Nashville Battle of Nashville - Day 1

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May 18, 2005
Location
Spring Hill, Tennessee
The Nashville daily union., December 17, 1864, Image 2, col. 1, p. 1

“WHAT HOOD INTENDED.”

“It may not be inappropriate, before narrating what Hood and his Lieutenant did, to detail what they intended; and upon this subject, my information appears to be pretty correct. A few days since, Gen. Hood, and some of his staff, together with Cheatham, were at the house of a gentleman with whom I conversed to-day, and who was within their lines, and while there, Hood stated that he had intended, at first, to assault Nashville; that while he felt confident he could do so with success, he had concluded that the sacrifice would be too great, unless called upon to do so, as a last resort. He proposed instead, to blockade the Cumberland, above and below, and cut the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, and then Thomas would be compelled to evacuate the city; “for,” said Hood, “he has but the 4th corps, and a few conscripts; I know that all the stories about his strength are false: his men are few and demoralized;” and all present concurred with him. No longer ago than Wednesday night, Cheatham stated, as I am positively informed, that he had no doubts about capturing this city. “We have taken stronger places,”were his words, “and we will take Nashville.” Gov. Harris, too, appears to have entertained no doubts on the subject, as he issued a flaming proclamation, in which he called out everybody to come to the rescue, and redeem the State. …

Regarding operations of the 15th: "The informant stated that his house was between the first and second line of the rebels and on the end of the 1st day’s fight. On the evening of the 15th officers that passed his house were “not slow in expressing both disappointment, and chagrin.”


Chattanooga Daily Gazette, (Chattanooga, TN) Sunday, December 25, 1864; Issue 255; col C
The Great Battle at Nashville … of Our Troops

“Between nine and ten o’clock the mists receded before a brisk wind, and occasional bursts of sunshine imparted a strange beauty…”

“During the morning our troops were ordered to chare the first line of rebel breastworks on Rains’ Bluff, on our left, which they did with resistless impetuosity, under a raking fire, and routed the rebels completely. The 12th, 13th, 14th 17th 44th and 111th colored troops suffered considerably in this very gallant charge. The 17th lost a Captain killed and a Lieutenant wounded.”

Beatty moved into the line of defense in front of the Acklin Place and “led a charge upon the rebel fortifications driving them impetuously from their strong position, and planting his own batteries upon them. We took some fifty prisoners in this charge.”

“They manifested very little of the furious desperation which marked them at Franklin.”

“The gunboats made themselves felt in this part of the contest by shelling the rebels with continuous volleys, which fairly shook the city at times. One of their shells dropped in a large building filled with rebel sharpshooters, who annoyed us excessively, and rent it acome.”

On the left, Steedman attacks Cheatham. “From half past 7 o’clock till eleven an incessant fire of musketry and artillery was kept up, and the rebels believed that our troops were making the contest there in … The first line of rebel defense was in Rains’ wood, being the one held by Gen. Steedman on the 2d inst., and subsequently abandoned. … Skirmishers were thrown forward under a galling fire, and the 18th Ohio pushing on at a double quick, charged the rebel works, traversing an intervening space of over three hundred yards of perfectly open ground, which left them wholly unsheltered from the fire of the rebel guns.”

He states that “with shouts and cheers, drove the occupants back pell-mell, and remained their until they were ordered to fall back. The 18th had one gallant officer killed in the charge. Captain Grosvenor, cousin to Lieutenant Colonel Grosvenor, was shot through the head.”

“The record of the day would be incomplete were we to omit the admirable bearing and dauntless heroism of the colored troops, not a man of whom faltered in the face of the sweeping, deadly fire of the rebel entrenchments.”
 
"He proposed instead, to blockade the Cumberland, above and below, and cut the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, and then Thomas would be compelled to evacuate the city; “for,” said Hood, “he has but the 4th corps, and a few conscripts;"
I think some of Thomas's "conscripts" were a bit tougher than many thought they would be!

Kevin Dally
 
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