the locality of the bloodiest
battle IN history, ancient or modern.
It is recorded that Grant in one hour
| lost 10000 killed and wounded at
| Cold HarbOr, but he had 100, 900 men
! to lose that number from-1O per cent.
in sixty minutes. Gen. Hood, lust
before sunset, Nov. 80, 1864, moved
| about il, 600 or 10, 900 confederates, all
told, against the strong breast works
at Franklin, where his casualties were
were reported 6,S00-or about 80 per
cent. IN twenty-five minutes. / have
not read Gen. Hoods history of has
campaigns, but the above is the esti-
mate as given by participants on
either side.
The soldiers under Gen. Schofeld
were entrenched TO the chin. A half
dozen forts belched their thunder
from as many hill tops-long lines of
abattls aud cheveauX ,.e frise impeded
every assault-alI round the works
shrapnel and grape swept down our
ranks from fiery embrasures.
The casualiesin this handful Of men
may be estimated when it is stated
that we lost thirteen generals killed.
wounded and missing. Down this red
valley of death rode no drawer soldier
than Gen. George w. Gordon, the
youngest brigadier III our western
army. [ can see him in fancy now.
as l saw him then for the first time,
mounted on fiery steed, his long hair
swept backward by the breath of bat
Ia hn Iv,4A 1n4
iron hail. [ believe he went over the
works and was captured. There fell,
his noble breast pierced through, the
invincible Pat Cleburne. the idol of
his division as of his state. Gen. John
Adams and his little boy both fell
dead together across the enemy s
breast works. Gen. Thos. III. Scott
was unhoresd by the explosion of a
shell.
On the right of the McGavock pick
stands the old gin where gathered the
central whirlwind of the storm.
Across the broad, open fields leading
from the McGavock residence our
doomed battalione marched Along
that line Of fence beyond his house
the brave ranks were formed. I look
back across the tide OF twenty Hateful
years, recalling the then light heart
and thoughtless words of youthful
ardUr as we moved into the fight. /
see now through a mist of unbidden
tears the unreturning brave, who, in
the face of the leaden doom, with
dauntless tread passed lover the
perilovs edge of battle to the harvest
home Of death, " swept in the twin K
ling Of an eye from our sight forever
into the sboreless gulf. I wonder
now, as I sit here and recall that ter
rible day, how we could have been so
thoughtless and unconcerned. AS
we formed in line and moved upon
the foe, youthful eyes flashed fire
downy cheeks glowed with the rap
ture Of the coming fight. All, as we
looked upon our loved ones then for
the last time, as brave John Weller
says, knowing that death lurked just
over the hill, why did we not clasp
| one another in long embraced
Pardon the egotism, but, although
it has been twenty years since the
stormy dag although I looked upon
! these sweeping plateaus then for the
first time, and only for few minutes,
and had never looked upon them
since until last Monday evening, it
seems recall almost every spot we
passed over in the fight as one gathers
up the fragments of broken dream
Surely, yonder is the very spot where
[ was wounded. Here, without doubt,
| beneath this friendly oak, the minnie
| was cut from the flesh, where ''our
friends, the enemy" had imbeded it.
I know this surgeons rendezvous
| full well, for along this pathway,
after the surgery, we passed along to
the friendly shelter Of Col. John Nc
Gavock's house. There it stands as it
stood then-twenty years ago! How
dear to the old "rebel' heart is the
name Of Col. John McGavock and
his family! How many torn and
bleeding Bodies were born into this
asylum! Through all the long night
the good man, assisted by his wife
and daughters, bent like minister
ing angels above the dying and the
dead.
Everything they had God bless
them , was devoted to their deeds of
mercy. But words lose their native
force as in memory [ go back to
that night of ceaseless nninistrotious.
In this room died Col. Nelson, Of
the Twelfth louisiana. Both legs
were crushed by 3. cannon ball and his
bowels torn by iron grape. Poor fell
low! Such agony for several hours
few men tver endured. His eyes,
through exhaustion caused by pain,
sank deep back into his head before
death came to his relief, ''Give me
forty grains of morphine" he called
out all through the night. ''give=me
forty grains Of morphine and let me
die Oh, can't [ die! My poor
wife and child-my poor wife and
child"
Hard soldier as he was, your cor
respondent went down the steps
and far out beneath the silence Of
the stars to escape his piteous pray
ers.
AS we drove back toward peaceful