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{{Infobox NRHP | name = Fort Granger
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Fort Granger
| nrhp_type =
| nrhp_type =
| image = FT. GRANGER.jpg
| image = Fort Granger - Franklin TN - Earthworks 02.jpg
| caption =
| caption = Fort Granger's earthworks
| location= Off Liberty Pike, [[Franklin, Tennessee]]
| location = 113 Fort Granger Franklin, TN 37065 [[Franklin, Tennessee]]
| coordinates = {{coord|35|55|33|N|86|51|38|W|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates = {{coord|35|55|33|N|86|51|38|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Tennessee#USA
| locmapin = Tennessee#USA
| built = 1862
| built = 1862
| added = January 8, 1973
| added = January 8, 1973
| area = {{convert|20|acre}}
| area = {{convert|20|acre}}
⚫
| refnum = 73001858<ref name=nris>{{NRISref|version=2009a}}</ref>
| governing_body = Local
⚫
| refnum = 73001858<ref name=nris>{{NRISref|version=2009a}}</ref>
}}
}}


'''Fort Granger''' was a Union fort built in 1862 in [[Franklin, Tennessee|Franklin]], [[Tennessee]], south of [[Nashville]], after their forces occupied the state during the American Civil War. One of several fortifications constructed in the [[Franklin Battlefield]], the fort was used by Union troops to defend their positions in [[Middle Tennessee]] against Confederate attackers. The [[Second Battle of Franklin]] in 1864, part of the [[Franklin-Nashville Campaign]] in the [[Western Theater of the American Civil War|Western Theater]], was the most notable engagement of this area during the Civil War.
⚫
'''Fort Granger''' constitutes the site and the remains of a Union fort in the [[American Civil War]]. Located in [[Franklin, Tennessee]] near [[Nashville]], it is now a city park, near the city center.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.franklin-gov.com/government/parks/facilities-and-parks/park-locations-maps/park-locations/fort-granger |title=Fort Granger |website=www.franklin-gov.com |accessdate=10 July 2016}}</ref>. One of several fortifications constructed in Franklin, [[Franklin Battlefield|a battlefield in the Civil War]], the site includes trenches dug by Civil War soldiers.

Accessible on the southern side via a trail from [[Pinkerton Park]], the Fort Granger site includes a a boardwalk that offers a view of the [[Harpeth Rover]] and extends through part of the site itself.<ref name=":0" />
⚫
Today, Fort Granger's remaining earthworks are preserved within a city park that is located near the center of Franklin. Fort Granger is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.franklin-gov.com/government/parks/facilities-and-parks/park-locations-maps/park-locations/fort-granger |title=Fort Granger |website=www.franklin-gov.com |access-date=10 July 2016}}</ref> The site is accessible to the public via a trail from [[Pinkerton Park]]. Its grounds include a boardwalk offering a view of the [[Harpeth River]] and extending through part of the fort's site.<ref name=":0" />


==History==
==History==
===As a fort===
⚫
The [[Union Army]] captured [[Nashville]] early in 1862 and occupied Franklin within a few weeks.<ref>{{Cite book|title = The 1864 Franklin-Nashville Campaign: The Finishing Stroke|last = Smith|first = Michael Thomas|publisher = Praeger|year = 2014|isbn = 978-0-313-39234-4|location = Santa Barbara|pages = 7}}</ref> The troops occupying Franklin were under the command of Maj. Gen. [[Gordon Granger]], for whom the fort is named.<ref name=":1">"Fort Granger". Historical marker, 113 Fort Granger Dr, Franklin, TN 37064</ref> The [[Union Army]], fearful of local unrest and Confederate [[guerrillas]], began planning and construction for an artillery position that would protect the Nashville railroad line nearby.<ref>{{Cite journal|url = |title = James Hogan, Jr., and the Conflicts of Antebellum Southern Identity in Williamson County|last = Holladay|first = Bob|date = Spring 2009|journal = Tennessee Historical Quarterly|doi = |pmid = |access-date = March 24, 2015|pages = 20–39}}</ref> Construction began in 1863 and was overseen by Capt. W. E. Morrill.<ref name=":1" />
====Construction, early use====
⚫
After the [[Union Army]] captured [[Nashville]] early in 1862, Union troops under the command of Major General [[Gordon Granger]] occupied Franklin within a few weeks<ref name=":1">"Fort Granger". Historical marker, 113 Fort Granger Dr, Franklin, TN 37064</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title = The 1864 Franklin-Nashville Campaign: The Finishing Stroke|last = Smith|first = Michael Thomas|publisher = Praeger|year = 2014|isbn = 978-0-313-39234-4|location = Santa Barbara|pages = 7}}</ref> The Union Army, fearful of local unrest and Confederate [[guerrillas]], began planning and construction of an artillery position to protect the Nashville railroad line nearby.<ref>{{Cite journal|title =Review: James Hogan, Jr., and the Conflicts of Antebellum Southern Identity in Williamson County|last = Holladay|first = Bob|date = Spring 2009|journal = Tennessee Historical Quarterly|pages = 20–39}}</ref> Construction of Fort Granger, named for Major General Gordon Granger, began in 1863, and was overseen by Captain W. E. Morrill.<ref name=":1" />

⚫
Fort Granger was built on [[Figuer's Bluff]], north of the [[Harpeth River]] and parallel to the railroad to Nashville.<ref name=":2" /> Siting it on the bluff enabled strategic military control over the Harpeth River bridge of the [[Tennessee and Alabama Railroad]]. The fort also had control over the southern and northern approaches to Franklin.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url = http://www.civilwarlandscapes.org/cwla/states/tn/frkn/fg/places/fg09.htm|title = Battlefield Tours Fort Granger|date = December 26, 2010|access-date = March 24, 2015|website = Civil War Landscapes}}</ref>

⚫
The completed fort comprised nearly 275,000 square feet.<ref name=":2" /> It is approximately 781 feet long and 346 wide.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Who Built Fort Granger?|last = McNutt|first = Kraig W.|publisher = The Center for the Study of the Civil War|year = 2014}}</ref> Its entrance was called the "[[sally port]]."<ref name=":3" /> The strongest part of the fortification, called "The Cavalier," was the location where the ground was the highest.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url = http://civil-war-journeys.org/images/DSC06780.JPG|title = The Cavalier|access-date = 24 March 2015|website = Civil War Journeys}}</ref> This "fort within a fort" was meant for use during overpowering attacks where defenders could make a final stand against invaders.<ref name=":4" /> The Cavalier was ideal for artillery because it provided the best view of the surrounding landscape.<ref name=":4" />

Union troops and some [[Contraband (American Civil War)|refugee contraband slaves]] built Fort Granger.<ref name=":6">Historical marker: "We could see every troop and every gun," located at Fort Granger</ref> James L. Rogers, 98th Ohio Infantry, wrote a letter dated June 4, 1863 that lists some of the Federal units who constructed Fort Granger. Rogers said,
⚫
<blockquote>"For the last 2 months and over we have been camped in, near Franklin, Tenn.. While our stay there, our time was principally occupied in working on the fortifications and scouting occasionally. And on the 2nd day of June General Grainger’s commenced including the 125th.O., 124th., O, 113th., O., 121st.O., 98th.O., 40th.O., 115th.ILL., 96th., ILL., 12ILL., & 84th Ind., and 2 or 3 regts of cavalry & 3 battries left Franklin at 6 a.m."<ref>The Kraig McNutt Civil War Collection, https://battleoffranklin.wordpress.com/about-your-guide/</ref></blockquote>The Samuel Boyd Map shows the positions of the Federal unit's camp sites at Franklin in 1863.<ref>[http://jewlscholar.mtsu.edu/bitstream/handle/mtsu/4875/Flagel_mtsu_0170E_10561.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y ''The Fortress War: Effect of Union Fortifications in the Western Theater of the American Civil War''], by Thomas R. Flagel. Middle Tennessee State University, 2016. Doctoral dissertation. p 44.</ref>

⚫
The Union position in Franklin was initially secure, and Fort Granger had only a small garrison.<ref name=":2" /> Union troops hanged two Confederate spies on June 9, 1863.<ref name=":2" /> The fort's artillery was used twice in 1863 against Confederate cavalry forces.<ref name=":1" />


====During the Second Battle of Franklin====
⚫
The fort was constructed just north of the [[Harpeth River]], on [[Figuer's Bluff]], parallel to the railroad to Nashville.<ref name=":2" /> The fort was built on Figuer's Bluff because the bluff had military control over the Harpeth River bridge of the Tennessee and Alabama Railroad and it had control over the southern and northern approaches to Franklin.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url = http://www.civilwarlandscapes.org/cwla/states/tn/frkn/fg/places/fg09.htm|title = Battlefield Tours Fort Granger|date = December 26, 2010|accessdate = March 24, 2015|website = Civil War Landscapes|publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref> The completed fort incorporated nearly 275,000 square feet.<ref name=":2" /> The fort is approximately 781 feet long and 346 wide.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Who Built Fort Granger?|last = McNutt|first = Kraig W.|publisher = The Center for the Study of the Civil War|year = 2014|isbn = |location = |pages = }}</ref> Until the Battle of Franklin, the fort was only occupied by a small garrison.<ref name=":2" />
Fort Granger's most important time came during the [[Second Battle of Franklin]]. Confederate [[John Bell Hood]] led efforts in September 1864 with the [[Army of Tennessee]] to attack Union General [[William T. Sherman]]'s supply lines, after Sherman had defeated Hood at [[Atlanta]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url = http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=41119|title = The Historical Marker Database|date = March 24, 2011|access-date = March 24, 2015|website = The Historical Marker Database|last = Dover|first = Michael}}</ref> Hood directed the army north into Tennessee.<ref name=":5" />


Fort Granger served the Union cause. In the late afternoon of November 30, 1864, Confederate General John Bell Hood's army attacked Union General John M. Schofield's troops in a fierce battle. The fighting lasted for five hours, including widespread hand-to-hand combat and artillery fire, causing 10,000 casualties on both sides.<ref name=":6"/> Union General Schofield commanded Union forces from inside the fort,<ref name=":2">Jacobson, pp. 208-12; Welcher, p. 593; Sword, p. 167; Eicher, p. 772.</ref> where he had an excellent view of the battlefield.<ref name=":6"/> At the same time, he ordered his men to build pontoon bridges across the Harpeth River, permitting the movement of supply wagons and troops to Nashville once the battle had ended.<ref name=":6"/>
⚫
The fort's entrance was called the [[Sally Port]].'<ref name=":3" /> The strongest part of the fortification, called 'The Cavalier,' was the location where the ground was the highest.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url = http://civil-war-journeys.org/images/DSC06780.JPG|title = The Cavalier|date = |accessdate = 24 March 2015|website = Civil War Journeys|publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref> This 'fort within a fort' was meant for times of overpowering attacks where defenders could make a final stand against invaders.<ref name=":4" /> The Cavalier was ideal for artillery because it provided the best view of the surrounding landscape.<ref name=":4" />


Fort Granger's artillery delivered [[Enfilade and defilade|enfilading fire]] upon Confederate attackers on November 30, 1864.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Battle of Franklin, Tennessee, November 30, 1864: a monograph|author=Jacob Dolson Cox|url=https://archive.org/details/battleoffranklin00coxj |page=[https://archive.org/details/battleoffranklin00coxj/page/123 123] |publisher=C. Scribner's Sons |location=New York |date=1897 |access-date=10 July 2016}}</ref> Four 3-inch rifled cannons in Fort Granger were fired by Capt. Giles J. Cockerill, Battery D, 1st Ohio Light Artillery.<ref name=":5" /> The Confederates suffered serious casualties under the 163 rounds fired by Cockerill's guns.<ref name=":5" /> The right wing of the Confederate line, commanded by Gen. [[Alexander P. Stewart|A. P. Stewart]]'s corps, suffered the most from these rounds.<ref name=":5" /> Confederate attackers were subject to massed fire from the Union artillery from the fort.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = The Battle of Franklin|last = Crownover|first = Sims|date = December 1955|journal = Tennessee Historical Quarterly}}</ref> Local topography made Fort Granger's fire all the more lethal. When Confederate General Stewart's men advanced under fire, their right flank was blocked by the Harpeth River. Confederate infantry regiments such as the 35th Alabama and the 12th Louisiana, General [[Thomas M. Scott|Thomas Scott]]'s brigade, and the 43rd Mississippi, Gen. [[John Adams (Confederate Army officer)|John Adams]]' brigade, were in particular had numerous casualties. Stewart's Corps suffered almost 3,000 casualties during the battle.<ref name=":6"/>
⚫
A letter written by James L. Rogers, 98th Ohio Infantry, on June 4, 1863 reveals some of the Federal units who constructed Fort Granger. Rogers states in part, "For the last 2 months and over we have been camped in, near Franklin, Tenn.. While our stay there, our time was principally occupied in working on the fortifications and scouting occasionally. And on the 2nd day of June General Grainger’s commenced including the 125th.O., 124th., O, 113th., O., 121st.O., 98th.O., 40th.O., 115th.ILL., 96th., ILL., 12ILL., & 84th Ind., and 2 or 3 regts of cavalry & 3 battries left Franklin at 6 a.m." <ref>The Kraig McNutt Civil War Collection, https://battleoffranklin.wordpress.com/about-your-guide/</ref> The Samuel Boyd Map shows the positions of the Federal unit's camp sites at Franklin in 1863. <ref>THE FORTRESS WAR: EFFECT OF UNION FORTIFICATIONS IN THE WESTERN THEATER OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR, by Thomas R. Flagel. Middle Tennessee State University, 2016: p 44.</ref>


German immigrant and Union Lieutenant [[Frederick W. Fout]] described the scene: "From our post at Fort Granger, we could see every troop and every gun in our line, as long as it was day and the cloud of gun smoke allowed it. After sundown, the sparks of rifle fire and the lightning, thunder and groaning of the heavy cannons was splendid and awe-inspiring for the eye and ear."<ref name=":6"/>
⚫
The Union army hanged two Confederate spies at the fort on June 9, 1863.<ref name=":2" /> The artillery in the fort was utilized twice in 1863 against Confederate cavalry forces.<ref name=":1" />


====Condition in 1864-5====
In September 1864, Confederate Gen. [[John Bell Hood]] led the [[Army of Tennessee]] against Union Gen. [[William T. Sherman]]'s supply lines after Sherman defeated Hood at [[Atlanta]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url = http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=41119|title = The Historical Marker Database|date = March 24, 2011|accessdate = March 24, 2015|website = The Historical Marker Database|publisher = |last = Dover|first = Michael}}</ref> Hood directed the army north into Tennessee.<ref name=":5" /> Union General [[John M. Schofield]] slowed Hood at [[Columbia, Tennessee|Columbia]] and [[Spring Hill, Tennessee|Spring Hill]] before falling back to Franklin.<ref name=":5" /> Guns from Fort Granger provided an [[Enfilade and defilade|enfilading fire]] upon Confederate attack in the [[Battle of Franklin]] on November 30, 1864.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Battle of Franklin, Tennessee, November 30, 1864: a monograph|author=Jacob Dolson Cox|url=https://archive.org/details/battleoffranklin00coxj |page=123 |publisher=C. Scribner's Sons |location=New York |date=1897 |accessdate=10 July 2016}}</ref> The commanding Union general, John M. Schofield, spent most of his time during the battle in Fort Granger.<ref name=":2">Jacobson, pp. 208-12; Welcher, p. 593; Sword, p. 167; Eicher, p. 772.</ref>
In 1864, James Willett found the fort to be in a "dilapidated condition" and noted that "no efforts had been made to keep it in proper order or repair." He noted further that the "magazines [were] very damp and entirely unfit to store ammunition." He further "noticed green mold on the ceiling." "The heavy guns," he noted, "were being remounted"; Willett believed that "the intention was to keep two field pieces in the fort."<ref name=":7">{{cite book|title=The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Vol XXXII, Part III - Correspondence|publisher=Government Printing office|location=Washington|editor=Lamont|date=1891|page=332|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pNsUAAAAYAAJ}}</ref> The site is accessible to the public via a trail from [[Pinkerton Park]]. Its grounds include a boardwalk offering a view of the [[Harpeth River]] and extending through part of the fort's site.<ref name=":7" />


By June 1865, the fort's was inspected under the authority of Maj Gen [[George H. Thomas]]. It was then "in reality dismantled, both guns and gun platforms having been removed; yet there [was] a small detachment living in tents within the fort", of insufficient number to keep it "in order" Batteries constructed to the north had long been abandoned.<ref name=":8">{{cite book|title=The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Vol XLIX, Part II - Correspondence|publisher=Government Printing office|location=Washington|editor=Lamont|date=1897|page=979|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oPVXZKB8o4MC&pg=PA979}}</ref>
The [[Confederate Army]] was subject to massed fire from the Union artillery in the fort.<ref>{{Cite journal|url = |title = The Battle of Franklin|last = Crownover|first = Sims|date = December 1955|journal = Tennessee Historical Quarterly|doi = |pmid = |access-date = March 24, 2015}}</ref> Four 3-inch rifled cannons in Fort Granger were fired by Capt. Giles J. Cockerill, Battery D, 1st Ohio Light Artillery.<ref name=":5" /> The Confederates suffered serious casualties to the 163 rounds fired by Cockerill’s guns.<ref name=":5" /> The right wing of the Confederate line, commanded by Gen. [[Alexander P. Stewart|A. P. Stewart]]’s Corps suffered the most from these rounds,<ref name=":5" />


===As a historical site===
In 1973, a {{convert|20|acre|adj=on}} area of the property, including one [[contributing structure]] and one [[contributing site]], was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name=nris/><ref name=nrhpdoc>{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=73001858}}|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Fort Granger|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|author=Jack Morgan and Earle DuRard, Jr. |date=September 1, 1972 |accessdate=March 2, 2017 }} with {{NRHP url|id=73001858|photos=y|title=two photos from 1973 and aerial photo from 1972}}</ref>
In 1973, a {{convert|20|acre|adj=on}} area designated as the Fort Granger site, which included one [[contributing structure]] and one [[contributing site]], was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name=nris/><ref name=nrhpdoc>{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=73001858}}|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Fort Granger|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|author=Jack Morgan and Earle DuRard, Jr. |date=September 1, 1972 |access-date=March 2, 2017 }} with {{NRHP url|id=73001858|photos=y|title=two photos from 1973 and aerial photo from 1972}}</ref> The site now contains several historical panels about the fort's history and the events surrounding its construction and use.


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery>
<gallery>
Fort Granger - Franklin TN - Earthworks 02.jpg|Earthworks.
Fort Granger - Franklin TN - View of the fort site from the bottom of the trail leading to it 01.jpg|View of fort site from the bottom of the trail
Fort Granger - Franklin TN - View of the fort site from the bottom of the trail leading to it 01.jpg|View of fort site from the bottom of the trail.
Fort Granger - Franklin TN - Earthworks 03.jpg|Fort Granger earthworks
File:Fort Granger - Franklin TN - Earthworks 03.jpg|Fort Granger earthworks.
Fort Granger - Franklin TN - View of earthernworks and observation deck 01.jpg|View of earthworks and observation deck
Fort Granger - Franklin TN - View of earthernworks and observation deck 01.jpg|View of Harpeth river from fort site observation deck.
Fort Granger - Franklin TN - View of the fort site from halfway up the trail leading up to it 01.jpg|View of trail leading up to fort
Fort Granger - Franklin TN - View of the fort site from halfway up the trail leading up to it 01.jpg|View of trail leading up to fort.
Fort Granger - Franklin TN - Center of fort site 01.jpg|Center of the Fort Granger site
FT. GRANGER.jpg
Fort Granger - Franklin TN - Center of fort site 01.jpg|Center of the Fort Granger site.
</gallery>
</gallery>


Line 50: Line 65:
*[[Carnton]], also NRHP-listed in the battlefield
*[[Carnton]], also NRHP-listed in the battlefield
*[[Fountain Carter House]], also NRHP-listed in the battlefield
*[[Fountain Carter House]], also NRHP-listed in the battlefield
*[[Roper's Knob Fortifications]] is another NRHP-listed fortification on the Franklin battlefield area.
*[[Roper's Knob Fortifications]], another NRHP-listed fortification on the Franklin battlefield area


==References==
==References==
Line 56: Line 71:


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.franklintn.gov/index.aspx?page=160 Fort Granger] - City of Franklin
* [https://www.franklintn.gov/government/departments-k-z/parks/park-locations/fort-granger Fort Granger] - City of Franklin
* [https://battleoffranklin.wordpress.com/virtual-tour/tour-stop-5-fort-granger/ Virtual tour of Fort Granger] - Stop #5
* [https://battleoffranklin.wordpress.com/virtual-tour/tour-stop-5-fort-granger/ Virtual tour of Fort Granger] - Stop #5


Line 63: Line 78:
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Franklin, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Franklin, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Government buildings completed in 1862]]
[[Category:Government buildings completed in 1862]]
[[Category:Infrastructure completed in 1862]]
[[Category:Military installations established in 1862]]
[[Category:American Civil War forts|Granger]]
[[Category:American Civil War forts|Granger]]
[[Category:Battlefields of the Western Theater of the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Battlefields of the Western Theater of the American Civil War]]

Latest revision as of 23:53, 26 August 2024

Fort Granger
Fort Granger's earthworks
Fort Granger is located in Tennessee
Fort Granger
Fort Granger is located in the United States
Fort Granger
Location113 Fort Granger Franklin, TN 37065 Franklin, Tennessee
Coordinates35°55′33″N 86°51′38″W / 35.92583°N 86.86056°W / 35.92583; -86.86056
Area20 acres (8.1 ha)
Built1862
NRHP reference No.73001858[1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 8, 1973

Fort Granger was a Union fort built in 1862 in Franklin, Tennessee, south of Nashville, after their forces occupied the state during the American Civil War. One of several fortifications constructed in the Franklin Battlefield, the fort was used by Union troops to defend their positions in Middle Tennessee against Confederate attackers. The Second Battle of Franklin in 1864, part of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign in the Western Theater, was the most notable engagement of this area during the Civil War.

Today, Fort Granger's remaining earthworks are preserved within a city park that is located near the center of Franklin. Fort Granger is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[2] The site is accessible to the public via a trail from Pinkerton Park. Its grounds include a boardwalk offering a view of the Harpeth River and extending through part of the fort's site.[2]

History

[edit]

As a fort

[edit]

Construction, early use

[edit]

After the Union Army captured Nashville early in 1862, Union troops under the command of Major General Gordon Granger occupied Franklin within a few weeks[3][4] The Union Army, fearful of local unrest and Confederate guerrillas, began planning and construction of an artillery position to protect the Nashville railroad line nearby.[5] Construction of Fort Granger, named for Major General Gordon Granger, began in 1863, and was overseen by Captain W. E. Morrill.[3]

Fort Granger was built on Figuer's Bluff, north of the Harpeth River and parallel to the railroad to Nashville.[6] Siting it on the bluff enabled strategic military control over the Harpeth River bridge of the Tennessee and Alabama Railroad. The fort also had control over the southern and northern approaches to Franklin.[7]

The completed fort comprised nearly 275,000 square feet.[6] It is approximately 781 feet long and 346 wide.[8] Its entrance was called the "sally port."[7] The strongest part of the fortification, called "The Cavalier," was the location where the ground was the highest.[9] This "fort within a fort" was meant for use during overpowering attacks where defenders could make a final stand against invaders.[9] The Cavalier was ideal for artillery because it provided the best view of the surrounding landscape.[9]

Union troops and some refugee contraband slaves built Fort Granger.[10] James L. Rogers, 98th Ohio Infantry, wrote a letter dated June 4, 1863 that lists some of the Federal units who constructed Fort Granger. Rogers said,

"For the last 2 months and over we have been camped in, near Franklin, Tenn.. While our stay there, our time was principally occupied in working on the fortifications and scouting occasionally. And on the 2nd day of June General Grainger’s commenced including the 125th.O., 124th., O, 113th., O., 121st.O., 98th.O., 40th.O., 115th.ILL., 96th., ILL., 12ILL., & 84th Ind., and 2 or 3 regts of cavalry & 3 battries left Franklin at 6 a.m."[11]

The Samuel Boyd Map shows the positions of the Federal unit's camp sites at Franklin in 1863.[12]

The Union position in Franklin was initially secure, and Fort Granger had only a small garrison.[6] Union troops hanged two Confederate spies on June 9, 1863.[6] The fort's artillery was used twice in 1863 against Confederate cavalry forces.[3]

During the Second Battle of Franklin

[edit]

Fort Granger's most important time came during the Second Battle of Franklin. Confederate John Bell Hood led efforts in September 1864 with the Army of Tennessee to attack Union General William T. Sherman's supply lines, after Sherman had defeated Hood at Atlanta.[13] Hood directed the army north into Tennessee.[13]

Fort Granger served the Union cause. In the late afternoon of November 30, 1864, Confederate General John Bell Hood's army attacked Union General John M. Schofield's troops in a fierce battle. The fighting lasted for five hours, including widespread hand-to-hand combat and artillery fire, causing 10,000 casualties on both sides.[10] Union General Schofield commanded Union forces from inside the fort,[6] where he had an excellent view of the battlefield.[10] At the same time, he ordered his men to build pontoon bridges across the Harpeth River, permitting the movement of supply wagons and troops to Nashville once the battle had ended.[10]

Fort Granger's artillery delivered enfilading fire upon Confederate attackers on November 30, 1864.[14] Four 3-inch rifled cannons in Fort Granger were fired by Capt. Giles J. Cockerill, Battery D, 1st Ohio Light Artillery.[13] The Confederates suffered serious casualties under the 163 rounds fired by Cockerill's guns.[13] The right wing of the Confederate line, commanded by Gen. A. P. Stewart's corps, suffered the most from these rounds.[13] Confederate attackers were subject to massed fire from the Union artillery from the fort.[15] Local topography made Fort Granger's fire all the more lethal. When Confederate General Stewart's men advanced under fire, their right flank was blocked by the Harpeth River. Confederate infantry regiments such as the 35th Alabama and the 12th Louisiana, General Thomas Scott's brigade, and the 43rd Mississippi, Gen. John Adams' brigade, were in particular had numerous casualties. Stewart's Corps suffered almost 3,000 casualties during the battle.[10]

German immigrant and Union Lieutenant Frederick W. Fout described the scene: "From our post at Fort Granger, we could see every troop and every gun in our line, as long as it was day and the cloud of gun smoke allowed it. After sundown, the sparks of rifle fire and the lightning, thunder and groaning of the heavy cannons was splendid and awe-inspiring for the eye and ear."[10]

Condition in 1864-5

[edit]

In 1864, James Willett found the fort to be in a "dilapidated condition" and noted that "no efforts had been made to keep it in proper order or repair." He noted further that the "magazines [were] very damp and entirely unfit to store ammunition." He further "noticed green mold on the ceiling." "The heavy guns," he noted, "were being remounted"; Willett believed that "the intention was to keep two field pieces in the fort."[16] The site is accessible to the public via a trail from Pinkerton Park. Its grounds include a boardwalk offering a view of the Harpeth River and extending through part of the fort's site.[16]

By June 1865, the fort's was inspected under the authority of Maj Gen George H. Thomas. It was then "in reality dismantled, both guns and gun platforms having been removed; yet there [was] a small detachment living in tents within the fort", of insufficient number to keep it "in order" Batteries constructed to the north had long been abandoned.[17]

As a historical site

[edit]

In 1973, a 20-acre (8.1 ha) area designated as the Fort Granger site, which included one contributing structure and one contributing site, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1][18] The site now contains several historical panels about the fort's history and the events surrounding its construction and use.

[edit]
  • View of fort site from the bottom of the trail
    View of fort site from the bottom of the trail
  • Fort Granger earthworks
    Fort Granger earthworks
  • View of earthworks and observation deck
    View of earthworks and observation deck
  • View of trail leading up to fort
    View of trail leading up to fort
  • Center of the Fort Granger site
    Center of the Fort Granger site
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort Granger, Franklin, TN.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b "Fort Granger". www.franklin-gov.com. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "Fort Granger". Historical marker, 113 Fort Granger Dr, Franklin, TN 37064
  4. ^ Smith, Michael Thomas (2014). The 1864 Franklin-Nashville Campaign: The Finishing Stroke. Santa Barbara: Praeger. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-313-39234-4.
  5. ^ Holladay, Bob (Spring 2009). "Review: James Hogan, Jr., and the Conflicts of Antebellum Southern Identity in Williamson County". Tennessee Historical Quarterly: 20–39.
  6. ^ a b c d e Jacobson, pp. 208-12; Welcher, p. 593; Sword, p. 167; Eicher, p. 772.
  7. ^ a b "Battlefield Tours Fort Granger". Civil War Landscapes. December 26, 2010. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  8. ^ McNutt, Kraig W. (2014). Who Built Fort Granger?. The Center for the Study of the Civil War.
  9. ^ a b c "The Cavalier". Civil War Journeys. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Historical marker: "We could see every troop and every gun," located at Fort Granger
  11. ^ The Kraig McNutt Civil War Collection, https://battleoffranklin.wordpress.com/about-your-guide/
  12. ^ The Fortress War: Effect of Union Fortifications in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, by Thomas R. Flagel. Middle Tennessee State University, 2016. Doctoral dissertation. p 44.
  13. ^ a b c d e Dover, Michael (March 24, 2011). "The Historical Marker Database". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  14. ^ Jacob Dolson Cox (1897). The Battle of Franklin, Tennessee, November 30, 1864: a monograph. New York: C. Scribner's Sons. p. 123. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  15. ^ Crownover, Sims (December 1955). "The Battle of Franklin". Tennessee Historical Quarterly.
  16. ^ a b Lamont, ed. (1891). The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Vol XXXII, Part III - Correspondence. Washington: Government Printing office. p. 332.
  17. ^ Lamont, ed. (1897). The War of the Rebellion, Series I, Vol XLIX, Part II - Correspondence. Washington: Government Printing office. p. 979.
  18. ^ Jack Morgan and Earle DuRard, Jr. (September 1, 1972). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Fort Granger". National Park Service. Retrieved March 2, 2017. with two photos from 1973 and aerial photo from 1972
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