the front as soon as possible and did all that a brave man could until he was painfully wounded. Some of Opdyeke’s men manned the abandoned guns in Reilly’s works; others filled the gap in Strickland’s line. These timely movements first checked and then repulsed the assaulting foe, and soon the entire line of works was reoccupied, the enemy sullenly giving up the prize which wassonearlywon. Stewart’s corps, which was on Cheatham’s right, filling the space to the river, kept abreast of its valiant companion, and, meeting no obstacle, reached the works near the Union left before Cheatham made the breach at the Columbia Pike. Owing to the peculiar formation of the field, the left of Stewart’s line was thrown upon the same ground with the right of Cheatham’s ; the two commands there became much intermingled. This accounts for so many of General Stewart’s officers and men, being killed in front of Reilly’s and Casement’s regiments.
Where there was nothing to hinder the Union fire, the muskets of Stiles’s and Casement’s brigades made fearful havoc; while the batteries at the rail-road-cut plowed furrows through the ranks of the advancing foe. Time after time they came up to the very works, but they never crossed them except as prisoners. More than one color-bearer was shot down on the parapet. It is impossible to exaggerate the fierce energy with which the Confederate soldiers, that short November afternoon, threw themselves against the works, fighting with what seemed the very madness of despair. There was not a breath of wind, and the dense smoke settled down upon the field, so that, after the first assault, it was impossible to see at any distance. Through this blinding medium, assault after assault was made, several of the Union officers declaring in their reports that their lines received as many as thirteen distinct attacks.
Between the gin-house and the Columbia Pike the fighting was fiercest, and the Confederate losses the greatest. Here fell most of the Confederate generals who, that fateful afternoon, madly gave up their lives; Adams of Stewart’s corps — his horse astride the works, and himself within a few feet of them. Cockrell and Quarles, of the same corps, were severely wounded. In Cheatham’s corps, Cleburne and Granbury were killed near the pike. On
hausted into the ditch, and lay there while the terrific contest raged over their heads, till, under cover of darkness, they could crawl safely inside the in-trenehments. . . .
Colonel Emerson Opdyeke, of Wagner’s division, as already stated, had brought his brigade inside the works, and they were nowmassed near the Carter house, ready for any contingency. Two regiments of Reilly’s brigade, the 12th and 16th Kentucky, which had reached Franklin about noon, had taken position a little in rear of the rest of the brigade) and thrown up works. As soon as. the break was made in the lines, all these reserves rushed to the front, and after a terrific struggle succeeded in regaining the works. Opdycke’s brigade, deploying as it advanced, was involved in as fierce a hand-to-hand encounter as ever soldiers engagedin. The two Kentucky regiments joined in the fight with equal ardor and bravery. A large part of Conrad’s and Lane’s men, as they came in, though wholly disorganized, turned about and gave the enemy a hot reception. Opdycke’s horse was shot under him, and he fought on foot at the head of his brigade. General Cox was everywhere present, encouraging and cheering on his men. General Stanley, who, from the fort where he had gone with General Schofield, had seen the opening clash, galloped to
their ranks, but without causing any delay to the massive array. A moment more, and with that wild “rebel yell” which, once heard, is never forgotten, the great human wave swept along, and seemed to ingulf the little force that had so sturdily awaited it.
The first shock came, of course, upon the two misplaced brigades of Wagner’s division, which, through some one’s blunder, had remained in their false position until too late to retire without disaster. They had no tools to throw up works; and when struck by the resistless sweep of Cleburne’s and Brown’s divisions, they had only to make their way, as best they could, back to the works. In that wild rush, in which friend and foe were intermingled, and the piercing 11 rebel yell ” rose high above the “ Yankee cheer,” nearly seven hundred were made prisoners. But worst of all for the Union side, the men of Reilly’s and Strickland’s brigades dared not fire, lest they should shoot down their own comrades, and the guns, loaded with grape and canister, stood silent in the embrasures. With loud shouts of “ Let’s go into the works with them,” the triumphant Confederates, now more like a wild, howling mob than an organized army, swept on to the very works, with hardly a check from any quarter. So fierce was the rush that a number of the fleeing soldiers — officers and men—dropped ex-
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and General Thomas.
But about 2 o’clock, some suspicious movements on the hills a mile or two away—the waving of signal flags and the deployment of the enemy in line of battle—caused General Wagner to send his adjutant-general, from the advanced position where his two brigades had halted, to his commanding general, with the information that Hood seemed to be preparing for attack. In a very short time the whole Confederate line could be seen, stretching in battle array, from the dark fringe of chestnuts along the river-bank, far across the Columbia Pike, the colors gaily fluttering and the muskets gleaming brightly, and advancing steadily, in perfect order, dressed on the center, straight for the works.
Meantime General Schofield had retired to the fort, on a high bluff on the other side of the river, some two miles away, by the road, and had taken General Stanley with him. From the fort the whole field of operations was plainly visible. Notwithstanding all these demonstrations, the two brigades of Wagner were left on the knoll where they had been halted, and, with scarcely an apology for works to protect them, had waited until it was too late to retreat without danger of degenerating into a rout.
On came the enemy, as steady and resistless as a tidal wave. A couple of guns, in the advance line, gave them a shot and galloped back to the works. A volley from a thin skirmish-line was sent into
HILL NEAR NASHVILLE FROM WHICH BATE’S CONFEDERATE DIVISION WAS DRIVEN ON DECEMBER 16. (SEE PAGE 280.)
From a photograph taken in 1884.