Franklin–Nashville campaign

The Franklin–Nashville campaign, also called Hood's Tennessee campaign, was a series of many battles in the Western Theater. These happened from September 18 to December 27, 1864, in Alabama, Tennessee, and northwestern Georgia. This was part of the American Civil War.

Franklin–Nashville campaign
Part of the American Civil War
Union army at Nashville, December 1864
Date 18 September – 27 December 1864 Location Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee Result Union victory; end of large-scale fighting in the Western Theater.
Belligerents
United States (Union)	Confederate States
Commanders and leaders
George H. Thomas John Schofield	John B. Hood
Units involved
Army of the Cumberland Army of the Ohio	Army of Tennessee
Strength
65,501 (Nov. 20) 75,194 (Nov. 30) 75,153 (Dec. 10)	44,719 (Nov. 6) 36,426 (Dec. 10)
Casualties and losses
6,598 (725 KIA, 4,424 WIA, 1,445 MIA/POW) ~7,000	15,097 (2,277 KIA, 8,017 WIA, 4,742 MIA/POW) ~10,000 (not including deserters, missing, and captured)

The Confederate Army of Tennessee was led by Lieutenant General John B. Hood. They started from Atlanta and threatened Major General William T. Sherman's communications. At first, Sherman's army tried to attack Hood's army. However, he decided to return to Atlanta and began his March to the Sea. This left Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas's army to deal with Hood.

Hood wanted to defeat Maj. Gen. John Schofield's army before it joined Thomas's army. That happened at the Battle of Spring Hill on Tuesday, November 29. However, the Confederate attacks were done badly. Also, the U.S. forces had strong leadership. This allowed Schofield to escape. The next day, Hood made many frontal assaults against Schofield's army at the Battle of Franklin. Hood had many casualties from this battle. Schofield left the area and joined with Thomas in Nashville, Tennessee. On December 15–16, Thomas's bigger army attacked Hood's worse army. Thomas's army won against Hood's army in the Battle of Nashville. This led to Hood retreating to Tupelo, Mississippi. Hood resigned after the battle.

Franklin–Nashville Campaign Media

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  Kentucky-Northern Tennessee, 1864

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  Southern Tennessee-Alabama, 1864

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  Map of the Franklin–Nashville campaign*     Confederate*     Union

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  Hood's advance from Florence to Columbia

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  Actions at Spring Hill, afternoon, November 29, 1864

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  Hood's approach and attacks against Wagner's advanced line

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  The Battle of Nashville, December 15–16

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  Lt. Gen.John B. Hood
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  Maj. Gen.Benjamin F. Cheatham

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Adelman, Garry; Jacobson, Eric A; Jacobson, Eric A (December 13, 2021). Tour Stop 31: Spring Hill: The Prelude to Franklin (YouTube). Washington, DC: American Battlefield Trust. Event occurs at 17:41.
• Connelly, Thomas Lawrence (2001). Autumn of Glory: The Army of Tennessee, 1862--1865. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8071-2738-4. OCLC 47948904.
• Eicher, David J.; McPherson, James M.; McPherson, James Alan (2001). The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War (PDF) (1st ed.). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. p. 990. ISBN 978-0-7432-1846-7. LCCN 2001034153. OCLC 231931020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
• Esposito, Vincent J. (1959). West Point Atlas of American Wars. New York, NY: Frederick A. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 978-0-8050-3391-5. OCLC 60298522. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
• Jacobson, Eric A.; Rupp, Richard A. (2007). For Cause & for Country: A Study of the Affair at Spring Hill & the Battle of Franklin. Franklin, TN: O'More Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9717444-4-8. OCLC 428436180.
• Jacobson, Eric A (June 26, 2021). John Bell Hood and the Mysteries of Spring Hill, with Eric Jacobson (YouTube). Lopndon, UK: ACWRTUK (American Civil War Round Table UK). Event occurs at 32:14. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
• Jacobson, Eric A (November 12, 2020). On The Battlefield: The Battle of Franklin (YouTube). Franklin, TN: The Battle of Franklin Trust. Event occurs at 23:40. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
• Kennedy, Frances H., ed. (1998). The Civil War Battlefield Guide (Kindle) (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN 0-395-74012-6. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
• McPherson, James M.; Gottlieb, Richard (1989). Battle Chronicles of the Civil war. Vol. 4. New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Company ; Collier Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 978-0-02-920661-4. OCLC 1164541109.
• Nevin, David (1986). Sherman's March: Atlanta To The Sea. Alexandria, VA: Silver Burdett. ISBN 978-0-8094-4812-8. OCLC 1003113620.
• Sword, Wiley (1993). The Confederacy's Last Hurrah: Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-0650-4. OCLC 1285470936.
• Thrasher, C.D. (2021). Suffering in the Army of Tennessee: A Social History of the Confederate Army of the Heartland from the Battles for Atlanta to the Retreat from Nashville. Voices of the Civil War series. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 978-1-62190-641-4. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
• U.S. War Department (1889). Operations in Kentucky, Southwest Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and North Georgia. November 14, 1864-January 22, 1865., Part I - Reports, Union and Confederate Correspondence, etc. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XLV-LVII-I. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 53–55, 663. hdl:2027/coo.31924077743031. OCLC 857196196. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• Welcher, Frank Johnson (1989). The Western Theater. The Union Army, 1861-1865: Organization and Operations. Vol. 2. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-36454-8. OCLC 1089613807.
• Wills, Brian Steel (1992). The Confederacy's greatest cavalryman : Nathan Bedford Forrest. Lawrence, Kans.: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-0885-0. OCLC 229214710.
• "10 Facts: The Battle of Franklin". www.battlefields.org. American Battlefield Trust. October 8, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
• Henderson, Steward (January 13, 2009). "African Americans in the Civil War". www.battlefields.org. American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
• "Book: Baptism of Fire, An Interview with Eric Jacobson". www.battlefields.org. American Battlefield Trust. October 8, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
• Cooling, B. Franklin, Dr (October 8, 2022). "The Decisive Battle of Nashville: December 15-16, 1864". www.battlefields.org. American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
• Cartwright, Thomas Y. (October 8, 2022). "Franklin: The Valley of Death". www.battlefields.org. American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
• Biggs, Greg (October 8, 2022). "The Battle of Nashville: The Crushing Blow of a Forlorn Hope". www.battlefields.org. American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
• "Allatoona". nps.gov. U.S. National Park Service. January 19, 2007. Archived from the original on July 28, 2005. Retrieved September 14, 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• "Columbia". nps.gov. U.S. National Park Service. January 19, 2004. Archived from the original on December 30, 2005. Retrieved December 14, 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• "Decatur". nps.gov. U.S. National Park Service. January 19, 2004. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• "Franklin". nps.gov. U.S. National Park Service. January 19, 2004. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• "Civil War Battle Summaries by Campaign". nps.gov. U.S. National Park Service. January 19, 2004. Archived from the original on April 9, 2005. Retrieved December 14, 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• "Johnsonville". nps.gov. U.S. National Park Service. January 19, 2004. Archived from the original on December 26, 2005. Retrieved September 14, 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• "Decatur". U.S. National Park Service. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• "Nashville". U.S. National Park Service. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• "Spring Hill". U.S. National Park Service. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• "The Battle of Franklin". The Battle of Franklin Trust. July 18, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
• Jacobson, Eric A (May 4, 2023). Chalkboard History: Franklin Myths (YouTube). Franklin, TN: The Battle of Franklin Trust. Event occurs at 23:40. Retrieved May 31, 2023.

Further reading

• Hood, Stephen M. John Bell Hood: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of a Confederate General. El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, 2013. ISBN 978-1-61121-140-5.
• Knight, James R. Hood's Tennessee Campaign: The Desperate Venture of a Desperate Man. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2014. ISBN 978-1-62619-597-4.
• Watson, Elbert L. (1972). "John Bell Hood's Tennessee Campaign in 1864". Huntsville Historical Review (Huntsville, Alabama: Huntsville-Madison County Historical Society) 2 (4): 27-48.

      . . https://louis.uah.edu/huntsville-historical-review/vol2/iss4/5. Retrieved April 25, 2025. 

Other websites

• Franklin–Nashville campaign at American History Central
• Franklin–Nashville campaign at Ohio Civil War Central