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Fort Granger

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Coordinates: 35°55′33″N 86°51′38″W / 35.92583°N 86.86056°W / 35.92583; -86.86056
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Fort Granger
Fort Granger is located in Tennessee
Fort Granger
Fort Granger is located in the United States
Fort Granger
LocationOff Liberty Pike, 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 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.[2]. One of several fortifications constructed in Franklin, 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 River and extends through part of the site itself.[2]

History

As a fort

After the Union Army captured Nashville early in 1862, Union troops under the command of Major General Gordon Granger[3] occupied Franklin within a few weeks.[4] 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.[5] Construction of Fort Granger, named for Gordon Granger, began in 1863, was overseen by Captain W. E. Morrill.[3]

Fort Granger was constructed just north of the Harpeth River, on Figuer's Bluff, parallel to the railroad to Nashville.[6] 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.[7] The completed fort incorporated nearly 275,000 square feet.[6] The fort is approximately 781 feet long and 346 wide.[8] The fort's 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 times of 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] 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." [10] The Samuel Boyd Map shows the positions of the Federal unit's camp sites at Franklin in 1863. [11]

The Union position initially secure, the fort was initially occupied by a small garrison, until Confederate advances in the Battle of Franklin made the fort see action. [6] Prior to that battle, Fort Granger hosted the hanging by the Union army of The Union army of two Confederate spies at on June 9, 1863.[6] Likewise, the fort's artillery served twice in 1863 against Confederate cavalry forces.[3]

During the Battle of Franklin, Fort Granger's artillery delivered enfilading fire upon Confederate attack in the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864.[12]. The Confederate Army was subject to massed fire from the Union artillery in the fort.[13] Four 3-inch rifled cannons in Fort Granger were fired by Capt. Giles J. Cockerill, Battery D, 1st Ohio Light Artillery.[14] The Confederates suffered serious casualties to the 163 rounds fired by Cockerill’s guns.[14] The right wing of the Confederate line, commanded by Gen. A. P. Stewart’s Corps suffered the most from these rounds,[14]

The Battle of Franklin itself was born of Confederate General John Bell Hood's efforts in September 1864, to lead the Army of Tennessee to attack Union General William T. Sherman's supply lines after Sherman defeated Hood at Atlanta.[14] Hood directed the army north into Tennessee.[14]. During the battle, the commanding Union general, John M. Schofield, spent most of inside the fort.[6]

As a historical site

In 1973, a 20-acre (8.1 ha) area of the property, including one contributing structure and one contributing site, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1][15]. The site now contains several historical panels about the fort's history and the events surrounding its construction and use.

  • Earthworks.
    Earthworks.
  • 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 Harpeth river from fort site observation deck.
    View of Harpeth river from fort site 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

References

  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). "James Hogan, Jr., and the Conflicts of Antebellum Southern Identity in Williamson County". Tennessee Historical Quarterly: 20–39. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  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. ^ The Kraig McNutt Civil War Collection, https://battleoffranklin.wordpress.com/about-your-guide/
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Crownover, Sims (December 1955). "The Battle of Franklin". Tennessee Historical Quarterly. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  14. ^ a b c d e Dover, Michael (March 24, 2011). "The Historical Marker Database". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  15. ^ 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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