The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-01-31
THE BATTLE OLE FRANKLIN.

proportion to the number engaged, than
in any other battle ever fought on the
American continent. This controversy
started in September, 1894, over an
article written by Isaac II. Sherwood,
Colonel of the 111th .. V. l., on the
death Of It. Col. Mervin Clark, and first
published in the Cleveland Leader.
Quite a number of soldiers, who parti-
pated in the desperate contest at Frank
lin, have Joined in the controversy. Gen.
Sherwood's last contribution to the Tri-
bune covers two or three points.
FIRST: Did our center give way and
fall back at the first onset of the rebel
battalions2
SECOND: What regiment held its line
intact, and drove the rebels back, when
flanked on the left?
THIRD: What regiment suffered the
largest casualty list in that battle. We
quote few extracts from Gen. Sher-
woods contribution to the National Tri.
bune, that seem to have some historic
value to the student of our great civil
war.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: without
entering into any controversy of per-
sonal character, permit me few com
ments growing out of the second COM
munication of Corp'l Spohr, lS3d Ohio.
l am much gratified to see his change
of attitude, and am thankful to him for
having printed what he calls my official
report of the casualties of my regiment,
the 1l1th Ohio, in the battle of franklin.
1t gives me favorable opportunity to
correct that first report, and to explain
why it was incomplete when rendered.
When my command left the battle-line
at Franklin, about midnight on the night
of Nov. 80 1864, was ordered to leave
our dead and wounded on the field
When the reports of casualties were
called for, the day after we reached
Nashville, | had no data to make COM
plete report.
Our dead were all inside the Confed.
crate lines, and our wounded were at
Franklin in charge of surgeons, Union
and Confederate, to whom we had no
access.
Still another difficulty confronted the
Adjutant of my regiment, which pre-
vented him from obtaining obtaining
reports from Company officers. The
Sergeant-Maior was killed; Lieut.. Fer
nando Bennett, who commanded Co. G.,
was killed; Capt. b. +. Southworth, of
Coz. was severely wounded; Lieut.
Charles Baker, of Co. X, was wounded; 1;
Lieut.. Isaac +. Kintigh, of Co. @, was
wounded; Cap. III. j. McCord, of Co. G.,
was wounded; Capt. p. H. Bowling was
severly wounded Lieut.. Alex Rowland,
of Co. ID, was wounded; besides number
of Sergeants of companies.
Indeed, my regiment was so decimated
of officers after the battle that had to
ask for detail of two officers from
another regiment in order to have one
officer to a company.
Accordingly the Brigade commander
detailed Lieut.. James A. Anderson, of
23d Mich, to command Co. |. and Lieut..
b. A. Sturdevant, also of 23d Mich, to
command Co. Q. We were on the line
in front of Nashville, too, and probably
gave little heed to official reports.
Corp'l Spohr says my official report
shows ~ killed in the lllth at Franklin.
This refers to the first incomp mplete report,
where those absent and not known to be
killed were reported as missing.
And now, in order to verify all
claimed in my former contribution to
The National Tribune, | will furnish Il list
of the dead Of the lllth Ohio who sleep
their last long sleep in the Franklin sec
ton of the MurfreesbOro Cemetery,
Tennessee, and whose graves may be
counted where they lie,
My second report was made and for
warued after the battle of Nashville, and
we had retaken Fanklin, Dec. 10, 1864,
and was published in the Toledo papers
at the time. Our men killed in action
had been taken from the trenches, where
they were hurrie1ly buried, identified,
and given a soldiers burial,
NoTE.-Here follows list of the
killed of the 1llth 0. V. l. giving the
name and rank of each soldier, and Civ
ing the aggregate of the wounded.-[ Ed
NEws-D DEMOCRAT.
will not now ask The National Trib-
une to burden its columns with a long
list of wounded; but | now repeat what
| said in a former communication, that
the per cent of battle casualties of the
1llth Ohio was larger than that of any
other regiment in the battle Of Franklin.
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