Eyewitnesses at the Battle of Franklin

By David R. Logsdon

Book Overview

This is the Battle of Franklin told by more than ninety men, women and children who were in the battle and survived it. Though the Franklin battlefied has not been preserved, a few key homes and sites... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0962601853
• ISBN13: 9780962601859
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Kettle Mills Press
• Length: 92 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.5" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

"Well, Govan, if we are to die, let us die like men."

That was Gen. Patrick Cleburne's farewell to Gen. Daniel Govan before the disastrous Confederate assault at Franklin, Tennessee, on Nov. 30, 1864. Despite opposition from virtually all his generals, Gen. John Bell Hood made the fateful decision for an all-out assualt on the well-entrenched Union force under the command of Gen. John Schofield, who was trying to make it back to Nashville with his army intact and link up with Gen. George Thomas' command. Hood had missed his chance for victory at Spring Hill, but refusing to admit defeat he threw his army (already weak from a forced march) into a brave but doomed frontal attack. Before the attack commenced, Gen. Frank Cheatham had warned Hood, "I don't like the looks of this fight. The Federals have an excellent position, and are well fortified." Captain Levi Scofield, a member of Brig. Gen. Jacob Cox's staff (he was Cox's divisional engineer), was largely responsible for the well-constructed Union fortifications, and he not only survived the battle but also wrote an account of the Union retreat to Nashville following the battle at Franklin. His account is only one of more than 80 eyewitness accounts of the Franklin battle included in this awesome book, from men, women, and children who witnessed it. Drawn from their letters, diaries, and memoirs, this tells the story in a riveting, almost minute-by-minute style that will hook any Civil War buff from the very first page! From the tense pre-battle marching and planning to the bloody slaughter that lasted well into the night, the full story is presented here. The gruesome accounts of the deadly hand-to-hand combat are both disturbing and unforgettable. This was a battle where everyone involved, from privates to generals, were shooting, stabbing, and clubbing one another! When comparing the savage butchery at Franklin to other bloody frontal assaults of the Civil War, only a few are its equal: Fredericksburg, Gettysburg (of course), and Cold Harbor, are among the more famous ones. Yet for some reason many have overlooked this equally costly battle that left the (Confederate)Army of Tennessee shattered. This book, part of David Logsdon's outstanding "eyewitnesses at the battle of" series which focuses entirely on the neglected Western Theater, is highly recommended to all Civil War buffs.

A Must Read !!!

This is a must read for anyone interested in the battle of franklin..