y rail and went to Nashville, and
thence to Franklin, about twenty miles south of Nashville, and on what
was then called the Nashville and Decatur railroad. A desperate and
bloody battle occurred here between our forces under the command of
Gen. Schofield and the Confederates under Gen. Hood, on November 30th,
only two days after our arrival at Murfreesboro. I have often wondered
why it was that Gen. Thomas, our department commander, did not send our
regiment, on our arrival at Nashville, to reinforce Schofield, instead
of to Murfreesboro, for Gen. Schofield certainly needed all the help he
could get. But it is probable that Gen. Thomas had some good reason for
his action.

When we arrived at Franklin we relieved the regiment that was on duty
there as a garrison, and it went somewhere else. It was the 75th
Pennsylvania, and the officers and men composing it, so far as I saw,
were all Germans. And they were fine, soldierly looking fellows, too.
From this time until we left Franklin in the following September, our
regiment comprised all the Union force that was stationed at the town.
Maj. Nulton was in command of the post, and, subject only to higher
authorities at a distance, we were "monarchs of all we surveyed." When
we came to Franklin the signs of the battle of November 30th were yet
fresh and plentiful. As soon as time and opportunity afforded, I walked
over the whole field, (in fact, several times,) looking with deep
interest at all the evidences of the battle. I remember especially the
appearance of a scattered grove of young locust trees which stood at a
point opposite the right center of the Union line. For some hours the
grove was right between the fire of both the Union and the Confederate
lines, and the manner in which the trees had been riddled with musket
balls was truly remarkable. It looked as if a snowbird could not have
lived in that grove while the firing was in progress.

General William A. Quarles, of Tennessee, was one of the Confederate
generals who were wounded in this battle, and after incurring his wound
was taken to the house of a Tennessee planter, Col. McGavock, about a
mile from Franklin, near the Harpeth river. Two or three other wounded
Confederate officers of less rank were taken to the same place. When
the Confederates retreated from Nashville, Gen. Quarles and these other
wounded officers were unable to accompany the army. They remained at
McGavock's, and were taken prisoners by our fo