Franklin Tennessee

American Civil War
April 10, 1863

The 1863 engagement at Franklin was a reconnaissance in force by Confederate cavalry leader Major General Earl Van Dorn coupled with an equally inept response by Union Major General Gordon Granger.

Van Dorn advanced northward from Spring Hill on May 10, making contact with Federal skirmishers just outside Franklin. Van Dorn's attack was so weak that when Granger received a false report that Brentwood, to the north, was under attack, he believed it, and sent away most of his cavalry, thinking that the Confederate general was undertaking a diversion.

When the truth became known—there was no threat to Brentwood— Granger decided to attack Van Dorn, but he was surprised to learn that a subordinate had already done so, without orders. Brig. General David S. Stanley, with a cavalry brigade, had crossed the Harpeth River at Hughes's Ford, behind the Confederate right rear.

The 4th U.S. Cavalry attacked and captured Freeman's Tennessee Battery on the Lewisburg Road but lost it when Brig. General Nathan Bedford Forrest counterattacked. Stanley's troopers quickly withdrew across the Big Harpeth River.

This incident in his rear caused Van Dorn to cancel his operations and withdraw to Spring Hill, leaving the Federals in control of the area.

Result(s): Union victory

Location: Williamson County

Campaign: Middle Tennessee Operations (1863)

Date(s): April 10, 1863

Principal Commanders: Major General Gordon Granger [US]; Major General Earl Van Dorn [CS]

Forces Engaged: Army of Kentucky [US]; 1st Cavalry Corps, Army of Tennessee [CS]

Estimated Casualties: 237 total (US 100; CS 137)


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Illustrated Catalog of Civil War Military Goods: Union Weapons, Insignia, Uniform Accessories and Other Equipment
Unabridged reproduction of rare and valuable 1864 catalog brimming with uniform and dress regulations, arms and ammunition, horse "furniture," tables of military pay, uniform accessories, insignia and other equipment. Detailed descriptions of hats, coats, "trowsers," boots, tents, swords, more. 226 illustrations 		Tennessee State Battle Map
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American Civil War Book Titles

This Terrible Sound
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The Shipwreck of Their Hopes: The Battles for Chattanooga
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The Civil War in the West
The western campaigns cost the Confederacy vast territories, the manufacturing of Nashville, the financial center of New Orleans, communication hub Corinth, Chattanooga, and Atlanta, along with the breadbasket of the Confederacy.
Where the South Lost the War: An Analysis of the Fort Henry-Fort Donelson Campaign
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T he often-overlooked Western campaign of the war with a specific emphasis on Kentucky's involvement in the American Civil War. DVD
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The Civil War proved a backdrop for this 1982 miniseries. Complete and uncut three disc set. Two families divided by the War Between the States. A Southerner caught when he becomes a war correspondent for the Northern newspaper. He finds himself  where history's in the making from the Battle of Bull Run to Abraham Lincoln's assassination
Blue Vs. Gray - Killing Fields
Relive the most vicious fighting of the Civil War, in which General Ulysses S. Grant forcibly reversed the tide of the conflict by paying with the blood of thousands. It was a desperate time for the Union

Women in the War
Civil War Cooking
Civil War Submarines
Kids Zone Causes of the War

 

Sources:
U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Library of Congress.

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