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As a result, the last half-mile of the Confederate advance was largely uncontested, allowing the charge to hit the main line with full force. [24] Together they sealed the breach. 4023 Columbia Pike Franklin, TN 37064 United States Website https://www.franklintn.gov/government/departments-k-z/parks/park-locations/winstead-hill General Hood 's troops formed on Winstead Hill before the Battle of Franklin. Hood's attacking force, about 1920,000 men, was arguably understrength for the mission he assignedtraversing two miles (3km) of open ground with only two batteries of artillery support and then assaulting prepared fortifications.[34]. "Pickett's charge at Gettysburg" has come to be a synonym for unflinching courage in the raw. [2], It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[1]. A frontal assault on the works south of Carters homea deep trench, earthen barriers, abatis, and log entrenchments backed by 60 well-placed cannons in fortified embrasuresappeared unlikely. In a natural setting with trees, walking trail and picnic area. Winstead Hill | Civil War - Tennessee Vacation [25] At 12:00, when the other U.S. forces had finished their fortifications, these two brigades had not even started digging in. By noon well over 20,000 Federals had either marched past on the pike or taken up positions in a crescent-shaped line of breastworks running east to west 100 yards south of Carters front door. After Cox informed him that any fighting that day would take place either west or east of the town, should the Confederates attempt a flanking movement as they had the previous day, Carter decided to remain in his home. After the purchase, a house, out-buildings, and a swimming pool were removed. [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. Gen. Thomas Benton Smith, joined the fray. Hoping to force Sherman to abandon Atlanta and fall back to protect his vulnerable single-track line of communications to Chattanooga, Hood led 38,000 Confederates along the railroad into northern Georgia during October, attacking targets of opportunity. With a cry of into the works with them! the Confederate line overlapped and overwhelmed Wagners men. 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. Charged by Schofield with preparing a defense of Franklin and the two vital bridges over the Harpeth River, Brig. Many in Brown's division were driven back to the Federal earthworks, where many were pinned down for the remainder of the evening, unable to either advance or flee. His brigade and those of Colonels John Casement and Israel Stiles defended the works in A.P. Beauregard requested reinforcements, but none were available. "[58], In his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Battle Cry of Freedom, James M. McPherson wrote, "Having proved even to Hood's satisfaction that they could assault breastworks, the Army of Tennessee had shattered itself beyond the possibility of ever doing so again. Winstead Hill Overlook is National Landmark that was Confederate Lieutenant General John Bell Hood's command post during the Battle of Franklin. Ned Jilton II: Walking the bloody fields of Franklin About 200 feet (61m) behind this gap, a 150-yard "retrenchment" line was constructed of dirt and rails, which was intended to be a barrier to traffic, not a full-fledged defensive earthwork. Fact#6: The course of World War II could have been greatly altered at the Battle of Franklin. [50], Walthall's division, intermixed partially with Loring's division because of the confusion that resulted from the narrow space, struck Casement's and Reilly's brigades in multiple waves of brigade assaultsprobably as many as six distinct attacks. One general, BGEN George W. Gordon, was captured. A comparison of the two may be of interest. Fact#5: Union general Emerson Opdycke saved the center by disobeying orders. In the fog of war, however, the Confederate high command never managed to spring the trap, allowing Schofields army to slip by and escape up the pike to Franklin during the night. Wood, commander of the Franklin, Tennessee | After the Battle of Franklin, this historic site housed hundreds of the more than six thousand Confederate casualties, leaving Nashville, Tennessee | This self-guided tour covers one of the most strategic battles of the Civil War. Winstead Hill Park (Franklin) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go His command was split at that time between his supply wagons and artillery and part of the IV Corps, which he had sent to Spring Hill nearly ten miles north of Columbia, and the rest of the IV and XXIII corps marching from Columbia to join them. A Battle of Franklin topographical map is mounted in the overlook shelter. [66], On November 24, 2010, the State of Tennessee awarded a $960,000 enhancement grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation to help purchase the property where the Domino's Pizza and mini-mart is located. General Hood's troops formed on Winstead Hill before the Battle of Franklin. Bate split his understrength division, sending one brigade west of the Carters Creek Pike and himself leading two brigades toward the locust grove. Of the 24 generals exposed to battle, six were dead or mortally wounded: Patrick Cleburne, John Adams, Hiram Granbury, Otho Strahl, John C. Carter, and States Rights Gist. Strongly outnumbered and exposed to the elements, Hood was attacked by Thomas on December 1516 at the Battle of Nashville,[61] defeated decisively and pursued aggressively, retreating to Mississippi with just under 20,000 men. Command confusion disrupted several Confederate attacks in what became known as the Battle of Spring Hill, preventing a decisive interdiction of the Federal escape route. After first colliding with the mass of Union fugitives hurtling northward, Opdyckes men crowded and bayoneted their way into the Carter yard, pressing for the retrenched line west of the pike. 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. He died the next day, just one of the nearly ten thousand family tragedies that the battle wrought. Although Bates attackers were few in number, they managed to send the raw recruits of the 183rd Ohio fleeing to the rear. Opdycke was angry, as well; while Lanes and Conrads brigades had marched at relative ease on the road to Franklin, Opdyckes Ohioans hadnt been relieved during the entire 10-mile march. Arthur MacArthur, Jr., The Boy Colonel, was a novelty in the Union Army. He ordered his engineers to rebuild the wagon bridge and to lay planking over the undamaged railroad bridge to enable it to carry wagons and troops. To cover the small gap in the line that allowed wagons and the rest of the army to enter the village, a Missouri unit erected a second, fallback line of works on the west side of the Columbia Pike 70 yards behind the main line. The damaged Confederate force was left in control of Franklin, but its enemy had escaped again. Hood spent the first three weeks of November quietly supplying the Army of Tennessee in northern Alabama in preparation for his offensive. The remnants of Walthalls division staggered west toward the cotton gin salient, where Brig. Hoods Confederates engaged the Federal Troops under the command of General John M. Schofield. Adjacent to the 48 acres (19ha) surrounding Carnton is another 110 acres (45ha) of battlefield, formerly the Franklin Country Club golf course, which is currently being converted to a city park.[65]. 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. In the southeast portion of the line, Osage-orange shrubs formed an almost impenetrable abatis. Before he could act to remedy the situation, Brown was seriously wounded, and after he was carried from the field little was done to get the stalled attack going again. Our district is a large area consisting of 562 square miles. Afraid of hitting their comrades, the riflemen on the main line held their fire as they watched the intermingled crowd of butternut and blue surge towards them. At Columbia, Tennessee, he had prevented Hood from crossing the Duck River for five days. George D. Wagner's division[note 4] had been the last to arrive from Spring Hill, and after briefly stopping at Winstead Hill before Hood arrived, he ordered his brigades under COLs Emerson Opdycke, John Q. Hoods bold but risky plan to destroy Schofields army and retake Nashville was backed by Davis and his principal advisers, Generals Braxton Bragg and P.G.T. 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. Show your pride in battlefield preservation by shopping in our store. One company of the 65th Indiana was armed with 16-shot Henry repeating rifles, and soon a dreadful heap of killed and wounded lay in their front, looking like a rail fence that had been toppled over, the bodies lying in a straight line. Featured exhibits portray the history of Fort St. Just a short drive or a water taxi ride across Newport Harbor stands the largest coasta. Nashville & Franklin - Civil War in the West Tour 2021 - Landmark Events Pricing | Highlights | Speakers | Schedule | Accommodations | Study Prep Event Summary oin military Historian Bill Potter and Battle of Franklin expert, Sam Turley, on this fascinating tour of the Civil War in Middle Tennessee. After its defeat against MGEN George H. Thomas in the subsequent Battle of Nashville, the Army of Tennessee retreated with barely half the men with which it had begun the short offensive, and was effectively destroyed as a fighting force for the remainder of the war. 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. Johnson's men lost their unit alignments in the dark and had significant difficulties attacking the works just to the west of the Carter House. Stanley F. Horn, The Army of Tennessee[55] [note 11], Following the failure of Johnson's assault, Hood decided to end offensive actions for the evening and began to plan for a resumed series of attacks in the morning. This initial rush for the works swept through Opdyckes remaining units like an electric current. 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. Having brought the enemy to bay, Hood announced, We will make the fight. When Lt. Gen. Alexander Stewarts corps began arriving around noon, Hood sent them and Forrests men on a flanking march east toward the Lewisburg Pike; he had decided to use Cheathams corps as his shock troops. Great gaps appeared in the attacking ranks, so many that not all could be closed up. Fact#2: Missed opportunities at Spring Hill played a significant role in the Battle of Franklin. Just behind the center of the line stood the Carter House, appropriated as Cox's headquarters. The bathroom was clean for a public rest stop type bathroom too. The task of defending Tennessee and the rearguard against Hood fell to MGEN George H. Thomas, commander of the Army of the Cumberland. East of the road, two Ohio regiments, the 100th and 104th, had been posted to support a Kentucky batterys four rifled guns. Hood had weighted the assault columns heavily against the Union left, sending four divisions of infantry and two of cavalry to attack the enemys eastern flank from the Harpeth River to the Columbia Pike. Gen. Charles Shelleys troops were heavily engaged with Reillys brigade. After a costly three-week delay, Hoods army reached the Tennessee border on November 21 to a fulsome welcome from exiled Governor Isham Harris. 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. It is located within the Franklin Battlefield, a U.S. National Historic Landmark area. The Monument at Winstead Hill stands as a memorial to the Confederate Veterans of Tennessee who fought during the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864. The First American President: Setting the Precedent, African Americans During the Revolutionary War, Help Save 125 Battlefield Acres in Virginia, Help Restore History at Gettysburg, Cold Harbor & More, Help Us Save Hallowed Ground in Tennessee and Kentucky, Help Save 820 Acres at Five Virginia Battlefields, Save 343 Acres at FIVE Battlefields in FOUR Western Theater States, Save 42 Historic Acres at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Support the American Battlefield Protection Program Enhancement Act, Stop the Largest Rezoning in Orange County History, https://www.franklintn.gov/government/departments-k-z/parks/park-locations/winstead-hill. Donations to the Trust are tax deductible to the full extent allowable under the law. Carter watched as Coxs men worked to improve the deteriorating two-mile stretch of works, first constructed by Union troops in the spring of 1863. 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. Stay up-to-date on our FREE educational resources & professional development opportunities, all designed to support your work teaching American history. Angry and exhausted, Wagner sent word to Lane to withdraw from Privet Knob and take up a position on Conrads right in the cornfield. A memorial. 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. The bathroom was clean for a public rest stop type bathroom too. With a series of fast marches that covered 70 miles (110km) in three days, Hood tried to maneuver between the two armies to destroy each in detail. [6], Sherman's march left the aggressive Hood unoccupied, and his Army of Tennessee had several options in attacking Sherman or falling upon his rear lines. The Majority of our funds go directly to Preservation and Education. By 5 pm, when a short lull in the fighting took place, the Union lines had been reestablished across the 19 acres taken up by the Carter property. Three brigades got as far as the ditches of the outer works, where devastating blasts of musket and cannon fire, as well as enfilading fire from both flanks, halted the assault. Leading the tour this day were Eric Jacobson, historian for the Battle of Franklin Trust, and Dan Davis, education manager at the American Battlefield Trust. The failure of the day before had prevented a battle to the Southerners advantage and sealed the violent fate of thousands. The actual earthworks in the southern portion of the line were formidable. Although Tod Carters quartermaster duties did not require him to fight, he would not hear of it. But Union general Schofield, commanding Stanley's IV Corps as well as his own XXIII Corps, reacted correctly with a rapid retreat from Pulaski to Columbia, which held an important bridge over the Duck River on the turnpike north. The advance at Franklin was for two miles in the open, in full view of the enemy's works, and exposed to their fire. The main Union line at Franklin ran in a rough crescent around the town, both of its flanks secured on the Harpeth River. The Union position there was formidable. 4023 Columbia Ave. Franklin, TN 37064 Winstead Hill Park is located south of downtown Franklin on Columbia Highway and consists of 61 acres with a walking trail, parking area, and restroom facilities. The pursued and pursuers were so intermingled that defenders in the breastworks had to hold their fire to avoid hitting their comrades. In close pursuit, Hood's columns reached Winstead Hill, two miles south of Franklin, around 1:00 PM. The Army of Tennessee arrived on the Franklin battlefield from the south, in the shadow of Winstead Hill. Winstead Hill was Confederate Lieutenant General John Bell Hood's command post during the battle. Moscow Carter, his oldest living son and a paroled Confederate officer, lived with himtwo other sons were serving in the 20th Tennessee Regiment, part of the gray host marching north from Spring Hill that morningalong with four daughters, a widowed daughter-in-law, and nine grandchildren under the age of 12. Perhaps spurred to greater danger by John Bell Hoods accusation of cowardice in the ranks on the morning of the battle, no other engagement of the war saw as much devastation in the Confederate general officer corps as did the Battle of Franklin. [12], On November 28, Thomas directed Schofield to begin preparations for a withdrawal north to Franklin. Hand-to-hand fighting around the Carter House and the pike was furious and desperate, employing such weapons as bayonets, rifle butts, entrenching tools, axes, and picks. Pickett survived his charge unscathed. Copyright 1949-2023 American Heritage Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved. Dying and insensible, Tod was carried back to the Carter House near dawn and set down in his sister Annies room. Our first stop was Winstead Hill. As an assistant quartermaster, Carter wasnt obligated to fight, but the sight of Union soldiers in his home and breastworks covering his fathers yard were more than enough motivation. Join historians and history buffs alike with our Unlimited Digital Access pass to every military history article ever published (over 3,000 articles) in Sovereigns military history magazines. The Carnton Plantation, home to the McGavock family during the battle, also still stands and is likewise open to the public. 4023 Columbia Pike Restrooms too! However, Bate's left flank was not being protected as he expected by Chalmers's cavalry division, and they received enfilade fire. Sherman first turned back toward Dalton to deal with Hood, skirmishing over ground captured months earlier, and finally drove the Confederates into Alabama and repaired the railroad. 96 reviews #10 of 57 things to do in Franklin Historic Sites Parks Visit website Call Write a review What people are saying By MominOC " Beautiful and clean " May 2022 We really enjoyed this stop and felt it was well planned and well maintained. Federal Identification Number (EIN): 54-1426643. The butternut advance quickly proved that Wagners decision to move into the field between the two armies was a grave mistake. Jacobson has termed his decision to stand there "reckless discretion.". 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. At a council of war that morning, Hood excoriated everyone but himself for the debacle, singling out Maj. Gen. Benjamin Cheatham in particular, and by extension two of his division commanders, Maj. Gens. Four others were seriously wounded, and another was captured. Cleburne vanished in a cloud of gun smoke and was found with a bullet in his heart. Most of the formerly clear land between the hill and the town proper has been almost completely filled with housing developments, strip malls, and all the other assorted "necessities" of modern life. Cleburne was killed in the attack and 14 of his brigade and regimental commanders were casualties. The attackers struggled mightily to work their way through the thorny palisade, all the while under galling cannon and musket fire. Patrick Cleburne and John Brown. Long Description: On Winstead Hill, 2-miles south of Franklin, Tennessee is where Confederate General John B. Join us online July 24-26! Upon their arrival at Winstead Hill, they remained in line of battle, facing Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrests Confederate troopers, while Wagners other two brigades deployed east of the pike on a separate knoll known as Breezy Hill. The ensuing battle was among the bloodiest in Tennessee and nearly destroyed the Army of Tennessee. [47], That some Union troops were armed with Spencer and Henry repeating rifles added to the otherwise considerable advantages of the defenders. The slaughter around the cotton gin salient raged on as four reserve brigades of Stewarts corps, their ranks mostly intact, approached the flaming works. Following brigades were compelled to detour farther toward the center of the field, away from the snarling congestion at the hedges. 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.