Today in History:

355 Series I Volume XLV-I Serial 93 - Franklin - Nashville Part I

Page 355 Chapter LVII. CAMPAIGN IN NORTH ALA. AND MIDDLE TENN.

quently until 11 o'clock, and frequently caused a general musketry fire on both sides from our center toward the right, but I found no evidence that any real attack was made at so late an hour, the demonstrations being manifestly made by the rebels to discover whether our lines were being abandoned during the evening.

At midnight, all being quiet in the front, in accordance with orders from the commanding general, I withdrew my command to the north bank of the river, leaving a skirmish line in the earth-works an hour later, when they also were withdrawn. The whole movement was made without interruption or molestation from the enemy, the Third Division moving by the left flank and crossing the river upon the railroad bridge, which had been planked, and the Second Division (with Opdycke's brigade of the Fourth Corps) moving through the town and crossing by a wagon bridge a little below the railroad crossing. Upon making the north bank I took up the line of march with my own division for Brentwood in advance of the army, by command of General Schofield. General Wagner rallied the two brigades of his division, at the river, but they were not again brought into action. Kimball's division of the Fourth Corps, was to some extent engaged upon its extreme left in the late attacks, which reached to and somewhat beyond the Carter's Creek pike, and that command also suffered somewhat from the diagonal fire of the enemy upon Ruger's division of this corps. This, however, I state from my own casual observation alone, as I took no control of the troops of the Fourth Corps (except Opdycke's brigade) after General Stanley came upon the field, and have no official report of their part in the engagement. The casualties of the corps during the engagement are reported to me as follows:

Killed Wounded Missing. Total

Command Off Men Off Men Off Men Off Men Aggre

ice ice ice ice gate

rs rs rs rs

Second

Division:

Moore's 3 18 8 81 - 12 11 111 122

brigade

Stricklan 6 67 19 159 2 278 27 504 531

d's

brigade

Total 9 85 27 240 2 290 38 615 653

Third

Division:

Reilly's 6 27 7 123 1 69 14 219 233

brigade

Casement' - 3 1 15 - - 1 18 19

s brigade

Stiles' 3 9 5 46 1 20 9 75 84

brigade

Staff 1 - - - - - 1 - 1

Total 10 39 13 184 2 89 25 312 337

Total in 19 124 40 424 4 379 63 927 990

corps

These lists were made up soon after the engagement, and I am convinced that corrected ones, when procured, will show, a considerable diminution in the list of the missing. The loss of the enemy we are enabled to approximate with some accuracy from the public admissions from their commander as well as from the statements of prisoners, our own examination of the field after it again came into our possession, and the statements of citizens nd hospital attendants remaining in Franklin. From all these sources the testimony is abundant that the rebels lost 6 generals officers killed, 6 wounded, and 1 captured; that they buried 1,800 men on the field, and that 3,800 were wounded. The


Page 355 Chapter LVII. CAMPAIGN IN NORTH ALA. AND MIDDLE TENN.