Spring Hill in Maury County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
The Battle of Spring Hill
Opportunity Lost
After nightfall, Confederate Gen. Edward Johnson's division began moving into position on the left of Gen. William B. Bate's division. Johnson, whose unit was part of Gen. S.D. Lee's corps, had been ordered forward from the vicinity of Rutherford Creek by Gen. Benjamin F. Cheatham. On approaching the Columbia Turnpike, Johnson's men went into bivouac several hundred yards from the road and lit campfires - fires that many Federal soldiers saw as they marched north along the highway.
Late at night, Confederate commander John Bell Hood became concerned that enemy troops were marching past his army. Cheatham was ordered to place troops across the road, and Johnson's division was tasked with the responsibility. Johnson complained of being "loaned out," and only after prompting by a staff officer did he begin preparing his men to move. While the troops readied themselves, Johnson and Maj. Joseph Bostick rode toward the turnpike, only to find it empty. They had just missed the trailing end of the last Federal division that had marched up from Columbia. The stage was set for the next day - one of the most terrible of the war - when the troops would slaughter each other in savage combat at a small town to the north called Franklin.
"We waited hour after hour for the order to come to charge the enemy, who we understood were retreating along the pike four hundred yards in front of us toward Franklin."
- Col. William H. Sims, Commander of Sharpshooters, Johnson's Division, CSA
(captions)
(lower left) Among the men of Johnson's division who were ordered to block the road were those of the 9th Mississippi Infantry, shown here as raw recruits in 1861. By November 1864, they were fewer in number and lean but experienced veterans of many hard-fought battles. - Courtesy Library of Congress
(upper right) Gen. Edward "Old Allegheny" Johnson had seen plenty of action in the Shenandoah Valley and as commander of Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's old division at Gettysburg, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House. Captured at Spotsylvania and soon exchanged, he was transferred to the Army of Tennessee only a few months before he marched his four brigades to Spring Hill. Courtesy Library of Congress
(lower right) The great escape at Spring Hill led directly to the savage fighting on both sides of the Columbia Turnpike the next day at Franklin. Here the Carter Cotton Gin looms over the turnpike in the early 1880s. - Courtesy Army Heritage Education Center
Erected by Tennessee Civil War Trails & Civil War Trust.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Tennessee Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical date for this entry is November 28, 1864.
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 35° 43.922′ N, 86° 56.977′ W. Marker was in Spring Hill, Tennessee, in Maury County. Marker could be reached from the intersection of Main Street and Northfield Lane, on the right when traveling north. Located on the grounds of Rippavilla Plantation. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 5700 Main Street, Spring Hill TN 37174, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location. A different marker also named The Battle of Spring Hill (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named The Battle of Spring Hill (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Slave Fields To Battlegrounds (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named The Battle of Spring Hill (approx. 0.2 miles away); Rippa Villa (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Rippa Villa (approx. 0.2 miles away); Rippavilla Plantation (approx. 0.3 miles away); Billy Direct (approx. ¾ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Spring Hill.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. New UpdatednABT Marker At This Location also titled "The Battle of Spring Hill".
Also see . . . The Battle of Spring Hill. Civil War Trust (Submitted on September 25, 2015.)
Credits. This page was last revised on November 10, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 24, 2015, by Brandon Fletcher of Chattanooga, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 637 times since then and 15 times this year. Last updated on November 8, 2022, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 24, 2015, by Brandon Fletcher of Chattanooga, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.