About Us / Homepage - Williamson County Schools It had seemed haunted, anyway, after the events of November 30, 1864. Each side fired through embrasures or over the top of the parapets at close range in an attempt to dislodge the other. Following the cues of their veteran colleagues, they were well aware of the vulnerability of their position south of the main line. On 27 April the Freikorps crossed the state line. The men of the 44th Missouri also extended the retrenchment line to the west along their front with hastily dug trenches.) [24] Together they sealed the breach. The crest of Winstead Hill is 840 feet above mean sea level and approximately 200 feet above the city of Franklin. Mounted on horseback, Carter charged into battle near the locust grove and, shot nine times, fell mortally wounded 530 feet from the home he hadnt seen in three years. The brigade of BGEN Winfield S. Featherston began falling back under heavy fire when its division commander, MGEN William W. Loring, confronted them, shouting, "Great God. Although Opdyckes countercharge had pushed back the Confederates, repeated assaults mounted by Cheathams follow-on brigades, unimpeded by abatis or obstructions, kept the Carter house in the vortex of a firestorm. Hood, meanwhile, had been studying the enemys dispositions through field glasses. [46] Steplyk writes that a reason the combat may have stood out so vividly for veterans was because the closeness was so exceptional; many of the Army of the Ohio and the Army of Tennessee had fought since Shiloh, but this combat was the first time they saw the bayonet and musket butt used with such abandon. The Union defenders stampeded back towards the main line after firing a single volley, the charging Southerners hot on their heels. By the next morning, they had entered Franklin . WINSTEAD HILL PARK - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go - Tripadvisor The Majority of our funds go directly to Preservation and Education. Amenities Interpretive signage No restrooms STOP 3 - Assault on the Cotton Gin, 1259 Columbia Ave. Share Watch on Every purchase supports the mission. The Battle of Franklin: John Bell Hood's Catastrophic Defeat in Confederate Memorial Park at Winstead Hill - American Battlefield Trust [11], The Army of Tennessee marched north from Florence, Alabama, on November 21, and indeed managed to surprise the Union forces, the two halves of which were 75 miles (121km) apart at Pulaski, Tennessee and at Nashville. Confederate Memorial Park at Winstead Hill: Battle of Franklin - See 45 traveler reviews, 5 candid photos, and great deals for Franklin, TN, at Tripadvisor. When Union cavalry commander BGEN James H. Wilson learned at 15:00 that Forrest was crossing the river, he ordered his division under BGEN Edward Hatch to move south from his position on the Brentwood Turnpike and attack Forrest from the front. He sent half of his army twelve miles north to Spring Hill while the other half remained to cover the river crossing. Perhaps its only rival for macabre distinction would be Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. Gravely wounded, MacArthur was nearly trampled before his men dragged him to safety. But Hood countered that he would rather fight a Federal force that had had only a few hours to build defenses, instead of Nashville where "they have been strengthening themselves for three years." Eastern Flank Battlefield Park | American Battlefield Trust BGEN John Adams attempted to rally his brigade by galloping his horse directly onto the earthworks. Free subscription>>, Please consider a donation to help us keep this American treasure alive. The Battle of Blenheim (referred to in some countries as the Second Battle of Hchstdt) was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession fought on August 13, 1704. Unable to pass through the palisade, they tried futilely to push or pull it aside, all the while making easy targets for Casements infantrymen. Fact#4: The first line of the Union defense at Franklin actually helped the Confederates. Carter Hill Park | City of Franklin, TN There was a gap in the line where the Columbia Pike (present day U.S. Route 31) entered the outskirts of the town, left open to allow passage of the wagons. Adjacent to Carnton is the McGavock Confederate Cemetery, where 1,481 Southern soldiers killed in the battle are buried. In 2006, 0.5 acres (0.20ha) of land bordering the southwestern end of the Carter House property was acquired with help of the American Battlefield Trust and local organizations. Hood marched his wrecked army to Nashville as well, where he established fortified lines south of the city on December 2, appealing in vain to Confederate authorities for reinforcements and supplies and waiting for Thomas to attack. This Williamson County, Tennessee geographyrelated article is a stub. The overlook features a large map and memorials to the Confederates who died in the battle. Adams was found upright in his saddle, riddled with bullets, with his horses legs on either side of the works. These rifles, capable of at least 10 shots per minute, gave these men several times more firepower than typical infantrymen with the more common muzzle-loading rifle-muskets. The next day, Hood, wrathy as a rattlesnake, accused the Army of Tennessee of cowardice and ordered a pursuit to Franklin. Welcome to Wildcat Country! Baldwin later recalled that he could hear two sounds above the roar of battle: the detonation of the charges and the crunching of bones in front of their muzzles. Winstead Hill is a property in Franklin, Tennessee that has significance in 1864 for being in the Second Battle of Franklin battlefield. The 125th Ohio seemed to hesitate, and Opdycke shouted, First Brigade, forward to the works! On horseback, Opdycke drew his revolver and plunged ahead into the fray. This meant that the Confederates occupying the ditch in Stricklands front, just west of the pike, were advanced beyond the line of the cotton gin, which Coxs men still held, and were thus exposed to severe enfilading fire from that direction. The actual earthworks in the southern portion of the line were formidable. When Carters brigade came up in support, one of Gists officers watched as Union musket and cannon fire tore their line to pieces before it reached the locust abatis. Shattered, Carters survivors sought shelter behind the ditch held by Gists men. [note 6] He later remarked to Brigadier General (BGEN) Daniel C. Govan, "Well, Govan, if we are to die, let us die like men."[29]. Starting in 2005, the area around the intersection of Columbia Ave. and Cleburne St. has seen a serious renewed effort to reclaim that area to be the heart of a future battlefield park. In addition to Lane and Conrads 12 regiments, three of Coxs regiments, plus parts of two others, had been routed, and a wild mob of men and stampeding horses was racing to the rear past the Carter house. [note 13] The Union wounded were left behind in Franklin. Winstead Hill Park has open spaces with tranquil wooded areas and is open from dawn until dusk. The works stretched around the southern edge of town with both flanks resting on the Harpeth. Sherman cut his supply line, abandoned Atlanta, and set out for the Atlantic coast with 60,000 men, detaching Maj. Gen. George Thomas to Nashville and ordering Schofield to delay Hoods expected advance into middle Tennessee. As he attempted to seize the flag of the 65th Illinois, he and his horse were both shot and killed. Pickett's charge was totally repulsed. [20], By noon, the Union works were ready. He was incorrectly expecting that MGEN A. J. Smith's XVI Corps arrival from Missouri was imminent and he wanted the combined force to defend against Hood on the line of the Harpeth River at Franklin instead of the Duck River at Columbia. The Confederate assault of six infantry divisions containing eighteen brigades with 100 regiments numbering almost 20,000 men, sometimes called the "Pickett's Charge of the West", resulted in devastating losses to the men and the leadership of the Army of Tennesseefourteen Confederate generals (six killed, seven wounded, and one captured) and 55 regimental commanders were casualties. The American Battlefield Trust and our members have saved more than 57,000 acres in 25 states! Battle of Franklin - Southern Overlook - Review of Winstead Hill Park Hood divided Forrest's cavalryChalmer's division on the far left, beyond Bate, and Buford and Jackson with Forrest, covering Stewart and facing the fords on the Harpeth. As he rode forward, Stanley had his horse shot out from under him and a bullet passed through the back of his neck, putting him temporarily out of action. Civil War Battle of Franklin - John Bell Hood - ThoughtCo With the guns unable to fire into the ranks of Wagners fugitives, the drivers fled, taking their limbers and caissons with them, and soon both Ohio units fled as well. The armys middle command structure, with 54 regimental commanders killed or wounded, had been shattered as well. He was found the next morning and taken to his boyhood home, where he died on December 2. Loring's division launched two attacks against the Union brigade of COL Israel N. Stiles and both were repulsed with heavy losses. King Louis XIV sought to knock Emperor Leopold out of the war by seizing Vienna, the capital of the Holy Roman Empire, and gain a favorable peace settlement.The dangers to Vienna were considerable: The Elector of Bavaria . Not expecting to fight, Conrads men rested without entrenching. The army consisted of the corps of: At Franklin, about 27,000 Confederates were engaged, primarily from the corps of Cheatham, Stewart, and Forrest, and Johnson's division of Lee's corps. Winstead Hill Overlook is National Landmark that was Confederate Lieutenant General John Bell Hood's command post during the Battle of Franklin. A few days after his ill-considered position was overrun in the Confederate advance, Wagner was relieved of command at his own request. After burying his son Tod in Franklin, Carter and his family turned to the task of restoring their shattered home and farm and reviving their livelihood. [64] David J. Eicher wrote that Hood "had in effect mortally wounded his army at Franklin. [14][note 3] Through decisive leadership and good luck, both the Union infantry and supply train managed to pass Spring Hill unscathed by dawn on November 29, and soon occupied the town of Franklin 12 miles (19km) to the north. Confederate Lieutenant General (LTG) John Bell Hood's Army of Tennessee conducted numerous frontal assaults against fortified positions occupied by the Union forces under Major General (MGEN) John Schofield and was unable to prevent Schofield from executing a planned, orderly withdrawal to Nashville. The historian, Jonathan Steplyk noted that the involvement of the field officers alongside their troops in the "frenzied brawl" showed the desperation with which they fought as regimental officers were normally expected to lead and inspire their men instead of getting directly involved. Added to the musket fire from the parapet, the storm of missiles was so intense that the attackers seemed to be literally blown away like leaves in an autumn gust. Stanley had earlier ordered Wagner to hold Winstead Hill with two brigades and relieve Opdycke (who had been the tail end of the rear guard) until dark unless he was pressed,[24] and it is possible that Wagner somehow translated these orders into the notion that he was supposed to hold a line south of the main position with all his division. As the sun began to set, Hood ordered an attack. Forrest argued unsuccessfully that if he were given a division of infantry to accompany his cavalry, he could flank Schofield out of his position "within an hour." A sixth general, John C. Carter, was mortally wounded and died later on December 10. Lane, Conrad, and Opdycke wasted little time complying with the command. Fact#1: John Bell Hood sought to defeat John Schofields Union force at Franklin before they could unite with fresh troops around Nashville. Hearing shouts of Rally in the rear! among Wagners retreating officers, many of the men in the frontline brigades of Colonel Silas Strickland and Brig. As Confederate losses mounted, a stalemate was reached around the gap in the works and the Carter house. East of the road, two Ohio regiments, the 100th and 104th, had been posted to support a Kentucky batterys four rifled guns. Fought on November 30, 1864, the Battle of Franklin resulted in a bloody defeat for Hood. Carter sold off much of his 288 acres of cotton and cornfields not long after the war; he died in 1871, and his son Moscow sold the home and farm property in 1896. Support with a donation>>. Four others were seriously wounded, and another was captured. Starting here, many regiments consisting of 19,000 soldiers formed a line two miles wide to drive the union back. Hood resigned in disgrace shortly thereafter. Cleburne was killed, and eleven other general officers were killed, wounded or captured. Construction began on The Powder Magazine in 1712 and was completed by 1713, making it, The Sun Cities Area Historical Society/Del Webb Sun Cities Museum is dedicated to the p, THE STEAMSHIP HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA was established in 1935 as a means of bring, Tryon Palace is a modern recreation of the original palace, which served as the royal g, One of Columbia's oldest remaining historic houses, the Hampton-Preston Mansion was hom, Old Sturbridge Village is the largest living history museum in New England, spanning o, The first church building of Augustus Lutheran Church is still standing and is the olde. The features that remain include Redoubt Brannan, Lunettes . The Confederate government refused to compensate Carter for the considerable damages to his propertythe cotton gin and eight outhouses were dismantled for breastworks, the fields were heavily damaged, and the farm was never again as profitable as it once was. From November 24 to 29, Schofield managed to block Hood at this crossing, and the "Battle of Columbia" was a series of mostly bloodless skirmishes and artillery bombardments while both sides re-gathered their armies. [18][19], Schofield decided to defend at Franklin with his back to the river because he had no pontoon bridges available that would enable his men to cross the river. After a brief period in which he pursued Hood, Sherman decided instead to cut his main army off from these lines and "live off the land" in his famed March to the Sea from Atlanta to Savannah. From the woods near the McGavock mansion close to the Lewisburg Pike, three brigades under Maj. Gen. William Loring now emerged from the trees and attacked the Union left. By 11 pm, all was quiet, save for the moans and cries for water from the wounded. Recognizing the folly of taking such exposed position in front of a vastly superior force, Opdycke vehemently refused to obey Wagners directive and instead deployed his brigade about two hundred yards behind the Carter House. Hood hoped to defeat his old West Point instructor and pursue the defeated foe back into Nashville and reclaim it for the Confederacy. Despite the importance of the Battle of Franklin, for many years the lands legacy was all but ignored as the city grew in the years following the war. I hereupon decided, before the enemy would be able to reach his stronghold at Nashville, to make that same afternoon another and final effort to overtake and rout him, and drive him in the Big Harpeth river at Franklin, since I could no longer hope to get between him and Nashville, by reason of the short distance from Franklin to that city, and the advantage which the Federals enjoyed in the possession of the direct road. Federal forces had controlled this region of Tennessee for the past two years and had constructed earthen artillery emplacements on the northern bank of the Harpeth, which they dubbed Fort Granger, where Schofield now made his headquarters. A memorial to the Army of Tennessee stands on the hill today. The ground in front of the Union parapets was soon covered with dead and wounded from both sides as Cheathams attackers poured through the gap at the Columbia Pike on the heels of Wagners men, into and over the adjacent breastworks. Federal Identification Number (EIN): 54-1426643. Our first stop was Winstead Hill. An estimated 2,000 others suffered less serious wounds and returned to duty before the Battle of Nashville. As Wagner exhorted his men to stand fast, they let loose a single strong volley of rifle fire, and a two-gun section of Battery G, 1st Ohio Light Artillery, fired canister, but then many of the veteran soldiers of the two brigades stampeded back on the Columbia Pike to the main breastworks, while some untried replacements were reluctant to move under fire and were captured. The wonder is any of them escaped death or capture.. Both Bate and Cheatham warned Lee not to fire indiscriminately against the Federal works because Confederates were pinned down there on the outside. Winstead Hill Park Path in Franklin, TN - ELENA MCCOWN The church itself is one of the most historic buildings in all of Dutchess County. And his unsuccessful result came with a frightful cost. Every purchase supports the mission. The Confederates could advance no further, and after hours of bloody combat the line was finally stabilized. The Columbia Pike, a macadamized road that ran past Carters red-brick farmhouse near the southern edge of town, was also crowded with Union soldiers, wagons, horses, and artillery pieces. Hood staged his prior to the Battle of Franklin. [33], Regardless of Hood's personal motivations, his specific objective was to try to crush Schofield before he and his troops could escape to Nashville. Gen. Thomas Benton Smith, joined the fray. played an important role in the Civil War. Winstead Hill was Confederate Lieutenant General John Bell Hood's command post during the battle. Help Us Save Hallowed Ground in Tennessee and Kentucky. Winstead Hill Park (Franklin) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go Brigadier General Thomas Rugers division of XXIII Corps constituted the main infantry force defending the Union right west of the Columbia Pike, where the cut branches and snarled treetops of a large locust grove south of the Carter house hill provided a crude abatis. "[9][10] Hood had recovered from but was affected by a couple of serious physical battle wounds to a leg and arm, which caused him pain and limited his mobility. A must-visit site for those seeking to understand the Civil War 'Battle Winstead Hill Park is located south of downtown Franklin on Columbia Highway and consists of 61 acres with a walking trail, parking area, Civil War monument, and restroom . Gen. Francis Cockrell, whose Missouri troops struck the hedge in Casements front, then veered west, only to be swept away by the storm of Union fire. Winstead Hill - The Battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864 The Army of Tennessee arrived on the Franklin battlefield from the south, in the shadow of Winstead Hill. Not only that, the position he was told to occupy was untenable, being exposed and without natural cover. The Battle of Franklin Confederate Position - Review of Winstead Hill Gen. George Gordon, soon to be wounded and captured, called it a massacre, while an Illinois soldier remembered, I never saw men put in such a hellish position. All these locations have houses on them that will be either sold and moved or torn down. Fact#2: Missed opportunities at Spring Hill played a significant role in the Battle of Franklin. By the fall of 1864, Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman had decisively achieved one of his objectives, the capture of Atlanta, but not the other, the destruction of Hoods army. The thorny, shrub-like trees had been chopped off about four feet above the ground by Coxs men, opening a clear field of fire above while preserving an almost impassable barrier below. The Lost Cause myth has ushed the narrative that Cleburne was resigned to his fate, but recently discovered papers show that according to a lot opf his peers, Cleburne felt that he and Cheatham were responsible for the failure at Spring Hill, and that Cleburne was aiming to redeem himself and his division. Because the Harpeth River flowed in that area from southeast to northwest, the brigade found itself moving through a space getting progressively narrower, squeezing brigades together into a compressed front, delaying their movements and reducing their unit cohesion. The brigade of BGEN William A. Quarles was able to push through the abatis and reached the Federal earthworks, where it was pinned down by murderous crossfire. In 2005, the Pizza Hut property was bought and restored to its 1864 appearance. The Battle of Franklin saw the Confederate Army of Tennessee frontally assault two Union corps under Maj. Gen. John Schofield. After the battle, Schofield resumed his withdrawal towards Nashville, now decisively ahead of the Confederate army. When the congestion on the pike cleared, Wagner began leading his division toward the safety of Franklin. Winstead Hill today is an island amid Franklin's suburban sprawl that was entirely absent when I remember first seeing it in August, 1964. Lee had arrived at 4 pm and, on Hoods orders, hurriedly organized a futile advance that went forward without proper guides or any understanding of what sector his men were to assault. This not only delayed the advance, but provided only a single line to attack the Union fortifications, leaving no reserve. It was one of the worst disasters of the war for the Confederate States Army. Franklin, TN 37064 John Bell Hood, pursuing Federal forces into Franklin, gained the top of Winstead Hill. Winstead Hill Park is a 61-acre historic battle site that has significance for being in the Second Battle of Franklin in 1864. The slaughter around the cotton gin salient raged on as four reserve brigades of Stewarts corps, their ranks mostly intact, approached the flaming works. He ordered BGEN John T. Croxton's brigade to move against Forrest's flank and held COL Thomas J. Harrison's brigade in reserve. More importantly, the military leadership in the West was decimated, including the loss of perhaps the best division commander of either side, Patrick Cleburne, who was killed in action. The annals of war may long be searched for a parallel to the desperate valor of the charge of the Army of Tennessee at Franklin, a charge which has been called "the greatest drama in American history." Franklin, Battle of | Tennessee Encyclopedia The Union force was divided and in grave danger. Arthur MacArthur, Jr., The Boy Colonel, was a novelty in the Union Army.
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