Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-01
BATTLE. OF FRANKLIN
CELEBRATION OF ANNIVERSARY
BY ARMY OF OHIO.
Banquet at Ebbitt House Last Might
Addresses by Gen. Henderson
and Capt. Schofeld.

The Society of the Army of the Ohio cele-
brated last evening at the Ebbitt House
the thirty-ninth anniversary of the battle of
Franklin, Tenn, when the Union army, un-
der Gen. G. d. Cox, repulsed the advancing
line of the confederate army, under Gen.
Hood, thus thwarting a daring attempt to
cut off Sherman from his base of supplies
and prevent his march to the sea.
The celebration included a banquet, the
reading of papers and rehearsal Of rem
iniscences by those who took actual part
in the engagement. About eighty members
of the Society of the Army Of the Ohio and
their guests were present. including many
ladies. Capt. George Railway was the
POSTMASTER, and among the speakers were
Brig. Gen. Thomas G. Henderson, who
commanded brigade in the conflict. and
Capt. Levi T. Schofield, chief of engineers
on the staff of Gen. ]. d. Cox, in command
of the Union forces on that occasion.
The battle of Franklin, though 1t has not
been given a prominent place in histories
of the civil war, was one of the bloodiest
ever fought between the two armies. and,
1t is claimed, one of the most important in
it's results. since 1T is said the war would
have been carried into the north and pro-
longed Indefinitely had not the confederate
advance been checked at this point. 1t is
partly in effort to bring the Importance
of the engagement before the country and
to ultimately secure for it a prominent
pace IN our history tHat THIS anniversary
is celebrated each year by the veterans
The dinner which preceded the speeches
was a delightful one in every respect. The
speakers were introduced by Capt Railway,
who alluded to the Importance of the bat
tie and the probable results had Gen. Hood
been permitted 10 cross over into Ohio. He
said it would very likely have prevented
Shermans march to the sea.
A Gallant Foe.
General Henderson, who was introduced
the first speaker, declared that the ad-
vance of the confederate brgades of Wal
thall and Loring against heslines of which
his brigade formed part was one of the
most gallant of any i'll the annals of the
war and equally desperate. 'One-half
of the 15,000 soldiers engaged in that ad-
vance were Killed, wounded or captured,
he said, which indicates the great bravery
with which the charge was made and the
valor necessary to repulse it,
General Henderson spoke of General
Walthall's account of the charge fol-
lows:
I'm his official report he said that the
reception he encountered was the most
deadly fire of small arms and artillery TO
which troops had ever been subjected, and
l agree with him. 1 never a more gal
liant charge; never witnessed a more gal
liant repulse."
In conclusion the speaker quoted a pas
sage from Jefferson Davis Rise and Fail
of the Confederacy," in which the president
of the confederate states declared the bat
tie of Franklin to be "one of the bloodiest
battles of the war and one that ma terially
affected the future"
And it was all the confederate leader
said of it,, continued General Henderson.
1T was one of the bloodiest battles of the
conflict and it did materially affect the
future. Every man who belonged to the
gallant army that won that victory has
every reason to be proud"
Miss Rose Meacham, daughter of SOL
Banner" at the conclusion of General Hen
derson's address.
The Maneuvers Explained,
The next speaker was Captain Schofield
who used map of the battlefield to explain
the different maneuvers. He dwelt upon all
of the interesting details that are so dear
to the memory of the old soldier, and was
frequently interrupted with applause as he
mentioned some particularly daring sally
or recalled some act of individual bravery
Capt. s. F. Moore of the 11Sth Ohio Regi-
ment had composed a poem descriptive OF
the battle which was read by Miss Bertha
F. Wolfe.
The evening closed with a number of per-
sonal "reminiscences by soldiers who were
In the engagement. Each one who spoke
stated exactly what he saw from his posi-
ton on the field and thus helped to fill out
the entire panorama of the notable strug-
gle.
those Present.
Among those present at the banquet were
the following:
Gen. Thos. ]. Henderson, Princeton. Ill:
Capt. Levi T. Schofeld, Cleveland, Ohio:
capt. Geo Roadway, j. F. Johnson, Mrs J.
f. johnson, Mrs. Geo. Redway, Miss Geor-
gia Roadway, Miss Minnesota Madison, M
w. Miller, assistant secretary of interior:
Mrs. Nj. w. Miller. Capt T. w. Tallmadge
Mrs T. w. Tallmadge. Chaplain j. IL
Bradford, Washington Gardner, 65th Ohio
Volunteer Infantry; A. +. Dinsmore, Sd
Michigan Infantry; M. j. Enright, 111th
Ohio Volunteer Infantry; Rosamond B.
Meacham, jr.; H. Butterfeld, Harry Mack
Elphonzo Youngs, jr., and wife; John F.
Stewart, Mrs. Clara +. Stewart, Miss Clara
Nisbet Stewart, Mrs Mary E. Rodgers of
Alabama, Mrs. S. d. Church. Mr. ]. I,
Houchen, Mrs. j. L. Houchen, Capt. G. A
lyon, Mrs. Horace F. Lyon, Miss Bess l.
Lyon, Mrs G. A. Lyon, jr.: G. A. Lyon jr.
John b. Brownlow, Col. and Mrs. N. Shafts
well, N. n. Mccullough, Levi Maggie, ]. O.
Sweet, n. T. Martin. d. NJ. Goodacre A. b.
Hayward, R. r. Sweet, John r. Rouzer
Capt. John w. Lewis, ]. II. De Merritt
NJ. D.; W. j. Belding, James II. Blodgett
John a. Joyce, Theresa Bedding, G. E.
FoOte,. John w. Bell, Mrs. Ella K Trader
May p. Trader, M E. Gorham, ]. Fraise
Richard. Bertha Frances Wolfe DIR. Orien
l.. Butcher A. H. G. Richardson, L. d.
Mumpus, Capt. d. P Leebhart. Capt. o. H
Oldroyd, Capt. ]. L. Thornton, Mrs A. M.
Thornton, f. NJ. HeatOn James H. Simp-
son, Mrs. NJ. E. Simpson, N. H. Merrill,
Company X, 18th Michigan Infantry; Mrs
n. H. Merrill. J. F. Saunders, 35th Ohio;
r. w Shappell, Miss Herbert, John R. Col
lette, Representative II. r. Gibson, Mrs.
Isabel Worrell Ball, John McElroy, Mrs.
Anna NJ. Barden. r. A. Raglan, Mrs. Raglan
and r. II. Brown.