The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1894-12-20


Wm the Confederate
AZ K IA army of Hood
AN. 4a65% and a Union
%axE & A&8. force under Gen
As.z.a schoield, 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 s
SO, 900 soldiers attempted to run down
and overwhelm Schofield's 20, 600. The
resultant struggle was a purely physical
one, and had Schotield 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 Schofield, with
an inferior force placed across the Con-
federato front, had impeded the march.
Only the day before Hood had almost
surrounded Schotield at Spring Hill, but
owing, as he asserted, to the slowness
OF his subordinates generals III attack
ing, the Union forces had slipped out Of
the trap in the night and by a forced
march reached Franklin, OH the south
bank of the Harpeth river.
At Franklin, Schofeld halted his col
umns on the southern border OF the
town, where line of slight intrench-
ments was hastily constructed, and the
weary soldiers lay down on their arms
to enjoy q brief rest while the long ar
my trains were crossing the riyer over
couple of rude bridges to safer posi-
tion north of the stream Tho 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 extremities of
the works rested OH the river bank aUuve
and below the town, and the only break
in the line was at the point where the
pike ran through. There a gap had been
LETT i'll order to accommodate the trains
and artillery as we'll as the b1igadcs
bringing up the rear. These latter, three
in number, belonged to General D. NJ
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 Cen
eral Cox's' order on q knoll half a mile
in front of the general line and cover
ing the gap i'll the works at the pike.
Wagner's third brigade led by General
Emerson Opdycke, acted as extreme rear
guard throughout tho march from
Spring Hill to Franklin and several
times checked the impetuous Confeder-
ate advance. Late in the afternoon it
filed through the gap into the works at
Franklin, and the men rested in reserve
behind Cox's own division, close to the
pike.
Schofield had no object in accepting
battle at franklin except to defend his
passage over the river, which was to
commence at dark. But Hoods main
body reached the vicinity soon after
noon, and the open nature of the ground
enabled the antagonists to view each
others movements. To Hoods men the
spectacle was tantalizing in the extreme,
for there, with river at his back, lay
the foe that had SO often eluded their
blows Besides, the words of recrimi-
nation over the issue at Spring Hill
spoken by Hood that morning and the
night before burned in the veins of his
generals, and the spirit aroused by them
communicated itself to the men. Gle
burne especially, renowned and gallant
leader, was deeply cut by Hoods dec
laration that his favorito troops, nam
ing Cleburne's, had disappointed his
hopes at the most critical point in the
campaign.
When the Confederate lines were
forming for the attack, Clebarne's di-
vision held the right and rested on the
pike confronted by the Union works and
troops already described. Hood stated
to his subordinates that he desired that
the enemy be driven into the Harpeth
river at all hazards, and anticipating
hot work Cleburne asked permission to
form his division into three lines of one
brigade each. Hood granted the request,
although Stewards corps Of his army
had not come up, and his line was short
er than he desired.
Cleburne's division advanced along