The National tribune., 1910-08-18
THE PLOTTING AR6uNDHASD AT
NASHVILLE
Events Leading Up to the Final Strug-
gle With Hood-Fighting Along the
Road to Nashville,

Events Leading Up to the Final Strug-
gle With Hood-Fighting. Along the
Road to Nashville, "
Here are some interesting personal
experiences and short sketches dealing
with the advance antretreat of Hood
into Tennessee, and, the conditions at
Nashville, Franklin, JohnsonviIle and
other places at that time:
Pushed Back to Nashville.
George f. Stanley, Co. G, 1e9th Ind,
Wakenda, Mo, writes: Il was in Co.
e. l2gth Ind. Second Brigade. Second
Division. Twenty-third Corps. The bri-
gade was composed of the 111th and
I1Sth Ohio, S0th and 129th Ind. 23d
Mich. and 107th Ill. We crossed Duck
River on the railroad bridge early Nov
2S. and lay in front of a fort (on the
other side) built by the Union forces
to protect the railroad bridge, but then
occupied by rebel battery
About p. IN. the next day the Sec
end Division, Twenty-third Corps, start
ed to Spring Hill, where we caught up
with the wagon train. and were in
formed that the rebels had gotten
across the pike and had stopped it. The
124th Ind was quickly deployed as
skirmshers, and brushed the enemy
aside, and the wagon train moved on.
We went back about mile. and went
into camp only few rods from the
pike, and remained there till the whole
army had passed.
In the early morning we came to
Franklin, and at the Carter House, that
soon was to become famous, we formed
in line of battle west of the pike, n few
hours later. with the left of the regi-
ment coming up just west of the locust
grove. / belonged to Co. G, which was
next to the last company on the left.
The ground in our front rose gently
for about 900 yards, forming a slight
ridge. Along this ridge was our pick
cts. Wagner's Division of the Fourth
Corps lay about halfway between our
main line and the pickets, the right of
this division extending as far west as
the left of our regiment. There was a
gradual elevation east OF our regiment
to the Columbia pike, forming a slight
hill at the Carter House, and this was
the key.
THE battle of Franklin has been de-
scribed many times, so l shall not at
tempt it. BY 2 o'clock we had our
works completed and the men were
anxious for the fray. About o'clock
l heard Jerome b. Gallagher, Orderly
Sergeant of the company, remark that
he hoped the rebels would come over
that ridge. He had not long to wait
The rebels charged our pickets, who
fired one round and hastily retreated to
the main line. In a very short time
they came inside of the works. when
the whole line delivered CALLING fire
into them. When we had fired a half
dozen rounds, perhaps. / saw the line
give way near the Carter House.
thought the day was lost. 1t was at
this juncture that Col. Opdycke, with
his brigade, made his gallant charge
into the breach. recaptured the work.
restored the line and saved the day
The first charge lasted about a half
hour 1t was very near dark when
they made their second charge They
came two and three lines deep, and as
they reached the top of the ridge they
raised the rebel yell and rushed right
up to the outer edge of our works and
some were killed on top of the works,
Many of the wounded crawled over the
works and surrendered. The enemy
assaulted our works 13 times after the
second charge, but we, were SO well pro-
tected that we only had one man
wounded and none killed in our COM
pany
I'VE left a heavy skirmish line in
the works, and marched into town.
There were four or five regiments
jammed into the main street, side by
side. If the enemy had known the
an easy task to have broken thru our
thin skirmish line and taken us all
prisoners. for it would have been i'm
possible for us to have made a resist
ance. crowded in there as we were
We could not have gotten away, for the
river was directly in front of us.
"A house near by was burning down,
and made it very light. 1t was said
that this house was set on fire by
friends Of the enemy to let the rebels
know that we were on the retreat. We
got out of there much sooner than we
had hoped for. Part of the troops
crossed the Harpeth River on the pom
toon bridge and part on the railroad
bridge. When we got across the river
felt pretty safe, and began to draw
my breath much easier. But found
after the relaxation that ! was so tired
could have slept hanging on a clothes
line. / actually did go to sleep march,
ing. 1t was now after midnight and 20
miles to Nashville. our intended des-
tination. We must march on, for the
enemy was right at our heels.
Next day. at about ] o'clock, we
went into camp at Nashville taking up
a position facing the east and between
the Chattanooga Railroad and the MUIR
freesborO pike. / was dead tired, COW
cred with dust and dirt, and my face
blackened with powder smoke. I lay
L
never had slept before"
4 Battery Boy at Nashville.
Fred NJ. Chamberlain, Delair, N. j.,
writes:
II think the battle of Nashville was
one of the most decisive battles of the
war. Sherman was at Atlanta and the
railroad had to be kept open, for at
Nashville the supplies lay for the whole
South and West, and it was necessary
to keep that road open TO save Sher-
man. About that time we were ordered
went into camp at Camp Webster about
Nov. l. / was assigned to duty in the
commssary barracks. We did not have
over 5000 men there. 1t was a dis
mounted cavalry camp waiting to get
horses to be sent to our regiments. AS
soon as Hood recovered himself after
the battle of Franklin he drove our
forces into Nashville. We got orders
to clear out the barracks and burn the
buildings. We got all the barracks
cleaned out and loaded on the wagons
when the orders were countermanded
| Hood all the time was increasing
his army and we were doing the same.
In our front Hood had $4,000 men, and
on our left Gen. Cheatham had 80, 600.
On Dec. 22 Gen. Thomas came riding
along the line, and said: Boys, the
rebels have got to get or we have
I'VE got orders to get three days
rations and ammunition. I was as
signed to the Board of Trade Battery
of Chicago. / had a position on a hill
where / could overlook the whole field
A colored brigade marched right in