Franklin, Battle of, was one of the most lopsided Confederate defeats of the American Civil War (1861-1865). The battle, named after the city on the battlefield, took place in central Tennessee on Nov. 30, 1864. Confederate troops under General John Bell Hood assaulted entrenched Union troops commanded by General George Schofield. Confederate forces suffered nearly three times as many casualties in the battle as the Union.
In September 1864, Union forces under General William T. Sherman captured Atlanta. In an attempt to draw Sherman out of Atlanta, Hood’s Confederate forces attacked Sherman’s railroad communications north of the city. But Sherman chose not to chase Hood and instead led his army on “Sherman’s March” through Georgia and the Carolinas. Sherman sent General George H. Thomas to Nashville to take command of troops against Hood’s army of 40,000 soldiers.
Thomas’s troops were scattered throughout northern Alabama, northern Georgia, and southern and central Tennessee. Hood hoped to defeat Thomas before Thomas could bring his troops together. In late October, Hood arrived at the Tuscumbia River near Decatur, Georgia. However, he stayed there for three weeks waiting for men and supplies to arrive. During this period, Thomas was able to concentrate his forces into two separate armies. Thomas commanded about 30,000 troops in Nashville, and Schofield commanded about 30,000 troops in Pulaski, Tennessee, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Nashville.
Hood wanted to maneuver his army between Schofield and Thomas in hopes of defeating Schofield’s army before the two Union armies could unite at Nashville. By November 26, both Hood’s Confederate army and Schofield’s Union army had assembled near Columbia, Tennessee. Hood marched around Schofield’s flank (side) and tried to cut off Schofield’s route to Nashville.
On November 29, the two sides met at Spring Hill, northeast of Columbia. There, Hood’s assault against outnumbered Union troops failed. The Confederates also failed to block all of the roads that led to Nashville. That night, Schofield marched his army past the Confederates, 8 miles (13 kilometers) north to the city of Franklin. Hood was furious at his troops and subordinate officers for allowing Schofield’s army to pass.
At Franklin, Schofield’s army built entrenchments. Some Union troops, commanded by General George Wagner, were positioned in front of the main lines. Hood, who complained that his army had forgotten how to attack, ordered a series of reckless frontal assaults at the Union entrenchments. About 20,000 Confederate troops attacked the Union position.
Wagner’s men remained in their forward position too long and were overwhelmed by the Confederate attack. When Wagner’s men finally retreated to the main Union lines, they prevented the Union troops in the main line from firing for fear that they would hit their own men. As a result, the Confederate assault opened up a gap in the Union lines. However, a Union counterattack closed the gap. Heavy fighting continued for five hours until 9 p.m., when darkness caused the fighting to diminish. That night, Schofield pulled out of Franklin and headed for Nashville, 18 miles (29 kilometers) to the north.
During the battle, the Union suffered about 2,300 casualties, and the Confederates about 6,300. Many of the Union’s casualties were Wagner’s men. Among the Confederate casualties were 12 generals, including 6 who were killed. Despite the defeat at Franklin, Hood followed Schofield to Nashville. About two weeks later, Hood’s army was practically eliminated from the war when it was badly defeated at the Battle of Nashville.
