After
abandoning Atlanta on September 1, 1864, John Bell Hood and his Army of Tennessee, reduced to about 35,000 men, launched a bold plan to lure
the Federal forces led by William T.
Sherman away from Atlanta. Thus began a series of fateful
steps that would lead to the destruction of the proud Army of Tennessee. The
plan was to dash across Alabama into Tennessee, regain Nashville, and then move into Kentucky, thus transferring the offensive
to the Confederate side. Going on the defensive, Sherman assigned a part of his considerable force to George H. Thomas and placed him in charge of protecting Tennessee.
A race to Nashville developed. As the Army of Tennessee pushed north, Thomas ordered John M.
Schofield to stop Hood’s advance. With about 22,000 men, Schofield arrived
in Columbia, Tennessee, but Hood outflanked him and continued towards Nashville.
Schofield moved ahead to Spring Hill and by the time Hood’s advancing
forces arrived there, Schofield had entrenched in a strong defensive position.
In late afternoon on November 29, the Confederates bivouacked in sight of the
all-important road but inexplicably made no effort to take it. During the
night, Schofield quietly moved his entire army past the inert Confederates.
When Hood awoke on the
morning of November 30 and learned that his quarry had escaped, he was
outraged. Lashing his army into a double-quick pursuit, he arrived late in the
afternoon at Franklin where the Federal infantry and artillery awaited him
in strongly fortified entrenchments. Consumed with impatience for combat, Hood
ordered an immediate frontal assault. What followed was virtual suicide. 22,000
Confederates, more than at Gettysburg, attacked across two miles of open fields. The Army
of Tennessee lost more than 6,000 men, including twelve generals, five of which
were killed outright. Among them was Patrick Cleburne, the “Stonewall of
the West”, who was shot through the heart. Schofield with 2,300 casualties
withdrew during the night to Nashville. Undaunted by the carnage, Hood would follow him to
the outskirts of Nashville where he would face not only Schofield but Thomas as
well. This time the defeat would prove fatal.
We
will begin our tour on Friday morning with a visit to the historic town of Columbia. We
will visit St. John’s Church Graveyard, where Cleburne was
for a time buried, and then will follow Hood’s flank maneuver. We will visit Rippavilla,
site of the famous breakfast meeting of Hood and his generals on the morning of
November 30. In the afternoon, we will explore the Spring Hill battlefield, and
visit Hood’s headquarters at Oaklawn Plantation.
On
Saturday, we will spend the entire day exploring the battlefield of Franklin. We
will visit Winstead Hill, the grounds of the Carter House that
witnessed some of the most intense fighting of the war, Fort Granger,
and will walk the battle lines and discuss in detail the attacks on the Federal
breast works. We will end our day at the Confederate Cemetery at Franklin, the
final resting place of so many, who fought so valiantly.
On
Sunday morning, we will drive to several sites associated with the Battle of
Nashville. We will visit Shy’s Hill and Stewart’s Wall where Hood’s line was pieced by Thomas’ sweeping
attack. We will also stop and observe Peach Tree Hill where Stephen D.
Lee’s Southerners valiantly held on against waves of James B. Steedman’s
attackers.
Join
us for this in-depth exploration of the final days of the Army of Tennessee
which will include stops at sites seldom visited. We hope to see you in October
in Franklin!
About Our Tour Leaders
David
C. Hinze, one of America’s most
popular Civil War tour leaders, is the author of The Battle of
Carthage: Border War in Southwest Missouri, July 5, 1861, and is writing a
book on the fighting at the Hornet’s Nest at Shiloh. Mr. Hinze developed this
tour of Columbia, Spring Hill and Franklin in 1996, and in 1997, Civil War Education
Association recognized it as its best tour of the year.
Thomas
Y. Cartwright is the Curator of the
Carter House in Franklin. He is widely acclaimed as the leading authority of
the Battle of Franklin and has appeared on the A. & E. television series,
Civil War Journal.
Friday, October 26
8:00
AM Depart for tour of Columbia and Spring Hill
- from La Quinta Inn, Franklin, Tennessee
5:00 PM Arrive
Back at La Quinta Inn
Saturday, October 27
8:00 AM Depart for tour of Franklin
5:30 PM Arrive
Back at La Quinta Inn
Sunday, October 28
8:00 AM Depart for tour of Nashville sites
11:30 AM Arrive Back at La Quinta Inn
REGISTRATION FEES (lodging not included):
If
You Must Cancel: Your registration
fee will be 100% refunded. Please allow 30 days from our receipt of your notice
of cancellation.
Base Location & Lodging: We will be based at the La Quinta Inn, 4207 Franklin Commons Court, Franklin, Tennessee 37064 where we have reserved a block of sleeping rooms at the special rate of $74.00 + tax – Single or Double. To reserve a room under our block, call 615-791-7700 and identify yourself as a registrant for the CWEA tour. For shuttle service from Nashville International Airport to the La Quinta Inn in Franklin, contact ShuttleMax at 888-500-7629. The per-person fee is $30 one-way and $50 round trip.
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