Action in front yard at Carter house, Battle of Franklin

it's going to get graphic here if anyone has a weak stomach you need to pull away before ordering I understand I do want to warn you though in advance that is what it is is obscene and vile what occurred here and there's no way to sugarcoat it and I'm not a fuse to sugarcoat it I cannot do that but a little warn you okay Farrow fair warning okay as the Confederates burst of the center to the middle of the house area brutal and vicious hand-to-hand fighting a few of thousands of examples a Confederate soldier band headed to death on the front steps yank immediately killed a Yank Benedict close to the front steps into the ground through the body and before the southerner could pull the bayonet out of the ground and wound his hair quote/unquote was crushed by a rifle but his brains splattered everyone around him quote oh whoa Moscow Carter the oldest son later studied that he scraped up a half a bushel basket offerings around those front steps have been crushed out of men's heads Lieutenant Colonel Porter Olsen 36 Illinois shot in the chest at close range they ripped the shutter off the house carried him a little ways his last words we did God please help me and died on the spot a federal drummer boy 15 years old we believe from Illinois kill the middle row trampled over next day he's still laying in that row looking to heaven because that's where his little spirit at flown Alabama color Barrett Bennett to death on the northwest corner of the home a fifth Confederate Irish soldier out of Memphis wwx some bandit at five times in the middle of the road that's just a few examples went from 150 yards north of us both sides of the road amra sunup dykes Brigade just find that slope they quote-unquote they burst the ground like demons and both sides met on the run like waves crashing together now it's like medieval pads with gunpowder involved their club and clawing van-ed and strangling gouging shooting and bitin each other and riding up in a counter-attack major Lieutenant Colonel author McArthur 24th Wisconsin anyone here from Wisconsin shot in his shoulder knocked off his horse rose to a speed out of Confederate major in the middle of the road many believe it's major meat from Arkansas it's not proven not proven but many believe that some whatever but the two officers sought out each other and as they near each other may the major Confederate major shoes magar from the chest with a second wound he falls again he considered the man was dead MacArthur he wasn't and he's looking to the South now waving them in through the breakthrough and as he's looking away Marg Arthur rises to his feet runs a Confederate major completely through with the sword falls to his knees died but the Confederate major with a party shot she spoke Arthur and his right kneecap both men are considered morally wounded unfortunately Confederate major died fortunately brought the garthen to the house on a nashville lid to be the father the famous general of one or two Fame general what history better trade by about what that much so in 20 minutes of just the beginning of the ninth level of hell multiply by 10 times and no words a man can do any justice what occurred here the Federals recaptured the interline about where that house is today and across the road so there's hot on that middle or next trench lines 60 yards south both sides of this road for around 350 yards captain Alban Philbrook 24th Wisconsin coming up to this enter line I believe he looks out of this soldier laying down he says step up stand up and fight like a man stand up and fight like a man at this point what happens to Philbrook whack right between the eyes he falls in the soldier said to the effect well well why don't you stand up and fight like a man now I know that's black flag somber humor but whatever works in combat that's what I've been told by the cotton gin over one embankment remember 7 8 foot ditches they're literally stabbing between through over on top they're pulling each other over by the hair in uniform the thawing rocks and dirt claws and sticks it each other the diner wood are screaming with insanity men's ears are bleeding from the concussion the musketry and cannons are so close to each other one tennessee noted that blood ran in streams making riblets as it flows in the ditches anywhere here from the great state of Texas the great great great state Jeremy grant command that hard-hitting Texas Brigade who clavering called a band of heroes Darryl grant Barry's last words in the middle of the road where appropriately in a Ford men fort never let it be said Texans lag in a fight took it right there died instantly four cannons by the pike first Kentucky battery federal they recapture those guns will them to the right and now add into the carnage in the garden they fire canister down on just shredding them to smithereens to cannons to the left that you in a section of the six Ohio battery firing at point-blank range was stockings full of minie balls they said two sounds could be heard personal roar and crushing and snapping of Confederate bones are so close to the guns when a drummer boy from Missouri 15 years old Confederate ran up one of the cannons stump the mouth of the cannon with a slit rail from a cedar fence line they said they fired the gun and the Gerber boy he exploded like ripe tomato pop a pink mist went straight to heaven immediately there's no painter suffering anymore general Pak clavering called the Stonewall Jackson of the West as many of you know Robert Lee said a pack Claver that he shone like a meteor on a cloudless sky as you probably know before they stepped off and reply to Brigadier General he said go VIN if we are to die they let us die like men his first horse was killed 80 yards of courage in incredibly just trying to mount a second horse when I believe a 3-inch high secure shell just disemboweled a horse how many of you know what a Hodgkiss shell is let's hold a long handle ball how about that long cannonball disemboweled the horse now on foot at the moment of his destiny the 36 year old Major General disappears will smoke waving his cap called kepi sword drone when that instantly hit him a belt right here some say here either which way I doubt he was alive when he hit the if he was just a few seconds just a few seconds bodies are starting to stack and stack in these 7-foot ditches where our boys hitting the neck he's screaming he's sorting to collapse by Manickam he'll top of him and he disappears they're standing on general OS stroll from Ohio Confederate General he's low like I'm driving in the mainline this boy asking what shall we do general he said keep firing keep firing he takes a neck one they carry him 20 feet he takes another head one or two Adams coming from the east shot in the shoulder around the former golf course and yes that's a part of the battlefield an integral part of the battlefield his staff pigs and lead the field he said now I see my men through he rides his horse about 150 yards to the east of us the Federals the 65th up Illinois or screaming don't shoot him he's too brain to die don't shoot him rise his horse on top of the works grab the colors the 65th Illinois LTC Scott of the color guard shuttled through both legs got a lot of fighting the fan rose carry him close to the GM place cotton Anita's head gave him water he told they told him he was too pretty to die he thanked them for the kindness and his last words tests the duty of a soldier to doctor his country a West Point class of 46 and he did die for his country by 502 it's pitch dark I'm estimating they came to the center of town for 25 maybe for 30 something like that but now the 112 little Lord from the eat Lewisburg Pike comes over here they attack the garden area they claim all friendly casually fires fire friendly casualties friendly fire casualties semi fired Illinois I believe attack through the garden area at dark and they claim the same thing I cannot remember the numbers right now excuse me by seven o'clock that night and Johnson's Confederate division Oh Club Brantley and sharks Mississippi brigades these Alabama mana ghosts Samuel and Alabama Brigade but attack them alone with torches torches on both palms the lens would any of you like to volunteer the care of the torch not I not even Robert Ely could make me hold it here I'd be shaking it out here as much as I could I promise you that but they captured force on land three battle flags Bert they're getting it from both sides and the bottom line so far in about 450 yards we estimate about 4,000 Americans killed and wounded 650 yards over 6,000 killed or wounded five hours you got about nine thousand Americans killed and wounded but that is numbers and I like numbers that ain't getting anything numbers nothing virtually this much just this much of the toll is that literally we're reviewing bodies were three four five six seventy like cordwood men were found standing up difficult I couldn't fall down colonel FSS staff or 31st Tennessee in the Carden area stand up why bodies up to his waist he looks like he's commanding corpses and there's a lot of other people like that and if you're called it so many more between two fields on fire and you're in the middle of that mess they're not going to find a lot left of you because you're going to be shot to pieces you're blown apart you're shocked the shreds as they and so that gives you maybe 1/10 1/100 of 1% of what happened here I know you're on a time crunch that's why I'm rushing speaking quickly but that doesn't give you anything what I've just told you but maybe just an inkling just an inkling only time I really see anything is when I'm half asleep half awake that's when I'll see things that I will not allow myself to see right now I can't allow myself to see that's too painful

Channel: bloghistorian

Views: 47,443

Rating: 4.9178081 out of 5

Keywords: Thomas, Cartwright, Carter, House, Battle, of, Franklin

Id: n574JQb-PWE

Length: 10min 37sec (637 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 22 2008