Franklin An Incident of the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee

Championhilz

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Here's a little story I wrote yesterday in remembrance of the 152nd Anniversary of the Battle of Franklin:

Today is the 152nd Anniversary of the battle of Franklin, Tennessee, the engagement that effectively tore the heart out of the Army of Tennessee. In honor of the hundreds of Mississippians killed or wounded in the fight, I would like to share this article about Jesse Rice, a private in the “Live Oak Rifles,” Company A, 3rd Mississippi Infantry. Private Rice fought and was captured at Franklin, afterwards spending the remainder of the war in a Union prison. Amidst the horror he had witnessed at Franklin, Rice also saw an act of bravery so compelling that years later he was moved to have his memory of the event recorded by the clerk of the Jackson County circuit court. The following account was published in The Jackson Daily News, February 5, 1912:

THREW DIRT INTO EYES OF FEDERAL SOLDIER

LIEUT. THOMPSON ESCAPED DEATH IN NOVEL WAY

Affidavit of Mississippian Brings to Light Interesting Incident of Battle of Franklin – Copy Sent Reunion committee

Macon, Ga., Feb. 5 – A copy of a deposition from Jackson County, Mississippi, to the reunion executive committee, brings up an interesting incident of the battle of Franklin, which is directly connected with the gory and fierce fighting which was waged around the historic old cotton gin in the Tennessee town. It was at this gin that the gallant and chivalric Gen. Adams went down; it was from the region of this gin that the renowned Gen. John C. Brown of Tennessee was carried, sorely wounded, to the rear, and it was near this gin that the rash “Pat” Cleburne met his death while storming the breastworks of the federal forces. The federal soldier mentioned in this deposition was killed near the gin in the conflict at late eve.

franklin-november-30.jpg

The 3rd Mississippi Infantry was part of Brigadier General Winfield S. Featherston’s Brigade at the Battle of Franklin. Their position can be seen on this map on the Confederate right, astride the Lewisburg Pike. (Civil War Trust)

The deposition follows:

“State of Mississippi, Jackson County.

Personally appeared before me, a clerk of the circuit court of said county, Jesse W. Rice, who being duly sworn according to law, deposes and says:

That he was a private in the ranks of Company A, Third Mississippi Regiment Volunteers.

carter_house_cotton_gin_franklin_tn.jpg

Post-war photo of the cotton gin at Franklin (Wikipedia)

Featherston’s Brigade, and Loring’s Division, Stuart’s Corps of the Confederate army, and that he, with his company, was engaged in the battle of Franklin, Tennessee, on the 30th day of November, 1864, and that he [was] in the charge on the last breastworks of the enemy’s line, arrived at the point directly at the old cotton gin house which stood inside of the enemy’s line and that the reserves of the enemy came on the run and gained possession of the ditch inside of the line, or breastworks, and he saw one of the federal soldiers there making repeated attempts to shoot and kill his lieutenant, S.R. Thompson, and that the said lieutenant repeatedly prevented him in his aim by throwing dirt in his eyes, at or near the old gin house on the day and the date above mentioned.

JESSE RICE

Sworn to and subscribed before me, this 21st day of March, 1904

Fred Taylor, Clerk Circuit Court.”

This incident deserves to rank along with Ney’s use of ammonia at the battle of Ligny, Togo’s mirrors in the glaring sunlight of the Russian harbors and the Moro custom of painting their costumes the color of Philippine clay.

Mr. Rice, who vouches for the authenticity of this incident, will be one of the visitors to the Confederate reunion to be held in Macon May 7.

Editor’s Note: Jesse W. Rice enlisted in the Live Oak Rifles on September 20, 1861, along with his brother Bryant C. Rice. The brothers were both captured at the Battle of Franklin, and eventually sent to Camp Douglas prisoner of war camp. Bryant died on April 16, 1865 of pneumonia, but his brother Rice survived and was released from captivity at the end of the war. He died on February 26, 1905, in Jackson County, Mississippi, and is buried in Havens-Fletcher Cemetery at Vancleave.
 
Very good write-up, indeed! Thank you for sharing.

I work about 10 minutes from the battlefield, and was tempted to once again attend the Illumination Ceremony at Carnton Plantation yesterday late afternoon, but decided to avoid rush hour traffic and head in the opposite direction.

I've always been grateful for the efforts of the Franklin Civil War Trust, and the great orators of the battle, such as Thomas Cartwright & Eric Jacobson, among others. But for some of the Anniversary Events and Tours, at times costing between $30 and $40, sadly can't justify it if I want to attend multiple events.

Granted, the Trust has done a fantastic job in recent years, being able to raise money constantly to buy back parcels of land on the Battlefield, and all praise should go to them, and deservedly so...but I have always wondered why Franklin doesn't simply become Federally owned Land & turned over to the National Park Service, in order to draw more people during this time of the year with the Anniversary, by not having to charge a dime for the events.

Again, maybe I'm in the minority on this, but just something I have always wondered.
 
Granted, the Trust has done a fantastic job in recent years, being able to raise money constantly to buy back parcels of land on the Battlefield, and all praise should go to them, and deservedly so...but I have always wondered why Franklin doesn't simply become Federally owned Land & turned over to the National Park Service, in order to draw more people during this time of the year with the Anniversary, by not having to charge a dime for the events.

Again, maybe I'm in the minority on this, but just something I have always wondered.

As always, especially considering how the land values in the Nashville Metro area have skyrocketed, the issue is MONEY, MONEY, MONEY! Back when I first visited Franklin in 1964 that would likely have been possible - even easy - but at that time there was NO need since the battlefield was pristine, looking much like it had a century earlier. Now - no chance in H*LL.
 
As always, especially considering how the land values in the Nashville Metro area have skyrocketed, the issue is MONEY, MONEY, MONEY! Back when I first visited Franklin in 1964 that would likely have been possible - even easy - but at that time there was NO need since the battlefield was pristine, looking much like it had a century earlier. Now - no chance in H*LL.

I agree completely. Particularly given how expensive it is to live in and around Franklin these days, property values are insane.

It is sad a bit though, to think of all those Veteran groups in the early 1900's that petitioned State & Federal officials to secure and put all that land aside as a testament to what was done & accomplished on that hallowed ground, to then simply be ignored or brushed off. It then became impossible for the last 40 years with all the population growth (and now overgrowth)....breaks your heart a little bit to visit other sites that are larger in size that do the story of the brave men, full justice, and not this sort of hop, skip, and a jump, to find places & spots on the Battlefield.
 
I agree completely. Particularly given how expensive it is to live in and around Franklin these days, property values are insane.

It is sad a bit though, to think of all those Veteran groups in the early 1900's that petitioned State & Federal officials to secure and put all that land aside as a testament to what was done & accomplished on that hallowed ground, and to simply be ignored or brushed off. It then became impossible for the last 40 years with all the population growth (and now overgrowth)....breaks your heart a little bit to visit other sites that are larger in size that do the story of the brave men, full justice, and not this sort of hop, skip, and a jump, to find these sort of places.

Personally, I despise what's happened thirty miles to the east: I remember the Murfreesboro - Franklin Pike where Hardee's Wing of Bragg's army formed for the Stones River assault as being open fields with a couple of Tennessee historical markers. Now that area's completely covered with strip malls and other irreversible development; the historical markers have likewise disappeared.
 
Personally, I despise what's happened thirty miles to the east: I remember the Murfreesboro - Franklin Pike where Hardee's Wing of Bragg's army formed for the Stones River assault as being open fields with a couple of Tennessee historical markers. Now that area's completely covered with strip malls and other irreversible development; the historical markers have likewise disappeared.

Very well said, sir....my exact thoughts for Stones River as well, along with Franklin. So much has been lost over time, to where there was no need for any loss to occur at all. There was ample opportunity for State or Federal Officials to step in earlier and secure that land for future generations to come & learn in full detail, indeed.
 
Another incident in which dirt was used as a weapon: At Allatoona Pass, amidst the hand-to-hand fight at Rowett's Redoubt, Capt. Joseph Boyce in the 1st-4th Missouri Infantry, Cockrell's Missouri Brigade, threw dirt in the eyes of the 39th Iowa's color bearer while Sgt. John M. Ragland went for the flag.

As Capt. Boyce describes it in his memoirs:
As we gained the smoking, roaring parapet I observed the federal flag right in front and made for it; then the thought came up, "I have just gained my captain's commission, give others a chance," and yelled at Sergt. John Ragland of our regiment, "John, go for those colors," and with a daring leap John tore them from their bearer's grasp, who received a clod of hard clay from the hand of the writer between the eyes at the same instant. The flag belonged to an Illinois regiment. John Ragland was sent to Richmond with this flag, and won his lieutenant's commission.
 
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