The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-02-05
SPRING HILL TO FRANKLIN
The Rear-Guard on that Famous March.

To THE EDITOR: Please see if the following
statement will clear up the mudde in which
A. J. Rowinsky, of the 18th Ohio; ]. ID. REM
ington, of the I'D H., and Henry Infed, of
the 9th Ohio, find themselves involved over
the controversy as to what troops formed the
rear guard of Schofeld's army in its retreat
from Spring Hill to Franklin:
The 73d III. belonged to the First Brigade
(Opdycke's) Of the Second Division, Fourth
Corps, and no doubt that is whaS Comrade
Remington intended to state in his article,
instead Of First Division.
The 9th Ohio belongedsto the Second Bri-
gade Il think Col. Lane commanding Second
Division, Fourth Corps.
The Second Division of.tifc Fourth Cbs,s had
the advance the day we struck Spring HILL the
Third Brigade tBradley'sl in the lead of the
Division.
Second Division of the Fourth Corps was the
last division to take up-the line Of march for
Franklin, with Opdycke's Brigade (the First
in The rear, closely followed by Hoods advance
with whom they had heavy skirmshing till
Franklin was in sight, and until Hoods army
was halted to form for the assault on the works
thrown up by Schofeld's Corps. As the Second
and Third Brigades of the Second Division of
the Fourth Corps came up they were formed
outside of the works, some distance to the
front, and the First Brigade (Opdycke's), which
had had pretty hard work, was marched inside
the works and into the town of Franklin where
they were allowed to stack arms and make
coffee.
And right here desire to ask any comrade
of the Second Division of the Fourth Corps if
he has ever thoroughly comprehendcd the bril-
liant piece of strategy that placed two brigades
of infantry to confront the whole of Hoods
army, and at the same time deprived our sup
ports in the works of the power of using piece
of artillery or firing musl1et, while we were
interposed as shield to Hoods men and be-
tween the two lines? Who was responsible for
that which nearly proved fatal to the safety of
Schofelds army and Nashville? Gen. Wagner
was made the scapegoat, but who was to blame?
Does any soldier who participated in the battle
of Franklin suppose for one instant that Hoods
veterans good fighters as they were, would have
ever reached our trenches and climbed our head
logs, as they did, had there have been clear
space for our artillery and musketry to have
opened on Hoods columns as soon as they came
within range? AS it was Hoods massed col
umns picked up the Second and Third Brigades
on the ends of their bayonets and carried them
to the line of our Notifications with them,
thereby preventing any resistance to their adj
vance by the troops inside the works We all
know the part taken by Opdycke's Brigade in
that crisis. A Drawer soldier than Opdycke it
would have been a hard matter to find in the
Army of the Cumberland, and that is saying
good deal. If am in error as to the Second
Division being the last force to leave Spring
Hill, know will be corrected; and if the Third
Division Woods was on the south side of the
Harpeth during the battle of Franklin, or was
the rear of our army resisting Hoods advance
on Franklin, this article may bring out the
facts.
In connection with this and referring to
Sergt Rathburn's article on the capture of flags
at Franklin, l think that the Second Division
of the Fourth Corps must have had dray load
"a small one, perhaps) of rebel flags, captured
on the field, But my recollection of this mat
ter is they were all collected at Nashville and
sent to Washington, the captors receiving
proper credit Observation-Disclosures SMITH, Goth
Ohio, Paint Creek, West Va.