The Battle of Franklin

The Battle of Franklin. Bloody Turning Point. On November 30, 1864, one of the last major battles of the American Civil War exploded across the rolling farmland just south of Franklin. Approximately 20,000 United States soldiers under Gen. John M. Schofield barely held off a massive attack by Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood's 20,000 troops. The battle began at 4 P.M. and was mostly over by 9 P.M. Exceptionally violent and fought at close quarters, it produced nearly 10,000 casualties, almost 7,500 of which were Confederates. The Southern army was nearly wrecked., For much of the day, this area was the scene of much action and congestion. The U.S. Army's supply train, totaling 800 wagons, moved through the square and began crossing the Harpeth River late in the morning. During and after the battle, wounded Federal soldiers were moved through the square to temporary hospitals north of the river. From there most were evacuated to Nashville., Once the combat south of town ended, the U.S. Army prepared to withdraw, and about midnight Federal troops poured through the downtown area. Within several hours the victorious U.S. soldiers were across the Harpeth River and headed toward Nashville. Before leaving they burned the bridges that spanned the river so that the Confederates could not easily pursue. Over the next two days the battered Southern army moved through this square and limped toward Nashville where its final destruction awaited., Thirty-five years after the Battle of Franklin, the Confederate monument that stands here was unveiled., (captions) , Gen. John M. Schofield Courtesy Library of Congress , Gen. John B. Hood Courtesy Library of Congress , Franklin battlefield, ca. 1880 Courtesy Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States , Battle of Franklin, 1891 lithograph - Courtesy Library of Congress