The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-02-07
Modder River and Franklin.

AucH ecnC SpeClai UiSpatcu W tue
Queen, saying: "The battle was the
bloodiest Of the century" One of
the newspaper correspondents who
was with Methuen's column tele-
graphed: "The Waterloo of the cam
paign has been fought and won The
engagement at Modder River occurred
two months ago, and yet the war Gis
not over, and comparative figures,
which have been given over and over
again, have supplied the St. james
Gazette with full warrant for saying:
When swagger and rant prevail there
is commonly plentiful lack of judg.
ment and Of true resolution The
same might be applied to the empty
boasting Of the Pail Mall Gazette,
that the war will end when Gen. Rob
erts dictates the terms at Pretoria"
In November last monument was
dedicated at Franklin, Tennessee, to
the memory Of the Confederate SOL
dicrs who lost their lives in the bat
tie of Franklin in 1864: a battle which
was, indeed, one Of the bloodiest of
the century, and with which the en-
gagement at Modder River could com
pare only as hot skirmish. In the
course of very fine address made by
Gen. John B. Gordon at the unveiling
of the Franklin monument, he gave
some figures, rccounting the losses
which were sustained by the Confed-
crate troops in that terrible engage
mcnt, which illustrate the valor of
the Confederate soldier. The oppos-
ing forces in the battle were nearly
equal in numbers, the Confederates
having about $4,000 infantry actually
engaged, and the Federals about o.
600; but the Confederates were the
attacking force, and the Federals were
so well fortified as to render one man
defending equal to about four attack
ing. The casualties in the battle were
appalling, but especially on the Con-
federate side. Among the general
and field officers they were greater in
proportion to numbers engaged than
in any battle in the war. Six general
officers we're killed, 6wounded and l
captured, making q total Of 13. Thir.
teen regimental commanders were kill
ed, 32 wounded and captured, and
at the close of the day 5000 of tho
rank and file lay dead or disabled on
the field. The Federal loss was about
one third as great as the Confederate.
The infantry forces actually engaged
lost 33 per cent. The loss in Stew
arts Corps, by divisions, was: Lor-
ing's %; Walthall's, 25, and French 8,
45 per cent. In Cheatham's corps,
by divisions, the loss was Bates, 1G;
Browns 81, and Cleburne's So per
cent. In Loring's Corps, johnson
Division. the only division of this
corps that was in the battle and in
the second charge, the loss was 81 per
cent. Pickett's Division, in its fa-
nous charge at Gettysburg, lost 81 per
cent, while the loss in this battle,
Franklin, CT che entire infantry en-
gsged was 33 per cent, or IL per cent
greater than that of Pickett at Gettys.
burg. The statistics prove. as Gen.
Gordon said, that: .The battle of
Franklin was the bloodiest of modern
times" and he added:
In concluding the account Of this
great conflict, doubt that If in any of
the bloody battles of the world, from
Marathon to Waterloo, from Waterloo
to Balaklava, and from Balaklava to
Gettysburg, there was more desperate
daring than was displayed on some
portions of, this famous field"
The Confederate soldiers engaged
in the battle Of Franklin were fight
ing for the same vital principlc-tbe
right of self -government-that the
people Of South Africa are contendipg
for to-day. They lost at Appomattox
but they won an eternal weight of
glory What the outcome Of the
struggle in South Africa will be no
one can tell. The;advantagc of wealth
and numbers is all on the side of
Great Britain; the righteousness of
the cause is with the Beers. In the
conflict SO far the British have been
defeated, but the Empire is aroused
as it has not been aroused before, and
the struggle, which was undertaken
unadvisedly and for the sake of pro-
noting commercial ends solely, has SO
far resulted in the triumph of the
plain people who are standing for their
rights, and have proved their patriot
ism bv their, ,aocrifinas AZ ..vb