ing the two division commanders whose troops would he called upon for the work, gave them the instruction. As he was riding along the line he met one of the brigade commanders—an officer with a reputation for exceptional courage and gallantry—who, in reply to the direction to prepare for the expected assault, said, “ You don’t mean that we’ve got to go in here and attack the works on that hill?” “Those are the orders,” was the answer. Looking earnestly across the open valley, and at the steep hill beyond, from which the enemy’s guns were throwing shot and shell with uncomfortable frequency and nearness, he said, “Why, it would be suicide, sir; perfect suicide.” “Nevertheless, those are the orders,” said the officer; and he rode on to complete his work. Before he could rejoin General Thomas the assault was made, and the enemy were driven out with a loss of guns, colors, and prisoners, and their whole line was forced to abandon the works along the Hillsboro’ Pike and fall back to the Granny White Pike. The retreating line was followed by the entire Fourth Corps (Wood’s), as well as by the cavalry and Smith’s troops; but night soon fell, and the whole army went into bivouac in the open fields wherever they chanced to be.
At dark, Hood, who at 12 o’clock had held an unbroken, fortified line from the Murfreesboro’ to the Hillsboro’ Pike, with an advanced post on Montgomery Hill and five strong redoubts along the Hillsboro’ Pike, barely maintained his hold of a line from the Murfreesboro’ Pike to the Granny White Pike, near which on two large hills the left of his army had taken refuge when driven out of their redoubts by Smith and Wilson. These hills were more than two miles to the rear of his morning position. . . .
The morning was consumed in moving to new positions. Wilson’s cavalry, by a wide détour, had passed beyond the extreme Confederate left, and secured a lodgment on the Granny White Pike.
and fled to the rear, while the captured guns were turned on them.
With the view of extending the operations of Wilson’s cavalry still further to the right, and if possible gaining the rear of the enemy’s left, the two divisions of the Twenty-third Corps that had been in reserve near Law-rens Hill were ordered to Smith’s right, while orders were sent to Wilson to gain, if possible, a lodgment on the Granny White Pike. These orders were promptly obeyed, and Cooper’s brigade on reaching its new position got into a handsome fight, in which its losses were more than the losses of the rest of the Twenty-third Corps during the two days’ battle. [This brigade had not been engaged at Franklin.] But though the enemy’s left was thus rudely driven from its fancied security, the salient at the center, being an angle formed by the line along Hillsboro’ Pike and that stretching toward the east, was still firmly held. Post’s successful assault had merely driven out or captured the advance forces; the main line was intact. As soon as word came of the successful assault on the right, General Thomas sent orders to General Wood, commanding the Fourth Corps, to prepare to attack the salient. The staff-officer by whom this order was sent did not at first find General Wood; but see-
V.
MAJOR-GENERAL J. B. STEEDMAN, U. S Commanding the provisional detachment.
VIEW OF THE WINSTEAD HILLS, FRANKLIN, WHERE HOOD FORMED HIS LINE OF BATTLE.
From a photograph.
Tlio right oi Wagner’s two brigades, in the advanced position, was posted behind the stone wall in the foreground. The Columbia Pike is shown passing over the hills on the left of the picture. (See pages 277, 278.)
whieh lay at the foot of Montgomery Hill, full ofdashand spirit, had since morning been regarding the works at the summit with covetous eyes.
At Post’s suggestion, it was determined to see which party wanted them most.
Accordingly, acharge was ordered—and in a momentthe brigade was swarming up the hillside, straight for the enemy’s advanced works. For almost the first time since the grand assault on Missionary Ridge, a. year before, here was an open field where everything could be seen. From General Thomas’s headquarters everybody looked on with breathless suspense, as the blue line, broken and irregular, but with steady persistence, made its way up the steep hillside against a fierce storm of musketry and artillery. Most of the shots, however, passed over the men’s heads. It was a struggle to keep up with the colors, and, as they neared the top, only the strongest were at the front. Without a moment’s pause, the eolor-bearers and those who had kept up with them, Post himself at the head, leaped the parapet. As the colors waved from the summit, the whole line swept forward and was over the works in a twinkling, gathering in prisoners and guns. Indeed, so large was the mass of the prisoners which a few minutes later was seen heading toward our own lines, that a number of officers at General Thomas’s headquarters feared the assault had failed and the prisoners were Confederate reserves who had rallied and retaken the works. But the fear was only momentary ; for the wild outburst of cheers that rang across the valley told the story of complete success.
Meanwhile, farther to the right, as the opposing lines neared each other, the sound of battle grew louder and louder, and the smoke thicker and thicker, until the whole valley was filled with the haze. It was now past noon, and at every point the two armies were so near together that an assault was inevitable. Hatch’s division of Wilson’s cavalry, at the extreme right of the continuous line, was confronted by one of the detached works which Hood had intended to be “ impregnable ”; and the right of McArthur’s division of A. J. Smith’s infantry was also within striking distance of it. Coon’s cavalry brigade was dismounted and ordered to assault the works, while Hill’s infantry brigade received similar orders. The two commanders moved forward at the same time, and entered the work together, Colonel Hill falling dead at the head of his command. In a moment the whole Confederate force in that quarter was routed
the west of the pike Strahl and Gist were killed, and Brown was severely wounded. General G. W. Gordon was captured by Opdycke’s brigade, inside the works. . . .
Schofield retired his army during the night to Nashville, uniting with Thomas, who occupied an intrenched line inclosing the city on the east, south, and west, with the flanks resting upon the Cumberland River. On the 1st of December Hood’s columns took up positions on a line of hills confronting the Union works, and throw up intrenchments. The interval between December 1 and 9 was passed by Thomas in organizing his forces for a decisive battle. His movement was further delayed by a severe storm of freezing rain, which set in on the 9th, and rendered the fields and roads ice-bound until the nth. That night orders were given to attack next day.
It was not daylight, on the morning of the 15th of December, when the army began to move. In most of the camps reveille had been sounded at 4 o’clock, and by 6 everything was ready. It turned out a warm, sunny, winter morning. A dense fog at first hung over the valleys and completely hid all movements, but by 9 o’clock this had cleared away. General Steedman, on the extreme left, was the first to draw out of the defenses, and to assail the enemy at their works between the Nolensville and Murfreesboro’ pikes. It was not intended as a real attack, though it had that effect. Two of Steedman’s brigades, chiefly colored troops, kept two divisions of Cheatham’s corps constantly busy, while his third was held in reserve; thus one Confederate corps was disposed of. S. D. Lee’s corps, next on Cheatham’s left, after sending two brigades to the assistance of Stewart, on the Confederate left, was held in place by the threatening position of the garrison troops, and did not fire a shot during the day. Indeed, both Cheatham’s and Lee’s corps were held, as in a vise, between Steedman and Wood. Lee’s corps was unable to move or to fight. Steedman maintained the ground he occupied till the next morning, with no very heavy loss.
When, about 9 o’clock, the sun began to burn away the fog, the sight from General Thomas’s position was inspiring. A little to the left, on Montgomery Hill, the salient of the Confederate lines, and not more than six hundred yards distant from Wood’s salient, on Lawrens Hill, could be seen the advance line of works, behind which an unknown force of the enemy lay in wait. Beyond, and along the Hillsboro’ Pike, were stretches of stone wall, with here and there a detached earthwork, through whose embrasures peeped the threatening artillery. To the right, along the valley of Richland Creek, the dark line of Wilson’s advancing cavalry could be seen slowly making its difficult way across the wet, swampy, stumpy ground. Close in front, and at the foot of the hill, its right joining Wilson’s left, was A. J. Smith’s corps, full of cheer and enterprise, and glad to be once more in the open field. Then came the Fourth Corps, whose left, bending back toward the north, was hidden behind Lawrens Hill. Already the skirmishers were engaged, the Confederates falling back before the determined and steady pressure of Smith and Wood.
By the time that Wilson’s and Smith’s lines were fully extended and brought up to within striking distance of the Confederate works, along the Hillsboro’ Pike, it was noon. Post’s brigade of Wood’s old division (now commanded by General Sam Beatty),