The National tribune., 1901-02-28
THE 72d ILL. AT FRANKLIN.
A Participants Story of Heavy Fighting and
Battle Losses

time Chicago newspaper, and dated Camp
I'D Illinois Regiment near Nashville
"B. i. Jacobs. esq, Secretary of the
United States Christian'9J 9Jonimission, has
just returned from Nashville, bringing
with him news from thciboys' and the bat |
tle-fiags of Bridges Battery and the 1st
Board of Trade G2d) Regiment. They are
literally riddled with bullets. They will
be preserved here as sacred historic relics. |
The new ones will be inscribed, that of
the battery with the names of the y en- |
gagements, and that of the regiment with |
four. Mr.. Jacobs brings also the follow |
ing letter, written by an officer of the
regiment. 1t is very modest one
scarcely just to the regiment, whose BRAY
cry we have every reason to believe was
the salvation of the day at Franklin. Gen.
Ruger stated to Mr.. Jacobs that he owed
a letter to Gen. Smith, Sixteenth Corps, |
to the regiment for its gallantry. The
boys of the battery are entitled to no less
a need of praise for their conduct in the
fight:
"'Camp I'D Illinois Regiment.
Near Nashville, Dec. ii, 1864.
"1 have seen in your columns several
notices of the part this regiment bore in
the late fight at Franklin, Tenn, which |
from their incOrrectness may mislead some
Of its friends. The object of this article
is to correct any erroneous impressions
that they may have formed, and not to
bring the regiment before the public in a
manner calculated to reflect on any other
of the gallant regiments engaged i'll that
fight, for every regiment that came under
the writer's notice, although they may not
have been required to perform so conSpic
uous part as the 72d, did their duty well
as soldiers and patriots. A synopsis of
our movements from Nicksburg may be
of some interest to our friends. Oct. 30
the regiment left Vicksburg in compliance
with orders from Maj.-Gen. Howard, to
report for special duty to the Headquar-
ters Department and Army of the Tenne-
see. After considerable delay we reached
Nashville, Nov. II, where dispatch
awaited us from Gen. Sherman, to the ef
feet that we could not reach him before
his army had moved from Atlanta, and
ordering us to report to Columbia, Tenn,
and there to await Maj.-Gen. Smiths
command. We accordingly started for
that place Nov. 13, reaching it in less than
two days-a distance of 43 miles. Upon
our arrival there all was quiet, though ru-
mors of Forests near approach to the
city were rife. On the afternoon of the
23d his advance guard made its appear
ance near the city, driving in our advance.
That night reinforcements were constant
ly pouring In from Pulaski and Johnson
vile, swelling our little force TO quite a
large army. They came just in the mick
of time" for the rebels made bold ad-
vance on the morning of the 24th, but
were easily repulsed. Our troops at once
fortified the town and commenced skir-
mishing with the enemy. which continued
until the evacuation of the place by our
forces Nov. 2S. The Third Brigade, See
ond Division, Twenty third Corps, to
which the I'D had been assigned, remained
at the ,pontoon and railroad bridges to
cover the retirement of, our army. After
the complete destruction OF these bridges,
at noon of the 29th ult,, the brigade was
ordered to fall back, which it did, crossing
to the Franklin pike. thence taking up. its
march toward Nashville, At ) p. m, when
sade was ordered to double quick" so as
to pass the wagon train, already halted.
On reaching the head OF the train the bri-
gade filed to the right of the. road; Cos.
B and q were Immediately deployed as
skirmishers.
arrived within half mile of Spring Hill,
where we were ordered to halt, as it was
feared from the movements of the enemy
that il we pressed them too hard a gen
eral engagement would be brought on. Our
loss in this skirmish was four severely
wounded. ~ '.
"'Our brigade and the Second Brigade
of our division then resumed the march
to Nashville; marching all night, with but
a slight intermission for rest, we reached
Franklin at a. M, Nov. 80. The brigade
took its position on the right of the road
was On the left of the brigade, the left of
this regiment resting on the Franklin pike,
the I'D on the right of the 50th Ohio in
the first line Of works, the 44th Mo. and
1S3d Ohio as their support in the second
line, occupying the same position relative
to the Franklin pike as the I'D and 50th.
with hardly any intermission the men
were busy fortifying until the appearance
of the enemy, and had not finished when
the first assault was made. The disposi-
tion of the balance of the forces has been
so often published that it is unnecessary
for me to give it. A division of the Fourth
Corps, in position in our immediate front,
with slight or no breastworks, was COM
PEELED by the overwhelming force i'll their
front and fanks to fall back in great con-
fusion and disorder. Tho rebels, having
previously massed their forces on the pike,
plainly foreseeing that this was the salient
point, pressed closely the retiring division,
and even crossed our works with our own
men. The 50th Ohio, being flanked on the
left by the rebels coming in on the road,
was compelled to fall back to the second
line, where they stubbornly resisted any
further advance of the enemy.
1.-The rebels saw at once the advantage
they had gained, and took possession of
the pits evacuated by the Goth Ohio. This
exposed our left to a terrible enflading
fire, also to ire from parties of the ell
emy who had got under cover Of the see
ond line Of works and our rear. AS the
four companies on our left, B, G., G and
+, were being surrounded. they were or
dered to fan back to the inner line. While
executing this movement, Lieut.. Jameson,
of Co. Il, was severely wounded and with
% men Of this company taken prisoners.
Lieut.. Oertell, of Co. i, was severely
wounded, but reached the second line
Lieut.. Beegle, of Co. G, was either killed.
wounded or taken prisoner, as he has not
been heard of since. The vacancy thus
created was instantly filed up by the en-
emy, they at the same time crowding into
gap between the I'D and the regiment
on its right.
"'We were thus exposed to an enfilading
fire from both fanks, and unable to hold
the works, the regiment was ordered to
retire to the second line, about four rods
In the rear. During this movement Lieut.
Col. Stockton was severely wounded in
the neck by n piece of shell, Maj. James
severely wounded in the head, and Lieut.
Packer of Co. i, wounded, it is thought
fatally, as he could not be removed to the
rear. Capt T.. c. Prior, Co. ii, was shot
through the right breast before the regi-
ment fell back, while leaning over the
breastworks firing his revolver at the reb-
els crouching on the other side. He, also,
could not be removed After we had
reached the inner line the regiment was
reformed and Capt. Sexton, Co. ID, the
senior officer present, assumed command.
Under cover of the darkness, Capt. Sex
| ton led the regiment in a charge to re-
| gain our first line. Jtf
Al -