The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1905-12-21

Conduct Of Gen. George ID. Wagner and
Division (Second Division, Fourth
Corps)-Gen. J. ID. Cox. Account.
Editor National Tribune: The most
pretentious history of the battle of
Franklin yet written is that given by
Gen. j. d. Cox, in his volume, 1.-The
March to the Sea-Franklin and Nash
ville" This work was written in 1882,
Is years after the battle.
Gen. Cox, in his Introduction, &C
knowledges his obligations to Adjt-Gen.
Drum and to Col. Scott, of the War
Records Office. ''for access to the then
unpublished archives
With these advantages, together with
the fact that at the time of the battle
he was division commander, and tenn
porarily in command of the Twenty
third Corps, that the line of defense
was selected by him, and that KIM
balls and Wagner's Divisions of the
Fourth Corps were ordered to report to
him, 1t would seem that he was pc
culiarly fitted to write correct account
of that desperate conflict. Moreover,
Gen. Cox was scholarly man. an LID,
and afterwards held the high offices
of Governor of Ohio and Secretary of
the Interior in the Presidents Cabinet.
The exalted positions held by him in
civil life, added to his brilliant record
as brave and gallant soldier, has made
his story of the battle almost as gen.
orally accepted as if it were the official
record. Nevertheless, the writer, after
a careful examination of the official re-
ports of many of the division, brigade
and regimental commanders engaged in
that battle, is constrained to say that
Gen. Cox was grievOuSly in error in so
far as the conduct of Gen. Wagner and
the Second and Third Brigades of his
division were concerned; and it is for
the purpose of placing before the sur
viving comrades of the Grand Army,
particularly those who participated in
that sanguinary battle, the evidence
upon which this assertion is made, that
has inspired the writer to attempt the
preparation of this paper.
Gen. Cox in his story of the conflict,
after describing the position of Wag-
ner's Second and Third Brigades astride
of the Columbia pike some 800 or 400
yards in advance of our main line of
battle, and of Hoods men advancing
in two or three lines of battle, says:
ut was now about 4 o'clock. and to the
amaZement of the thousands who were
watching them Wagners infantry
opened fire. There was a rafting fusi-
lade for a few minutes; Cleburne and
Brown were checked for an instant, but
the Confederate forces passed the TANKS
OF Lane and Conrad to right and left,
rush and a yell followed, and the two
hapless brigades came streaming to the
rear in a disorganized crowd very rap
idly to reach the parapet behind them.
Gen. Wagner'S place of duty was
with the two brigades Of his division
which were exposed in front, and the
order to bring them in without firing
had been sent through the Fourth Corps
headquarters, and had been received by
him. He (Wagner) was at the Carter
House when the message came from
in
line Of battle, and in a moment of ex-
element, forgetting himself and his Or
ders, he sent back a command to fight"
In refutation of this charge I will
place upon the witness stand Col. Jo-
seph Conrad, 18th Mo-, commanding
Wagner's Third Brigade. In his official
report, published by the War Depart
ment (War of the Rebellion, Official
Records Of the Union and Confederate
Armies. Series I, Vol. xiv, Part y:
About $3.50 p. m, as the men were
very busily engaged throwing up a
work, the enemy, who had been form
Ing his lines in front of my lines, COM
vanced very slowly and steadily in three
lines Of battle; they drove my pickets
in, and just as the enemy got within
good musket range staff officer Of the
General commanding the division rode
up to me and said that the General or
and in such force as to overpower me,
that should retire my line to the rear
of the main line of works, which were
about quarter of a mile in my rear:
but as the enemy was SO close to me-
and as one-half of my men were re-
cruits and drafted men, and knowing
that If I then retired my lines my men
would become very unsteady and con-
fused, and perhaps panic-stricken,
concluded to fight the enemy on the
line ! then was, 50 / ordered the men
to commence firing"
So this settles the question of who
gave the order to fire, and shows that
Gen. Cox did not know what he was
talking about when he said that Wag-
ner In moment of excitement, for
getting himself and his orders, sent
back a command to fight" Conrad ac-
knowledges the order from Wagner to
fall back without serious fighting.
Again Gen. Cox says: THE over
whelming Of the two brigades and the
peril to the whole line were the neces-