Ozaukee County's
War History
by Daniel E. McGinley

as extracted from THE PORT WASHINGTON STAR
March 20, 1897



Co. H, 24th Wisconsin
Chapter 8

Some sixteen miles south of Nashville, Tenn., the little village of Franklin, made famous by the sanguinary battle fought there Nov. 30, 1864, nestles in a bend of the Harpeth River and on its south bank. At that time the Nashville and Decatur railroad crossed the river at Franklin, and three main wagon roads, or "pikes," as they were called, formed a junction in the village to cross the Harpeth on the wagon bridge on the road leading north to Nashville. On one of those pikes, the Columbia, Schofield's army retreated on the night of Nov. 29, and the morning of the 30th, to Franklin, the advance division reaching that place before daylight and the rear guard arriving at noon.

The rear guard, of which the Twenty-fourth Wisconsin formed a part, as stated in the last chapter, had had a hard time of it that morning. Having had but a few hours rest in the last two days and nights, they were weary and footsore, but they were not only obliged to fight the pursuing rebels, but had to also work hard in picking up the stragglers from their own army and forcing them to move on. A number of new regiments had joined the army at Columbia a few days previous, and in these were a number of inexperienced men and boys who were not used to marching, and who had overloaded their knapsacks. It required the utmost vigilance and great exertions to prevent those men from lying down by the roadside and falling into the enemy's hands. To keep them on their feet, the rear guard had to often cut the straps of their knapsacks and let the loads fall upon the road. Thus lightened, the weary stragglers were able to reach Franklin. Of course such vigilance and exertion on the part of the weary rear-guard was very trying, but the boys of the Twenty-fourth bore up manfully and reached Franklin safely and in good order.

Col. Emerson Opdycke commanded the brigade to which the Twenty-fourth Wisconsin belonged at this time, and which consisted of five Illinois regiments, one Ohio regiment, and our Wisconsin regiment. This brigade, having acted as rear-guard was placed in reserve near the Columbia pike and close to the now famous Carter house, when it reached Franklin, and eating a hasty meal, the boys threw themselves upon the ground to snatch a few moments of sleep.

The previous day, Gen. Schofield had requested Gen. Thomas to send a pontoon bridge from Nashville to Franklin, upon which he (Schofield) could cross his army and wagon trains to the north bank of the Harpeth, but the pontoons were not sent, and Schofield's troops had to find other means of crossing the stream. Wooden buildings near by were dismantled to furnish planking for the railroad bridge, which was soon converted into a wagon bridge, and the remains of the old wagon bridge were repaired and added to until it was soon in shape to be temporarily used. By noon both bridges were ready and the wagons and artillery began to cross.

But in the meantime, knowing that Hood would be upon him before nightfall, Schofield deployed the Twenty-third corps and a part of the Fourth on a range of hills south-west of the village, the line being formed in a semicircle, bending outward, its right resting on the river below, and its left on the railroad cut near the river bank above the village. The weary troops went to work throwing up breastworks, for nearly all were veterans who well knew the value of such a protection in battle, and by two o'clock P.M., a solid line of intrenchments extended across the plain. The Third division of the Fourth corps, and a large part of the artillery were posted on high hills just north of the river, and the balance of the artillery was placed in the line of intrenchments.

The Second division of the Fourth corps, to which Opdycke's brigade belonged, was now commanded by a Gen. Wagner. When Opdycke's brigade had been placed in reserve near the Carter House, which fronted on the Columbia pike, the other two brigades of the division, by direction of Gen Schofield, were placed upon a raised ground straddling the Columbia pike, and about half a mile in front of the main line, with orders to remain there in observation only until Hood showed a disposition to attack in force, and then to retire within the lines to Opdycke's position and act as a general reserve. This was a mistake of Schofield's that cost his troops dearly that day and came near giving his army a crushing defeat.

By three o'clock, the trains were nearly all across the river safely, and Schofield had issued orders that if the enemy did not attack by six o'clock, the Union troops should then begin to cross the stream also. But Gen. Hood was anxious to attack before his opponent's army could escape to the north bank, and Cheatham, Cleburne and other rebel commanders, smarting under Hood's censure for the blunder at Spring Hill the previous night, were eager to lead their troops into battle and show Hood that his plans would not miscarry by lack of energy or courage on their part. All were resolved upon a desperate effort to destroy Schofield's army before it could be concentrated with Thomasí at Nashville. They were prevented from doing so only by the heroic valor and endurance of the magnificent body of troops that formed Schofield's command.

Few battlefields of the war were so open to the view as that of Franklin. It was a clear, rolling plain with but a few groves of trees to break the view in every direction. The main Union line was a mile and a half in length, and was on a commanding position on the crest of hills from which the ground sloped gently to the front for a long distance, where there was little or nothing to protect the assaulting lines from the fire of the Union troops.

Shortly after noon, the columns of rebel infantry were seen debauching from the range of high hills that bounded the plain on the south, and at about 3 P.M., Wagner's observation brigades reported that the enemy was forming at the foot of the hills in heavy force. That was the time to withdraw Wagner's brigades from their perilous position, but the army commander had retired to a safe position on the north bank of the river, where he could see the battle and be out of range, and Wagner lost his head and ordered his brigades to hold their line. Every man in those brigades, down to the humblest private, could plainly see that they could not hold that exposed position, but they were drilled veterans who obeyed orders, be the consequences what they might, and the brave fellows manfully faced their fate.

It was not nearly four o'clock, and the rebel army being ready, marched gallantly forward across the open plain in three and four lines of battle. Advancing at a quick step, with trailed arms and flying colors, the artillery in the intervals galloping forward, unlimbering and firing as soon as within range, Hood's veteran legions made an imposing array. A section of artillery with Wagner's brigades first opened fire on the advancing enemy, but after a few rounds, it limbered up and trotted back to the main line, thus saving its guns. Had Wagner even then given the order to retreat, he could have saved his devoted brigade, but instead of doing so, he held them there to be slaughtered. At about four o'clock, Gen. Pat Cleburne's famous fighting division came within easy range of Wagner's men, who calmly laid their rifles on their hastily erected barricades, and poured volley into the rebel line which mowed men down by the score and for a moment, checked Cleburne's advance. But it was only for a moment, for quickly recovering from their surprise at the audacity of the little band of blue coats, the rebels with a yell rushed around the flanks of Wagner's line and poured a murderous volley into it, covering the ground with blue coats and sending the survivors flying for life to the main line, closely pursued by thousands of men in grey. Orders were given along the part of the line that Wagner's men were running to, to withhold its fire until our men were all in, while those on the flanks were ordered to concentrate their fire on the pursuers. A few moments later, the head of the flying mass was swarming over the works on either side of the Columbia pike. The men in the trenches, confused by fugitives trampling over them, were carried away by the surging mass, and for the length of a regiment on the left, and more than that on the right of the pike, they fell away from the works which were quickly in possession of the enemy.

In the meantime, when it became certain that the rebels were advancing to the assault, Opdycke's and a reserve brigade of the Twenty-third corps lying near by, were ordered to hold themselves in readiness for instant action; and when the crowd of fugitives and pursuers broke over the works near the pike, both brigades charged at a run, with fixed bayonets to the rescue. With a flag in his hand, the gallant Opdycke led his brigade up along the left of the pike and past the Carter house, while the other brigade charged on the right. Having passed the house and its outbuildings, Opdycke's brave boys charged headlong into the mass of grey which had crossed the works and was pursuing our retreating troops. The shock of the collision was terrific, and for a minute, there was a desperate hand to hand struggle in which bayonets and butts of muskets were freely used, and which ended in the enemy being driven back to and over the works.

Four guns, which had been placed a few yards to the left of the pike and near the Carter house, were in the hands of the enemy and were loaded with canister. The rebels quickly turned them upon our men, but the frightened horses had run off with the ammunition chests which contained the primers and while the rebs were unsuccessfully trying to fire the pieces, Opdycke's men were upon them and quickly recaptured the guns. Four other guns on the right of the road were also in the possession of the enemy, but after a few momentsí fierce melee, the guns were all retaken, and every rebel inside of the parapet was either dead or a prisoner.

But the struggle for this part of the line had only begun. Although the men who had been carried away from the works in the first rush, now gallantly rallied and joined the reserve at the intrenchments, the rebels, largely reinforced, clung to the other side of the works in places and could not be driven away.