They Rode Into Our Works: With Casement’s Brigade at Franklin

Positioned in the left center of the Federal line at the Battle of Franklin, Colonel John Casement's brigade bore some of the heaviest attacks of the engagement. Captain James S. Putnam, serving on Colonel Casement's staff as acting assistant adjutant general, wrote three letters home to his wife in Illinois describing his experiences. 

"The enemy formed under cover of a wood and advanced in columns driving in our front line without firing," he wrote. "As soon as they had all got inside our works and when the enemy was within 200 yards, we opened a murderous fire of musketry, grape, and canister that from the batteries plowed at various points along the lines. Still, they continued to advance till in many places they actually reached our works. At the 23rd Indiana Battery, they came right into the embrasures and were knocked down by the men with the spikes of the guns. The 104th Ohio, a regiment of the First Brigade placed on our right, gave way at one time and for a moment things looked a little dubious, but in the next moment two fresh regiments were sent into the line thus left vacant and the advance of the enemy was soon checked. But they would rally and come again under such a fire as it seemed no single man could find a place to stand in and not get killed."

          Captain Putnam’s accounts first saw publication in the December 10, 1864, and December 24, 1864, editions of the Waukegan Weekly Gazette.

"The 23rd Corps withstood the long, continued, most persistent, and furious attack of two corps of the Rebels led on by officers of unequalled daring and bravery who rode on to our works," Captain James Putnam of the 65th Illinois observed. "They were shot down by our pistols, their men following them and their brains beaten out with our muskets." 

Camp of Second Brigade, Nashville, Tennessee

December 1, 1864

Dear wife,

          I am most happy to be able to write you at this time for I know the newspaper reports of our battle yesterday will very naturally cause you unusual anxiety on my behalf. We fought yesterday one of the most bloody and, on the part of the enemy, one of the most desperate and terrible battles the history of this cruel and wicked rebellion has yet furnished.

We had retired from Columbia the night before and were closely followed by the enemy who in that act probably greatly erred in his estimate of the strength of our works of defense which we constructed in the space of three hours time. These were, nevertheless, quite formidable and it was reserved for the 23rd Army Corps then and there to make its mark and win a proud and enduring fame. We were supported by the First and Third Division of the 4th Corps while the Second and Third Divisions of the 23rd Corps withstood the long, continued, most persistent and furious attack of two corps of the Rebels, led on by officers of unequalled daring and bravery who rode on to our works. They were shot down by our pistols, their men following them and their brains beaten out with our muskets.

Colonel W. Scott Stewart [65th Illinois] captured one battle flag, one brigadier general, and one colonel besides a number of subordinate officers and 100 men. We captured altogether some 1,500 prisoners and left 4,000-6,000 Rebel killed and wounded on the field. The roar of the artillery and the rattle of musketry was grand and terrible and terribly destructive to the Rebels as they advanced in columns on our works. Our losses are very light; indeed, no one was hurt in the 65th Illinois although it suffered a loss of 29 men two days before in a skirmish. I had many narrow escapes but am most thankful that my life was spared to be able to communicate again with you.

Under the cover of the night we removed to this city and it is my opinion that we have so great a loss and moral defeat upon the enemy that any attack upon this place is altogether improbable. We have more than double the force here with which we fought yesterday and the result, if a battle is fought here, cannot be doubtful.

Colonel John S. Casement served as major of the 7th Ohio Infantry for about a year before accepting promotion to lead the 103rd Ohio in August 1862. His brigade, consisting of the 65th Illinois, 65th Indiana, 124th Indiana, 103rd Ohio, and 5th Tennessee, held position near the Federal center at the Battle of Franklin. 

Headquarters, Second Brigade, Nashville, Tennessee

December 4, 1864

Dear wife,

          In reference to the operations of the enemy, there is nothing particularly new. In an attempt to lay a pontoon bridge last night, they were badly defeated and a considerable number of them were captured and their pontoon boats between the city and the gunboats below were destroyed.

          I will now tell you a little more about the Battle of Franklin. Our lines were in the form of a horseshoe from the river above to the river again below the town and the lines of the enemy were formed entirely around or outside of ours, connecting the same points and about half a mile in front of us. The enemy formed under cover of a wood and advanced in columns driving in our front line without firing. As soon as they had all got inside our works and when the enemy was within 200 yards, we opened a murderous fire of musketry, grape, and canister that from the batteries plowed at various points along the lines.

Still, they continued to advance till in many places they actually reached our works. At the 23rd Indiana Battery, they came right into the embrasures and were knocked down by the men with the spikes of the guns. The 104th Ohio, a regiment of the First Brigade placed on our right, gave way at one time and for a moment things looked a little dubious, but in the next moment two fresh regiments were sent into the line thus left vacant and the advance of the enemy was soon checked. But they would rally and come again under such a fire as it seemed no single man could find a place to stand in and not get killed.

Thus, they continued charge after charge till they were so completely shattered, routed, and broken up that they could no longer preserve an organization. Then they all fled in precipitate rout. Their losses are estimated at 4,500-5,000 men; of these, 1,800 are prisoners including two generals and about 130 other officers. I passed over the field after dark and the dead and wounded covered the ground. Our losses are not more than 300-400 and these are mostly slightly wounded.

After the battle, we crossed the railroad bridge and came on to Nashville, the enemy not following us very closely. Our division bore the brunt of the attack and done it nobly, too. A small portion of the Second Division was on the left, the rest being in position on the other side of the river while the 4th Corps was mostly there, too, only a part of our division being on the right of our line. We only hope Mr. Hood will repeat his rashness here and I think we can make an end of his army.

Brigadier General John Adams was struck down upon the line of works held by Casement's brigade. 

Camp on the defenses of Nashville, Tennessee

December 13, 1864

(To the editors of the Waukegan Weekly Gazette)

Friend Cory,

          Since I wrote you last, on the 30th ultimo we encountered the forces of the enemy at Franklin. This village is located on the Little Harpeth, a stream of no considerable dimensions over which at this point the only crossing in on the railroad bridge. It is about 18 miles distant from this city. Our lines were formed to cover and protect the crossing of the trains extending from Harpeth above to the Harpeth below the town. They were protected by a slight trench and breastwork of earth under which our brave boys anxiously awaiting the approach of the enemy while the long line of wagon trains were rapidly and in good order hurried over the bridge and hurried along towards this city.

          Our cavalry covered the flanks thus securing us against the possible flank movement of the enemy by crossing the river above or below us. Skirmishing ensued early in the afternoon with the enemy’s cavalry and at precisely 4 p.m., his infantry appeared advancing in column. The ground in our front for a mile and a half was an undulating plain on all parts of which the movements of the enemy could be distinctly seen. Our forces, the 4th and 23rd Corps, numbered about 25,000 effective men while the three corps of the enemy (Cheatham, Stewart, and Lee) were by their own reports at least 34,000 strong.

The Rebel leader had ordered a charge. His men were brave, the officers desperate, and never did bravery and desperation continue in a more persistent and determined assault. From 4-8 o’clock, four mortal hours, did these doomed men continue in charge after charge to hurl themselves with the irresistible fury of an avalanche upon our unyielding lines of steel and lead and iron hail. With their stars and bars planted on our parapets, the color bearers fell in the ditch. With their hands on the very guns of our rifled batteries, their brains were dashed out with the hand spikes of those guns. They rushed upon our lines with foolhardy and frenzied desperation and they were hurled from them in the most sanguinary, utter, and indescribable destruction.

At 8 o’clock, the battle was substantially over though skirmishing of a lively sort continued until after 10 p.m. At this time, our front lines were again advanced and we thus occupied the field of blood. A sight (or rather sounds for darkness covered the scene from view) was there which I hope never to encounter again. The mangled, dead, and wounded bodies of more than 6,000 rebels filled the ditches and covered the limited plain in front of our lines.

The Rebel General Patrick Cleburne was killed by a shell at the very outset. Brigadier General John Adams fell in front of the gallant, veteran 65th Illinois and his personal effects were collected and sent by flag of truce to his friends in the Rebel lines. Colonel William Scott Stewart was allowed to retain Adams’ pistol as being contraband of war. Colonel Stewart also captured a Colonel Stephens [Colonel Marcus D.L. Stephens, 31st Mississippi?] with several other officers and a considerable number of prisoners, arms, etc. The noble little Second Brigade stood firm as a rock from first to last; not a man left the lines with gallantry rarely equaled and unsurpassable. Its commanding officer, Colonel John S. Casement, on seeing the lines of an adjoining brigade waver and almost break, quickly moved to the spot and by the example of his own startling energy, courage, and bravery, soon restored the order and solidity of the lines and prevented a complete breach which might have proved fatal to the fortunes of the day.

General Cox, also, was in the thickest of the fight, calm and collected as if on parade, he directed the movements of the 23rd Corps to the admiration of all, both officers and men. General Stanley, commanding the 4th Corps, is mentioned in the highest terms of praise and General Schofield, in a position where he could view all the movements on the field, was the master spirit, directing the whole. The losses on our part are considerable, though small when compared to those of the enemy.

          In the 65th Illinois, the casualties are but few owing chiefly to the good cover afforded by our works. And it gives me great pleasure to add that our Lake County boys, every one, escaped unhurt. The whole army did its duty bravely, nobly, well. Under cover of the night, General Schofield retired to the position we now occupy. Here Hood again confronts us, but he keeps at a very respectable distance and appears to be in no hurry to repeat the Franklin tactics.

          Our forces have been augmented somewhat since reaching this point and all are now hopeful, confident, nay defiant. “Let Hood come and the sooner the better,” say the boys. And so say all of us, let him come. Weather very wintry the past three days as snow and ice abound. More as time permits.

Very truly yours,

James S. Putnam

Captain, 65th Illinois Vols, A.A.G., Second Brigade, Third Division, 23rd Army Corps

To learn more about the Battle of Franklin, please check out the following posts:

Source:

Letters from Captain James S. Putnam, Co. F, 65th Illinois Volunteer Infantry (on detached duty as Assistant Adjutant General on Colonel John S. Casement’s brigade staff), Waukegan Weekly Gazette (Illinois), December 10, 1864, pg. 3; also, December 24, 1864, pg. 2

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