Franklin in Williamson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Forrest’s Recapture of Freeman’s Cannons
1st Battle of Franklin (Douglass Church)
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, July 23, 2022
1. Forrest’s Recapture of Freeman’s Cannons Marker
Inscription.
Forrest’s Recapture of Freeman’s Cannons. 1st Battle of Franklin (Douglass Church). On Friday, mid-afternoon, April 10, 1863, Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, with a force of his skilled cavalrymen, was in the vicinity of the Harpeth River west of Hughes Ford, when he learned that his Chief of Artillery, Capt. Samuel L. Freeman and his artillery battery had just been ambushed by the 4th US Cavalry near Douglass Church on the John Hughes Place at Rural Plains, being the northwest corner of Lewisburg Pike and Old Peytonsville Road, Gen. Forrest's response was "Give me 5 minutes and I will be in their rear" as he wheeled his troops 180 degrees and made a mad dash of approximately 1 1/2 miles ride south and, with total surprise, furiously hit and scattered the Federals; recapturing all 4 cannons, and proceeding on Lewisburg Pike to Confederate Hqs. at Spring Hill. Capt. Freeman, the sole fatality of this 1st Battle of Franklin (Douglass Church), was deeply mourned by his friend and leader, Gen. Forrest and his comrades in arms.
On Friday, mid-afternoon, April 10, 1863, Brig. Gen.
Nathan Bedford Forrest, with a force of his skilled
cavalrymen, was in the vicinity of the Harpeth River
west of Hughes Ford, when he learned that his Chief
of Artillery, Capt. Samuel L. Freeman and his artillery
battery had just been ambushed by the 4th US Cavalry
near Douglass Church on the John Hughes Place at
Rural Plains, being the northwest corner of Lewisburg
Pike and Old Peytonsville Road, Gen. Forrest's response
was "Give me 5 minutes and I will be in their rear" as he wheeled
his troops 180 degrees and made a mad dash of approximately
1 1/2 miles ride south and, with total surprise, furiously hit and
scattered the Federals; recapturing all 4 cannons, and proceeding
on Lewisburg Pike to Confederate Hqs. at Spring Hill. Capt. Freeman,
the sole fatality of this 1st Battle of Franklin (Douglass Church),
was deeply mourned by his friend and leader, Gen. Forrest and
his comrades in arms.
Erected by Williamson County Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it
Location. 35° 51.973′ N, 86° 50.725′ W. Marker is in Franklin, Tennessee, in Williamson County. It is on Captain Freeman Parkway east of Lewisburg Pike (Tennessee Route 106), on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6010 Captain Freeman Pkwy, Franklin TN 37064, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee and in Greater Nashville. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, July 23, 2022
3. Battle map (from marker) of the 1st Battle of Franklin.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 25, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 23, 2022, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 585 times since then and 80 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on July 23, 2022, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
