The National tribune., 1889-03-07
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What Our Veterans Have TO Say About
Their Old Campaigns.
GA FORLORN HOPE"
IeroI.n shoun At lhe RattIe Of FrankIIn.

confronting Hood s advance, having but lew
cavalry 10 watch the TANKS. OF this arm Hood
was abundantly supplied, and skirmIshlng
continued IRON the time the enemy crossed
the Tennessee River.
The artillery brigade, Fourth Corps, reached
Spring Hill Tenn, with few Infantry OF
Woods Division barely IN time TO prevent
Forests cavalry from capturing an unusually
large supply train en- route 10 Nashville FOR
rests advance dashed almost into the village,
but was rerulsed by artillery and infantry.
The supply train appeared 10 be Forests OBJ
jectiye at Spring Bill, and but for the oppor-
tuue arrival 0i the artillery lhut few infantry
being there at the tlmcl he would certainly
have destroyed the train. / recall the brief
but gallant night made by the few infantry
until the batteries arrived and opened Ere.
At sunset Chc8tham's rebel division Of in
fautry attacked Batteries a and VI, LIST Ohio;
Ist Ky. Bat; u, 4tn L. 5. Art, and one brigade
OF Moods Division, the infantry falling back
among the buildings IA the hope that the reb-
els would follow, leaving the artillery in very
exposed position, which they calamity held
under tue immediate supervision of Ma. Gen.
D. :. Stanley. holding them in check until
darkness interviewed. The night Of Nov %
the artillery brigade lcadquaier s were in the
room where the rebel Gen Van Dorm had been
killed By DR.. Peters about & prii "A, 1863.
Long before daylight on the morning of Nov.
so ls6i all the infantry and artillery pulled
out for Franklin, except one section Of Battery
n, al q. ). Art, ) Candy, First Lieutenant,
commanding retaining only the guns, with
their limbers, In the village until daybreaE,
with few mounted men, while Hood Is army
was IN sight on each side Of the Nashville and
Columbia pike.
With pr0longs fixed trails dragging. and
guns loaded with canister. we started for
Franklin on tgOt, expecting 10 be gobbled
long before reaching the place. FORESTS cav
airy were seen on the TANKS at several differ
ent points along the route, but we were not
fired on 10y them. We arrived at Franklin
about o'clock p. m, aud in about half an hour
began tAe latile that for fierce fighting has
been seldom eoualed on this continent. Hood S
army made u separate assaults from that hour
until about , O'clock a. m. Dec /. lS6E losing
in those assaults L OF lS Generals killed and
wounded
ID looking over old records I found the fol-
lowing, which strikes me that the 20th Ohio bat
terry must have belonged to the Twenty-third
Corps for in my pride OF corps always thought
the Fourth did al the fighting al franklin.
or WAS temporarily attached 20 the Fourth
Corps, my recollection being that il must have
been located near the center Of the Fourth
Corps, on the battle-line; but may have been
ratified or fearfully deDoraliz ed at that
time. This is an extract from the report of the
Chief Of Artillery, Fourth Corps, at the battle
OF Franklin:
Upon going to the Doth Ohio battery to order
i Withdrawn from the line, found that Lieut..
Burdick, commanding. had been MORALLY
Woun ed few moments previously, and nearly
one-half OF las battery and quite number of
horses disabled. There being ne other officer
with THIS battery, made application to Col. OPP
dycke, commanding the First Brigade, Second
DIVISION Fourth Corps, Tor company of iniau-
try TO haui OF the guns 10 the pike. Lieut.
Col. smith, commanding the cSth H., reported
q company 10 Lieut.. l. ID. ImmeI Insnector of
the Artillery Of tins Corps who took command
Of the battery, and brought il safely of the line
and over the river.
desire 10 mention the gallant and meri-
tOriOus conduct OF Lieut. Immell and the COM
paHy Of the o5th III. that assisted very materi-
ally ln withdrawing the 10Th Ohio battery from
the works while The enemy we're assaulting The
position"
Ii ] may be allowed to comment on the draw
ing Oh OF those guns OF tie 23lh Ohio battery
with proiougs, the first attempt was failure.
the men having 10 lie lat upoD the ground aud
crawl 70 the guns. the earth IN the rear of them
being higher thau where they stood on the
front s.ope, and the breastw0rks there not over
four feel nigh. Of the first detail Of about 90
men only SIX reached the guns Human ma
ture could Lot endure that hailst0rm of rebel
bullets.
On reporting again. Col. Smith ordered de-
tA +i AZ -tit8l aAfiA eaEG COLlEaAHk OF the
III. and we finally succeeded in getting all tie
guns 81, ana ali Of the eight light batteries OF
the Fourth Corps, across the Harpeth River.
losing The liiBbeg Of one caisson only. that
broke down IN the river
Ny impression has always been, too, that
Stanley was the master spirit that directed the
defense that hroke up Hood at Franklin.
i knew schofeld from March, 1861, at St
Louis Arsenal. and Oh the Lyon campaign to
Wilson's Creek and return, and while lie was
A. niy judgment. slow but sure. not having the
brilliant dash CT Stanley or WOOD, yet was evil
IDENTIFY a slayer.
have many times wondered what became
Of those men Of the 6SJb ILL., that aided in say.
ing those guns IN the darkness Of that terrible
assault that night
often recall 10 mind a tall fpe-looking
Sergeant. apparently about 20 years old, who
bore himself like Christian soldier and who
WePt over his dead comrades of the 10Th Ohio
battery lie appeared 70 be the only non-
commissioned officer Of tie battery LEFT alive
ana was ia command.
The terrible sceBeso that day and night live
IN ny memory, and Viii never be efTaced. Yet.
even now, There are human creatures in our
mlost that have the audacity to say that they
against whom We batIled were not traitors
Yea, even that JET. Davis was not traitor.
Inc penalty Of treason is death. and vet
ne hFeth, while 50 many good men and true .
NNLA :" hAeiI Icsili in defense Of the right, az
GOD gave them 70 see the right"
Rebel official reports agree that they counted
2OO OF their own dead IN front of where the
Goth III. fought al Franklin
Many times have ! wondered why our Gov.
eminent never issued medals 10 some Of those
gallant men who fought at Franklin. especislly
70 those OF The artillery who fought with hand
spikes etc, when assaulted across the works
and particularly conspicuous were the enlisted
men OF the 9th Ohio battery.
But as all did their duty so well, IL would
have bankrupted Uncle sam about the clos,
Of the war, to have supplied all the deserving
with bronze; for, in the language Of Capt. Thos
Groody, s5th \. y, bronze cost too much"
a large number Of officers and enlisted men
AZ the close Of the Atlanta campaign. were rec
Ommenaed for medals under provisions of al
act Of Congress. Who ever heard Of any beinl
delivered
The rebel losses at Franklin were never fulI,
ascertained but, from the best authorities. tn,
killed were l,750; wounded, $500; missing
l0z. Onion killed, I59; wounded, I,O33: miss
ing, lsl08.-L. ID. IarIEIL.
The First In Fayetteville, \. C.