Overview
The Battle of Franklin took place in and near Franklin, Tennessee, on November 30, 1864, during the Franklin-Nashville Campaign. After Confederate General John Bell Hood evacuated Atlanta, he moved north in an effort to damage General William T. Sherman’s supply lines and defeat Union forces in Tennessee. Union forces led by General John M. Schofield delayed Hood at Columbia and then escaped past the Confederate army at Spring Hill.
Schofield reached Franklin before dawn on November 30. Damaged bridges over the Harpeth River prevented an immediate withdrawal, so Union soldiers built strong earthworks in front of the town. General George Wagner placed two divisions in front of the main defenses, but Colonel Emerson Opdycke refused the order and kept his troops in reserve.
Hood ordered a full Confederate assault at about 4:00 p.m. Confederate troops overran Wagner’s exposed forces and broke through the center of the Union line. Opdycke launched a counterattack that closed the gap, while Union troops defeated Confederate assaults on both flanks. Fighting continued after sunset before Hood stopped the attack.
The Union defense gave its engineers time to repair the bridges. Schofield withdrew at 11:00 p.m. and joined General George H. Thomas at Nashville. The Confederates suffered about 6,200 casualties, and General Patrick Cleburne was killed. The battle ended in a Union victory.
Essential Facts
- Also Known As: Second Battle of Franklin.
- Date: November 30, 1864.
- Location: Franklin and the surrounding area in Williamson County, Tennessee.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: John M. Schofield.
- CSA Commanders: John Bell Hood.
- Who Won: The United States won the Battle of Franklin.
- Campaign: Franklin-Nashville Campaign.
- Era: Civil War, September–December, 1864.
Statistics
United States of America
- Casualties: About 2,300, including 189 killed, 1,033 wounded, and 1,104 missing or captured.
- Forces Engaged: Army of the Ohio.
- Troop Strength: About 27,000 soldiers.
Confederate States of America
- Casualties: About 6,200, including 1,750 killed, 3,800 wounded, and 702 missing or captured.
- Forces Engaged: Army of Tennessee.
- Troop Strength: About 27,000 soldiers.
Significance
The Battle of Franklin is important to American History because the Union victory prevented General John Bell Hood from stopping General John M. Schofield and General George H. Thomas from joining their armies at Nashville. The Union defense also caused devastating losses within the Confederate Army of Tennessee. Hood lost about 6,200 soldiers, 14 generals, and 55 regimental commanders. General Patrick Cleburne, one of the Confederacy’s leading officers, died in the fighting. After Franklin, Hood faced a Union army nearly twice the size of his own during the remainder of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign.
History
Siege of Chattanooga
In September 1863, Confederate General Braxton Bragg and his Army of Tennessee were attempting to recapture Chattanooga, Tennessee, from Federal forces by besieging the city. Union leaders responded by sending Major General Ulysses S. Grant and reinforcements to Chattanooga with orders to break the siege. After establishing a new supply line into the city, Grant ordered a breakout offensive in late November that successfully drove Bragg’s army back into northern Georgia. With the “Gateway to the South” secured, Union forces prepared to launch an offensive aimed at capturing Atlanta.
Grant’s Umbrella Strategy
Following the breakout at Chattanooga, President Abraham Lincoln promoted Grant to the special rank of lieutenant general and placed him in command of all Union armies. Grant moved his headquarters to Washington, DC, leaving his trusted subordinate, Major General William T. Sherman, in command of federal operations in the Western Theater. Grant’s primary military strategy was a coordinated effort to attack and defeat the two main Confederate armies in the field, the Army of Northern Virginia in the east, under the command of Robert E. Lee, and Bragg’s Army of Tennessee in the west. On May 5, 1864, Grant launched his Overland Campaign in Virginia. Two days later, Sherman opened his Atlanta Campaign in the West.
Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign
Using a series of flanking maneuvers, Sherman persistently drove the Army of Tennessee south toward Atlanta. On July 17, 1863, Confederate President Jefferson Davis replaced General Joseph E. Johnston with General John Bell Hood as commander of the Army of Tennessee. Hood proved to be more willing to fight than Johnston, but the results were essentially the same.
By July, Sherman had Hood’s army bottled up in Atlanta. On July 20, Sherman ordered his artillery to bombard Hood’s lines and the city, which still harbored about 3,000 civilians. The shelling lasted for five weeks, but Hood continued to hold on as long as he was receiving supplies.
Toward the end of August, Sherman stopped the flow of supplies into Atlanta. With his main supply line severed, Hood evacuated Atlanta on the night of September 1, burning all military stores and installations. Sherman’s forces occupied the city the next day, ending the Atlanta Campaign.
Hood Reorganizes
After evacuating Atlanta, Hood reorganized his forces at Lovejoy’s Station, south of Atlanta, and Sherman chose not to pursue. On September 21, 1864, Hood moved north to Palmetto, Georgia, where he met with President Davis on September 25. Davis and Hood devised a plan to have Hood’s 39,000 soldiers move north toward Chattanooga, destroying Sherman’s supply lines back to Tennessee along the way. Sherman learned of Hood’s intentions when Davis foolishly revealed the plan in a series of speeches on his way back to the Confederate capital at Richmond. Sherman responded by sending Major General George H. Thomas to Nashville on September 29, 1864, to organize all the Union troops in Tennessee. Sherman also sent troops to reinforce the garrison at Chattanooga.
During October, Hood’s infantry and Major General Joseph Wheeler’s cavalry conducted a series of raids along the Western & Atlantic Railroad, Sherman’s main supply line from Chattanooga to Atlanta. Sherman’s soldiers quickly repaired the damage, but they could not keep pace with the faster-moving Confederates.
Tennessee Conflicts
By late October, Sherman convinced Grant to let him “make Georgia howl” by allowing him to march to Savannah rather than chasing Hood around the South. Grant agreed, and Sherman turned the pursuit of Hood over to Thomas and about 60,000 soldiers, 30,000 of whom were in the Nashville area. The other 30,000, commanded by Major General John M. Schofield, moved north from Georgia to join Thomas.
Meanwhile, Hood moved into northern Alabama and aimed for Tennessee. He hoped to defeat Thomas near Nashville before he could join forces with Schofield.
Battle of Columbia
After waiting to join forces with Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s cavalry, Hood left Alabama on November 21, 1864. His goal was Columbia, Tennessee, about midway between Thomas’s army in Nashville and Schofield’s army at Pulaski, about 75 miles south of Nashville. Anticipating Hood’s intentions, Schofield raced to Columbia, arriving just hours ahead of the Confederates on November 24. The Federals blocked Hood’s advance for five days at the Battle of Columbia by controlling an important bridge over the Duck River.
Battle of Spring Hill
On November 28, Hood found a way across the Duck River east of Columbia. In danger of being outflanked, Schofield began to fall back toward Franklin. Hood’s army attacked Schofield’s forces at Spring Hill, ten miles north of Columbia, as the Northerners withdrew. After a series of command blunders, Hood ended the attack after dark. During the night, Schofield safely moved his entire army and supply train along the main turnpike past the sleeping Confederates. The movement did not go entirely undetected, but inexplicably, neither Hood nor any subordinate officers took any action to stop the Federal evacuation. By the morning of November 30, Schofield had escaped Hood’s grasp.
Schofield Arrives at Franklin
Marching up the Columbia Turnpike, Schofield’s army began arriving at Franklin before dawn on the morning of November 30. Although Schofield was once again between Hood and Nashville, his army was still vulnerable to attack before uniting with Thomas. The Confederates had damaged both bridges over the Harpeth River at Franklin, and Schofield had abandoned his pontoon bridges when he evacuated Columbia. Having no immediate way to the Harpeth, Schofield braced for another attack from Hood with the river to his back. As his engineers worked to repair the bridges, Schofield set his men to construct breastworks in a semi-circle in front of the town.
The works were formidable, except for an intentional gap in the middle — through which the turnpike passed — that accommodated Union traffic still coming into Franklin. Federal artillery and a retrenchment barrier about 200 yards inside of the main works defended the gap.
Brigadier General George Wagner’s division was the last of Schofield’s army to reach Franklin. As they approached the main Union defenses, Wagner detached three brigades to form an advance line between the two armies. One of the brigade commanders, Colonel Emerson Opdycke, refused the detachment order, claiming that the flat ground Wagner ordered him to defend was untenable. Instead, Opdycke marched his brigade through the Union line to a reserve position behind the gap in the semi-circle. Opdycke’s insubordination would prove fortuitous for the Union army.
Hood’s Army Breaches the Union Lines
By noon, Schofield’s soldiers were prepared for Hood’s next move. They did not have to wait long. Enraged that the Federals had slipped past him at Spring Hill, Hood berated his subordinate officers and then ordered his army to resume its pursuit. Hood’s army began to arrive outside of Franklin at about 1:00 p.m. on November 30, 1864. Once in position, Hood ordered an all-out attack that began about 4:00 p.m. When the assault began, the Confederates easily overran the two divisions Wagner deployed in front of the main Union defenses, capturing nearly 700 Federals as they fled up the turnpike toward Franklin. The Confederates continued in hot pursuit.
Opdyke’s Federals Plug the Gap
By the time Wagner’s men reached the gap in the Union works, the soldiers of both armies were so intermingled that some defenders could not fire for fear of shooting their comrades. At that point, the center of the Union line was in danger of collapsing. As Confederate soldiers began pouring through the breach in the Union line, Emerson Opdycke ordered his brigade forward and plugged the gap. Emboldened by the success of the counterattack, other reserves and retreating Federals joined Opdycke’s soldiers and drove the Confederates back to the original Union line. Hand-to-hand combat in this sector continued for several hours until well after sunset.
Union Success on the Flanks
As the fighting raged at the center, the Federals repulsed two Confederate assaults on their left, inflicting heavy casualties on the Confederates. The Confederates had no more success attacking the Union right later in the evening near dark.
Hood Discontinues the Assault
Stalemated on all fronts, Hood called off the assault after dark with plans to resume in the morning. The successful Union defense bought enough time for Schofield’s engineers to repair the bridges over the Harpeth River.
Schofield Withdraws Under Orders
Under orders from General Thomas in Nashville, Schofield’s army began evacuating Franklin at 11:00 p.m. One of Schofield’s subordinate officers, Brigadier General Jacob D. Cox, argued against the evacuation, feeling that the Federals could finish Hood’s army the next day. Despite Cox’s objections, Schofield followed Thomas’s orders. By noon on December 1, 1864, Schofield’s army began arriving at Nashville.
Outcome
The Battle of Franklin was a devastating loss for the Confederacy. The Confederates suffered over 6,200 casualties, including 1,750 killed, compared to fewer than 2,500 Union casualties, including 189 killed. In addition, Hood lost fourteen generals (six killed, seven wounded, and one captured), plus 55 regimental commanders. Most importantly, Schofield once more escaped Hood’s grasp and united his army with Thomas’s army in Nashville. At Columbia, Spring Hill, and Franklin, the Confederate army faced an opponent of roughly equal strength. Throughout the rest of Hood’s Franklin-Nashville Campaign, the Confederates would face an army nearly twice their size.
Timeline
- 1863, September — Braxton Bragg and the Army of Tennessee besieged Union forces in Chattanooga.
- 1863, November — Ulysses S. Grant launched an offensive that drove Bragg’s army into northern Georgia.
- 1863, July 17 — Confederate President Jefferson Davis replaced Joseph E. Johnston with John Bell Hood as Commander of the Army of Tennessee.
- 1864, May 5 — Grant launched the Overland Campaign in Virginia.
- 1864, May 7 — William T. Sherman opened the Atlanta Campaign.
- 1864, July 20 — Sherman ordered Union artillery to bombard Atlanta and Hood’s defensive lines.
- 1864, September 1 — Hood evacuated Atlanta and destroyed Confederate military supplies and facilities.
- 1864, September 2 — Sherman’s forces occupied Atlanta, ending the Atlanta Campaign.
- 1864, September 21 — Hood moved his army north to Palmetto, Georgia.
- 1864, September 25 — Hood met with Jefferson Davis and planned an advance toward Chattanooga.
- 1864, September 29 — Sherman sent Major General George H. Thomas to organize Union forces in Tennessee.
- 1864, October — Hood’s infantry and Joseph Wheeler’s cavalry raided the Western & Atlantic Railroad.
- 1864, November 21 — Hood left Alabama and advanced toward Columbia, Tennessee.
- 1864, November 24–29 — Confederate forces won the Battle of Columbia.
- 1864, November 29 — Union forces won the Battle of Spring Hill.
- 1864, November 30
- Schofield’s army reached Franklin before dawn and built defenses in front of the town.
- Hood’s army arrived outside Franklin at about 1:00 p.m.
- The Confederate assault started at about 4:00.
- Emerson Opdycke counterattacked and closed a breach in the Union line.
- Hood stopped the Confederate assault after dark.
- Schofield’s army started withdrawing from Franklin at 11:00.
- 1864, December 1 — Schofield’s soldiers started arriving at Nashville by noon.
AP US History
Definition
Battle of Franklin (1864) — The Battle of Franklin was fought in Franklin, Tennessee, on November 30, 1864, during the Franklin-Nashville Campaign. Union General John M. Schofield built strong defenses after escaping Confederate forces at Spring Hill. Confederate General John Bell Hood ordered a full assault that breached the center of the Union line. Colonel Emerson Opdycke’s counterattack closed the gap, Union troops held both flanks, and Schofield withdrew safely to Nashville after dark. The battle ended in a Union victory and caused devastating Confederate casualties.
Alignment
The Battle of Franklin is part of the following AP US History sections:
