The Holt County sentinel., 1886-08-20

Battle Of Franklin,
Hood could not resist The temptation
TO pu, sue Schotie.d (who had but seven
teen thousand men, while he had over
forty thnusand,) whom he hoped to
oyertake and destroy before he could
REACH sash.illc. 1t was u race between
them. Schofield had passed through
Columbia In rapid march, the enemy IN
hot puIsuii. The next point he was
aiming 10 reach WIS lhr village OF
franklin, ,.l.Ich lis in the bend Of n
hitlc river that .werps around it. Ii he
could but get hns artillery and baggage
trains safely across that river it would
afford him line of defense which he
cOuii hold till he cepld continue the
march IN safety. Accordingly he hal
] sent onward pressing message to have
i'ontoons ut that point to construct IL
bridge. that he might pass over without
delay. What was his CONSERVATION on
arriving to find that not single pon-
toon had been provided Nothin. re-
mained but to throw up hasty earth
works across the river, and drawing his
little army within 1t, to make his stand
there, to live or die. The confederates
came on IN force, and attacked with the
utmost fury. Braver men never march
ed to battle. The events Of war, as nf
peace, sometimes depend on very slight
canscs. l, is Sarl tilat the day before.
Hood had been in i'll hImor, and mad
reproacEed his generals for allowing
the federal army to cscap. at Spring
Hill. Such reproaches stung the proud
spirit OF brave mrn, and they we"s in
to battle with 4 bitter feeling .determin
ed to leave no chance for reproach
hereafter. In this mood Cleburnc, who
made that gallant charge ut Chicka-
aauga, led his division INTO the ti,e.
and WAS actually spurrin g his horse
over the breastwnrkS, when horse and
rider fell under shower of bsll.. His
death recalls al incident of which Sam
Jones makes very defective use. 1t
seems that the confederate line, as it
advanced, was entiIaded by federal
battery. Seeing his men cut to pieces,
Gen. Hood sent one of his aides with
the following order: "Give my compE.
ments to Gen Clebnrne. and tell him
to do me the favor to take that bat
tery!" The aide disappeared, and
quickly returned with the message:
''Gen. Cleburne Is dead, SIR" Again
the commander spoke: "Give my COM
pllments to Gen. Adams, and tell him
to carry that battery -
The carnage was fearful. In those
five hours (the battle began at four
O'Clock in the afternoon, and continued
till nine, and nj that seasOn-it was the
last day of November. when the sun
sets before five O'Clock WAS chiefly
after nightfali, so that both sides could
see to fire only by the flashing cf each
others guns) the confeicratcs lost six
thousand men! The number of officers
killed WAS such as was seldom known
in the war. MIR. Cunningham, Of the
Nashville American, says that, though
he was little more than II boy he was
in the ranks, and IN the very front.
The first charge of the coniederatcs had
brOh Ell our line III the centre, and though
they were soon driven back, they still
held portion Of the breast " orks while
our troops s on formed anol her line
behind it. The two were but twenty.
live yards apart. and at this close range |
poured murderous fire into each other,
and that when be came to the ditch j, |
was filed with the dying and the dead,
SO that he had to climb over them to |
get To the breastworks. Those stand |
ing in the ditch loaded the niles, aud
passed them up to those IN front, who |
thus Keep mp constant firing; but ex,
pectlng every moment, US the assault
seemed hopeless, to receive an order
from Gen. Stahl, who was standing lust
behind them, to retreat; but the grim
soldier. with German stubborness, an
swered only: keep tiring!" when he,
too, was riddled with bullets. As they
carried him off dying he called his
colonel to turn over the command to
him. who continued the desperate bat
tic till he, too, was shot down; and (as
GOv. Cox, Of Ohio, who VII, in the bat.
lie, and has written the history of the
campaign. tells the story he was so
walled IN by the slain that he could
not fall. and there was seen in the gray
IF the morning still erect, as if giving
The word of command to that "biyouac
'f the dead!" During all this rage of
battle, this boy-soldicr, whose COM
rades were falling every instant beside
nim expected that the next minute
would he his last. How he escaped, he
cannot tell. To this day horror
comes over him Us lie recalls that awiu..
moment when
"Cann0n to right Of them,
Cannon to LETT Of them,
Cannon In front of them,
F"led and thundercd,''
And how he was saved
"Out Of the jaws of death, |,
Out of the mouth Of hell,'' |,
8 one of the mysteries OF his life.-N