Battle of Spring Hill, Tennessee November 29, 1864 written by Alethea D. Sayers
USA Gen. John M. Schofield		CSA Gen. John B. Hood

After the fall of Atlanta, on September 1, 1864, President Jefferson Davis endorsed a plan which called for the Western Confederate Army to invade Tennessee and attempt to recapture the besieged city of Nashville. Turning their backs on Sherman's Union army, which had begun their "March to the Sea" on November 17, 1864, the newly appointed commander of The Army of Tennessee, General John Bell Hood, made preparations for the upcoming Tennessee Campaign from Florence, Alabama.

To contend with Hood's army of 33,500, Sherman detached his subordinate, Major General George Henry Thomas, along with two corps of infantry, Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield's Twenty-Third Corps of 10,000 and Maj. Gen. John S. Stanley's Fourth Corps of 12,000. With Thomas's 4,300 mounted cavalry, commanded by Maj. Gen. James H. Wilson, his combined force were 26,300. Though Thomas's numbers would eventually be augmented by reinforcements being sent to Nashville, and the garrisoned troops already there, this would not happen until December 1, 1864.

By November 26, Hood's three infantry corps, Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Cheatham's, Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Lee's, and Lt. Gen. Alexander P. Stewart's, had reached Columbia, Tennessee. Traveling in advance, Hood's cavalry force of 5,500, commanded by Maj. Gen. Nathan B. Forrest, reached Columbia just minutes behind the Union cavalry on the 24th.

Thomas, headquartered at Nashville, had ordered Schofield to intercept the Confederate army and slow their advance, to gain him time to organize his forces and prepare his defenses at Nashville.

With Hood's arrival on November 26, he devised a plan to outflank Schofield's forces, which had positioned themselves just north of the Duck River, and across the Columbia to Franklin Pike. His army would need possession of this pike if they were to march northward to Nashville. The plan called for three-fourths of his army to march around Schofield's army, while leaving Lee's Corps and the bulk of his artillery to demonstrate in front of Schofield, and mask his movements. Hood's destination was Spring Hill, Tennessee, which was twelve miles north of Columbia and twelve miles south of Franklin.

Forrest, racing ahead of Hood's infantry, easily dispatched with Union cavalry, after a brief skirmish at Mount Carmel on the 29th, just five miles east of Spring Hill. Wilson's Federal troopers fell back towards Franklin, while Forrest turned towards Spring Hill to occupy the town and await Hood's infantry.

Due to inaccurate maps and poor roads, the Confederate flanking force of 17,000 did not arrive until 3 p.m., on the afternoon of the 29th. Forrest had been skirmishing with units traveling in advance of Schofield's 800 wagon train, and various Union cavalry units that were reinforcing the small Federal garrison at Spring Hill, since his arrival on the outskirts at noon.

Unsure of Hood's movements, Schofield ordered his wagons, along with Stanley's corps towards Spring Hill at daylight on the 29th. Schofield personally did not leave Columbia until 3 p.m., arriving at Spring Hill around 7 p.m.

Hood ordered Cheatham's lead division, Cleburne's, to attack the Union forces at Spring Hill, and gain possession of the Franklin Pike, at 4 p.m.. Cleburne's attack was initially successful, driving a brigade of Wagner's division, Stanley's corps, back to the southern outskirts of the town, but was stalled by Union artillery. While reforming for another attack, Cheatham ordered Cleburne to await the arrival of two more divisions.

As the Confederate infantry was moving up into position, Federal reinforcements were arriving from Columbia to secure the perimeter of Spring Hill. By the time Cheatham's three divisions were in place, darkness had fallen and the Confederate attack was stalled. What followed, on the evening of the 29th, was a total breakdown of miscommunications among the Confederate command and disjointed efforts to gain control of the vital Franklin Pike.

Schofield managed to extricate his entire army from a perilous situation, marching silently by the Confederate army during the night, and on towards Franklin. On the morning of November 30, Hood was again in pursuit of Thomas's forces, but had missed a golden opportunity to destroy Schofield's forces, which would result in the bloody battle of Franklin on November 30.

At Spring Hill, the Federals suffered 350-killed, wounded and missing, the bulk of them in Bradley's Brigade, Wagner's division. The Confederates lost 500-killed, wounded and missing, the bulk of those within Forrest's and Cleburne's commands.

About | Contact