The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1894-12-06

s MA HSWMi ESYfdXt"@ p dc0 UeIW0ou L
NDG = the Confederate
4 army Of Hood
w. and Union
~ " Z u k&& force under Gen.
&&E ~ eral John N.
ssA Schofeld, the
present general in chief of the United
States armies. It was field marked by
heroic deeds and matchless individual
prowess, yet noted for the absence Of
anything like strategy or tactics Hood 8
$4,000 soldiers attempted to run down
and oyerwkelm Schofeld's 20, 900. The
resultant struggle was purely physical
one, and had Schofeld lost the day the
disaster might have changed the face OF
things in the west.
Two features Of the battle of Franklin
placed it among the brilliant and bloody
contests of the time-namely, the fiery
charge of General Cleburne's Confeder-
ate division and the equally fierce coun-
tercharge Of General Opdycke's Union
brigade. Hood had entered upon the
march from Columbia toward Nashville
in hopes of surprising the defenders OF
middle Tennessee, and Schofeld. with
an inferior force placed across the Con-
federate front, had impeded the march.
Only the day before Hood had almost
surrounded Schofeld at Spring Hill, but
| owing, as he asserted, to the slowness
Of his subordinates generals in attack
ing, the Union forces had slipped out Of
the trap in the night and by a forced
march reached Franklin, on the south
bank of the Harpeth river.
At Franklin, SchoGeld halted his col
umns on the southern border OF the
town, where a line of slight intrench-
1nents was hastily constructed, and the
weary soldiers lay down on their arms
to enjoy a brief rest while the long az
my trains We're crossing the river over
couple Of rude bridges to safer posi-
ton north of the stream. The troops
Of Schofeld's Twenty third corps, COM
manded by General J. D. Cox, occupied
the main line Of works, which extend
ed across the Columbia and Nashville
pike, along which Hood was marching
in active pursuit. The extrelnities ct
I the works rested on the river bank above
and below the town, and the only break
in the line was at the point where the
pike ran through There gap had been
left in order to accommodate the trains
and artillery as we'll as the brigades
bringing up the rear. These latter, three
in number. belonged to General D. M.
Stanley's Twenty fourth corps and con-
stituted Wagner's division. Stanley
crossed the Harpeth with, Woods divi-
sion of his corps, leaving Wagner to
handle the rear guard. OF the three bri
gades in Wagner's division two, Con.
rade's and Lanes, were halted by Gen.
eral Cox's order on a knoll half a, mile
in front Of the general line and cover.
ing the gap in the works at the pike.
Wagner's third brigade, led by Genera
Emerson Opdycke, acted as extreme rea,
guard throughout the march from
Spring Hill to Franklin and severa
times checked the impetuous Confeder
ate advance. Late in the afternoon il
fled through the gap Into the works al
:, franklin, and the men rested in reserve
behind Cox's own division, close to the
pike. Az.
Schofeld had no object in accepting
battle at franklin except to defend his
passage over the river, which was tt
commence at dark But Hood mai1
body reached the vicinity soon afte]
( noon, and the open nature of the GROUND
t enabled the antagonists to view eacl
, others movements. To Hood S men tn
0 spectacle was tantalizing in the extreme
for there, with river at his back, la,
-. the foe that had so often eluded thei
III %1,o dc <>F
: nation over the issue at Spring Hill
spoken by Hood that morning and tn
J. night before burned in the veins of hi
d generals, and the spirit by then
/. communicated itself to the men. C]a
J. burne especially, arenowned and gallan
+ leader, was deeply cut by Hoods dec
= laration that his favorite troops, nam
;, ing Cleburne's, had disappointed hi
y. hopes at the most critical point in til
- campaign.
a When the Confederate lines wer
d forming for the attack, Cleburne's di
t. vision held the right and rested on tn
% pike confronted by the Union works an
d troops already described Hood state
10 to his subordinates that he desired tina
:, the enemy be driven into the Harpet
:. river at all hazards, and anticipatin
- hot work Cleburne asked permission t
s form his division into three lines of on
s brigade each. Hood granted the request
r. although Stewards corps Of his arm
/. had not come up, and his line was short
b er than he desired.
= Cleburnes division advanced alon
Is the Columbia pike, which bisected th
:, Union line near the center, the mos
hazardous point to attack. There WEI
SO Union guns in the works and in n
serve in or near the pike in the center
y The first opposition to Cleburne' s assault
70 was made by the brigades Of Lane an
IN Conrade Of Wagner's division Thes
N troops had strengthened their positio
CO in the knoll by constructing sligl
s. breastworks. The only signal to war
:. them of the attack was the sudde
n bursting INFO view Of long line {
- Confederates moving rapidly in perfe'