Five Tragic Hours: The Battle of Franklin

by James Lee McDonough, Thomas Lawrence Connelly

On a November afternoon in 1864, the weary General John Bell Hood surveyed the army waiting to attack the Federals at Franklin, Tennessee. He gave the signal almost at dusk, and the Confederates rushed forward to utter devastation. This book describes the events and causes of the five-hour battle in gripping detail, particularly focusing on the reasons for such slaughter at a time when the outcome of the war had already been decided. The genesis of the senseless tragedy, according to McDonough and Connelly, lay in the appointment of Hood to command the Army of Tennessee. It was his decision to throw a total force of some 20,000 men into an ill-advised frontal assault against the Union troops. The Confederates made their approach, without substantial artillery support, on a level of some two miles. Why did Hood select such a catastrophic strategy? The authors analyze his reasoning in full. Their vivid and moving narrative, with statements from eyewitnesses to the battle, makes compelling reading for all Civil War buffs and historians.

Genres: Civil War, History, American Civil War, Military History, Civil War Western Theater, Nonfiction

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

James Lee McDonough is professor of history at Auburn University.

Reviews

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heart-rending... however, I really need to read the new biography of John Bell Hood, because it challenges the opinion, expressed in this book and others, that he was arrogant and reckless and wanted to force his troops into a frontal assault to overcome their "cowardice." Hood comes off badly in this book and, as with any commander who is vilified, one needs to consider the source(s). The human cost of Franklin was incontrovertibly awful;this short narrative takes you as close to hell as any one would want to get,to understand this tragic battle.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

A poorly written account of this famous Civil War Battle.

[Christopher Cerone · Rating 5 out of 5]

These two fine historians assemble an incredibly riveting account of the vicious Battle of Franklin during the Civil War. They make clear that the once fearsome Army of Tennessee was on life support heading into the battle, after failures in Georgia and burdened by the maniacally incompetent leadership of General J.B. Hood. The Confederate general was desperate for a big win and eager to be like Robert E. Lee, to no avail. He lusted to regain Kentucky and Tennessee (“Mother Earth”) in 1864 but had neither the strategic prowess nor sufficient men and materiel required to do so. In great and often graphic detail, the authors describe how Hood’s decision to attack the well-fortified Union troops at Franklin as “reckless” and “suicidal”, resulting in 1,750 Confederate deaths in five hours. Franklin was one of the bloodiest battles of the war. Despite the gallantry of many men, including the respected Gen. Cleburne, the Confederates suffered a largely forgotten loss that put an exclamation point on the demise of the Army of the Tennessee.

[Sean Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is fitting that I finished this book the day Lee's statue came down in New Orleans. Franklin was to the Confederates what Culloden was to the Jacobites. This is a book from another era. The story is told mostly from the Confederate point of view and describes in visceral detail the bloodbath at Franklin. It is a tale of wasted valor. It is a tale that in the future few will tell nor care to hear. The Confederacy is fast being seen as the Nazis of the nineteenth century, eviscerating the complexity and humanity of a tragic era. It was a rotten cause and yet I cannot deny feeling pity and horror at reading about the carnage that swirled about the Carter House.

This is better written than most McDonough books, but it does suffer from a lack of footnotes. That said, it generally correlates rather well with other books on the subject.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good account of Spring Hill and Franklin, with a good analysis of the strategy and tactics used by both sides during this time. The authors also include a fine commentary on the sources used in their research. If I had to criticize anything about the book, it would be the orders of battle, especially the Confederates; officer casualties along with changes in command aren't noted, and each Confederate regiment is listed separately, even though many were consolidated.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living in Franklin, I can feel the ghosts of the dead all around me.

[Robert Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having just returned from the Franklin Tennessee battlefield the descriptions, and the horror of this battle take on an additional power. This book is written with a vivid brush and is a fine book.

[Clifford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book I have read recently that focuses on the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee, fought on November 30, 1864. My particular interest in that battle arises because my great-grandfather was there on the Federal side, in the middle of the Union line. The authors focus more on the Confederate side due to their interest in the Army of Tennessee. By the time of the Battle of Franklin, the once mighty Army of Tennessee had been reduced by casualties and conflicts among its commanders to a ghost, as the authors say, of its former self. Even so, it was still a dangerous force, striving to chase the Federals out of Tennessee. However, at the Battle of Franklin, the Confederates threw themselves onto the fixed Federal works and were decimated. The authors are very critical of the Confederate commanders, especially General Hood, for poor decisions and personality clashes. The authors praise the valor of the soldiers and the lesser commanders, but show how that valor was wasted by their senior commanders.

[Reggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good account of the Battle of Franklin complete with maps and photos. I found it easy and enjoyable to read. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that the author states as fact the drunkenness of Gen. Hood, but this has been disputed in contemporary accounts. My opinion is that the author should have stated this as a possibility rather than fact. Regardless, I still consider this book one of my top references on Franklin.

[Chris Gager · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might be the book I read. A good account of this famous bloody battle south of Nashville that preceded and helped determine the outcome of the battle of Nashville. As I recall it anyway. The book I read also contained a briefer account of the Nashville stuff. Date is a guess.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping story of an epic battle that was the last for the Confederates in the West. As I was recently recently reminded, "Those southern boys could fight!" Alas, they were poorly led and outgunned at Franklin.

[Margaret Boehm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good read for the period.