Battle Report of Brig. Gen. Wirt Adams, C.S. Army, commanding Central District of Mississippi, on Battle of Franklin, Mississippi, January 2, 1865.
From the O.R., Series I, Volume 45, Part 1, pages 873-875.
HEADQUARTERS CENTRAL DISTRICT OF MISSISSIPPI,
Canton, Miss., January 12, 1865.
CAPTAIN: In compliance with the order of the major-general commanding, requiring a report of the engagement with the enemy at Franklin, Holmes County, on the 2d instant, I have the honor to submit the following:
Colonel Griffith’s command, returning from Morton, reached Canton on the 30th ultimo, and was ordered to take position near Goodman, thirty-two miles north of this, for the purpose of intercepting, in obedience to the orders of the major-general commanding, the raid under Grierson, then reported to be moving west from Egypt Station, on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, in case it turned in a southern or southwesterly direction. Moorman’s battalion, which had just reached Livingston from North Mississippi, was also ordered to Canton and directed to encamp in the vicinity of Colonel Griffith and await further orders. I had the bridge at Goodman carefully examined and repaired, with the view of the prompt crossing of the command at that point, and sent scouts, under Capt. Sam Henderson, up by railroad as far as Vaiden, to give me early information of the enemy’s movements. The telegraphic operators along the railroad were also requested to furnish me the earliest information regarding the enemy’s movements. On the 30th the operator at Vaiden reported the enemy at Winona and the main column as having gone to Grenada. At 3 o’clock on the afternoon of the 31st the operator at Vaiden left his office, without explanation, further than to say he had gone to look for the enemy, and the result was that no reliable information was received of the enemy’s advance in this direction until 7.30 p.m. on the 1st instant, when dispatches from Durant reported the arrival of the enemy at West Station, ten miles above, and the burning of the station house at 7 p.m. I at once dispatched couriers to Colonel Griffith, with orders to cross Big Black at Goodman, and to regulate his movement [so as] to occupy the bridge before daylight with his advance, and to have his whole command west of the river by sunrise on the morning of the 2d. Lieutenant-Colonel Moorman was ordered to move at such an hour during the night as to reach the bridge by 8 o’clock the same morning and report to Colonel Griffith.
On my joining Colonel Griffith, by railroad, at 9 o’clock on the morning of the 2d, I found that Moorman’s battalion had not come up, and that all but fifteen or twenty of Colonel Gober’s (Louisiana) command had deserted during the previous night, thus leaving an effective total of only 330 men. At 11 o’clock Captain Henderson reported by telegraph from Durant that the main column of the enemy was moving toward Lexington, and that a detachment of from 600 to 800 was moving toward Franklin and would join the main column at Ebenezer. I immediately moved the command forward at a rapid trot toward Franklin, sending a squadron of Colonel Wood’s regiment in advance to Franklin, to occupy the forks of the road at that place and check the enemy in case he was likely to reach there before we did. Colonel Wood took command of this squadron himself and went forward at a gallop. When the head of our column was within two miles of Franklin a force of the enemy, estimated at from 400 to 600 strong, suddenly appeared upon our right flank, coming up a side road, commenced forming rapidly in an open field, and opened fire upon our column. I subsequently learned that this detachment was sent to capture 800 Government hogs which were at Goodman, burn the bridge at that point, and the railroad bridge across Big Black. I at once turned the head of the column and charged the enemy across the open field, but he broke and fled in disorder before we reached his line. The difficulty and delay in crossing several deep gulleys in the field so checked our pursuit as to enable the enemy to escape; and as rapid firing was now heard in the direction of Franklin, I sent Colonel Wood’s regiment forward at a gallop to his support, and hurried forward the remainder of the command. On coming up I found that Colonel Wood had been driven back a short distance by overwhelming numbers. When his regiment came up repeated charges and counter charges were made, his men contesting the ground with great gallantry and resolution. Meantime the enemy, whose main force to the number of 3,000 were present, formed three lines of battle on a commanding hill at Franklin, and re-enforced heavily in front whenever driven back. With the view of striking him an effective blow in flank, Colonel Griffith took a squadron of Wood’s regiment and moved around on the enemy’s right, and about the same time I dismounted the Arkansas regiment and sent it forward at a double-quick to attack in flank the force engaged with Colonel Wood. The flank attack was momentarily successful, and the enemy gave way, but was re-enforced and pressed forward a second time. The fight now became general along the whole front and obstinately contested, but such were the preponderating numbers of the enemy and so strong his position that he could not be driven.
Finding the Arkansas regiment was much exposed on the left, I retired my whole line slowly and in order and formed in a more advantageous position, a short distance in the rear of the first, thinking the enemy would attack; but after skirmishing for a short time he retired with his whole command, moving off across open fields on the Ebenezer road, leaving his dead and part of his wounded in our hands.
Lieutenant-Colonel Moorman did not reach the field until two hours after the fight closed, and I was thus deprived of the aid of more than one-third of my force.
My command having been without rations or forage for twenty-four hours, and jaded by want of rest, and the enemy moving off in such order as to preclude successful attack in flank or rear, I did not pursue that evening, but sent Moorman’s battalion next morning in pursuit, and moved the remainder of the command to a position to cover the Central railroad and Big Black bridge and protect the county of Madison. The enemy made a forced march of twenty-seven miles from 2 o’clock on the afternoon of the 2d, making fifty miles that day, and starting before daylight the next morning, hastened on to Vicksburg, outstripping all pursuit.
I inclose chief surgeon’s report of the casualties of my command.* The loss of the enemy was not accurately ascertained, but was doubtless larger than our own.
I am, captain, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
WIRT ADAMS,
Brigadier-General.
Capt. P. Ellis, Jr.,
Asst. Adjt. Gen., Dist. of Miss. and East La., Jackson, Miss.
*Nominal list (omitted) shows 3 officers and 12 men wounded, 2 officers and 5 men killed; total 22.
Notes on Battle of Franklin, Mississippi, January 2, 1865 taken from Anthony C. Rushing’s book Ranks of Honor, A Regimental History of the Eleventh Arkansas Infantry Regiment & Poe’s Cavalry Battalion C.S.A., 1861-1865 (1990), pages 83-89:
The famous Federal cavalry General, Benjamin Grierson, had left Memphis, Tennessee on December 22, 1864 with about 3,500 men in order to destroy the Mobile and Ohio Railroad in Mississippi. Confederate authorities then alerted General Wirt Adams and his cavalry, including the 11th and 17th Arkansas Infantry (Mounted) to intercept the bold intruders. At dawn on New Year’s Day of 1865, Colonel Emery Osband of the 3rd U.S. Colored Cavalry left Winona, Mississippi and rode along the Mississippi Central Railroad before moving toward Ebenezer and Benton along the Franklin Pike.
During the evening of January 1, 1865, General Adams learned that the Federal force was then ten miles above his current position; he then ordered Colonel John Griffith to take his regiment, the 11th/17th Arkansas Infantry, across the Big Black River at Goodman, occupy the bridge, and have his command west of the river by dawn on January 2. Unfortunately, as documented above in Wirt Adams’ battle report, Moorman’s Battalion had not arrived at the designated time and Colonel Grober’s unit has drastically shrank in size due to desertions the night before. General Adams’ combined force now stood at about 330 men -- this to halt approximately 3,000 Federals under General Grierson.
Approximately two miles out of Franklin, along Big Cypress Creek, Wirt Adams’ outnumbered Confederates met Grierson’s Yankee troopers. Colonel Wood’s detachment, previously sent by Wirt Adams to hold the intersection of the Franklin and Ebenezer roads, was in serious danger, being pressed hard by the Federal forces, including at this time, the 11th Illinois Cavalry, 4th Illinois Cavalry, and the 3rd U.S. Colored Cavalry. General Adams then sent Colonel John Griffith with a squadron of Colonel Wood’s men to attack the right flank of the Federals in order to distract the Federals and allow Wood to extract himself from his situation. This flank attack by Colonel Griffith took place primarily against the 11th Illinois Cavalry and a portion of the 4th Illinois Cavalry. At the same time, Wirt Adams ordered Lieutenant-Colonel Dotson of the 11th/17th Arkansas Infantry to dismount and attack at the double-quick against the left flank of the Yankee force -- mostly units of the 4th Illinois Cavalry. The 3rd U.S. Colored Cavalry were in the center of the Federal force and were directly across from Wood’s Regiment.
The 11th/17th Arkansas Infantry under Lieutenant-Colonel Dotson’s command was in danger of being flanked, so Wirt Adams ordered their orderly withdrawal. Fortunately the Yankee troopers had had enough that day, so they disengaged and retired down the Ebenezer Road, leaving their dead and wounded behind. Technically holding the field of battle and by definition, “winners”, Wirt Adams Confederates were unable to stop the Federal troopers under General Grierson from continuing onto Vicksburg and so failed in their mission. Federal losses that day were 6 killed, 9 wounded/captured, and 2 missing; Rebel casualties were, as described above, 15 wounded and killed.
After this action at Franklin, Mississippi on January 2, 1865, Colonel John Griffith was once again placed in command of the brigade, and was briefly in command of the Department of Southwest Mississippi and Eastern Louisiana. In February, the 11th and 17th Consolidated Arkansas Infantry (Mounted) had shrank to about 200 effectives commanded by Colonel John Griffith; the unit was then placed into a new brigade commanded by General Sul Ross of Texas. This brigade, now within General W.H. Jackson’s Cavalry Division, included not only Colonel Griffith’s 11th/17th Arkansas Infantry, but also the 3rd Texas Cavalry, 6th Texas Cavalry, 9th Texas Cavalry, Cobb’s Scouts, and Willis’ Battalion.
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