Fort Granger was a Union fort built in 1862 in

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, south of

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

, 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 Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the s ...

against Confederate attackers. The

Second Battle of Franklin The Second Battle of Franklin was fought on November 30, 1864, in Franklin, Tennessee, as part of the Franklin–Nashville Campaign of the American Civil War. It was one of the worst disasters of the war for the Confederate States Army. Confede ...

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 The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The site is accessible to the public via a trail from

Pinkerton Park Pinkerton Park is a 34-acre municipal park located in Franklin, Tennessee, United States at 405 Murfreesboro Road, east of the Harpeth River, near downtown Franklin. The park includes a mile-long paved pedestrian track, with exercise equipment ...

. Its grounds include a boardwalk offering a view of the

Harpeth River The Harpeth River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 8, 2011 is one of the major streams of north-central Middle Tennessee, United States, and one of the major ...

and extending through part of the fort's site.

History

As a fort

Construction, early use

After the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

captured

early in 1862, Union troops under the command of Major General

Gordon Granger Gordon Granger (November 6, 1821 – January 10, 1876) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Union general during the American Civil War, where he distinguished himself at the Battle of Chickamauga. Granger is best remembered for his part in the ...

occupied Franklin within a few weeks"Fort Granger". Historical marker, 113 Fort Granger Dr, Franklin, TN 37064 The Union Army, fearful of local unrest and Confederate

guerrillas Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics ...

, began planning and construction of an artillery position to protect the Nashville railroad line nearby. Construction of Fort Granger, named for Major General Gordon Granger, began in 1863, and was overseen by Captain W. E. Morrill. Fort Granger was built on Figuer's Bluff, north of the

and parallel to the railroad to Nashville. 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. The completed fort comprised nearly 275,000 square feet. It is approximately 781 feet long and 346 wide. Its entrance was called the "

sally port A sally port is a secure, controlled entry way to an enclosure, e.g., a fortification or prison. The entrance is usually protected by some means, such as a fixed wall on the outside, parallel to the door, which must be circumvented to enter an ...

." The strongest part of the fortification, called "The Cavalier," was the location where the ground was the highest. This "fort within a fort" was meant for use during overpowering attacks where defenders could make a final stand against invaders. The Cavalier was ideal for artillery because it provided the best view of the surrounding landscape. Union troops and some refugee contraband slaves built Fort Granger.Historical marker: "We could see every troop and every gun," located at Fort Granger 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."

The Samuel Boyd Map shows the positions of the Federal unit's camp sites at Franklin in 1863. The Union position in Franklin was initially secure, and Fort Granger had only a small garrison. Union troops hanged two Confederate spies on June 9, 1863. The fort's artillery was used twice in 1863 against Confederate cavalry forces.

During the Second Battle of Franklin

Fort Granger's most important time came during the

. Confederate

John Bell Hood John Bell Hood (June 1 or June 29, 1831 – August 30, 1879) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Although brave, Hood's impetuosity led to high losses among his troops as he moved up in rank. Bruce Catton wrote that "the dec ...

led efforts in September 1864 with the

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating i ...

to attack Union General

William T. Sherman William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

's supply lines, after Sherman had defeated Hood at

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. Hood directed the army north into Tennessee. 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. Union General Schofield commanded Union forces from inside the fort,Jacobson, pp. 208-12; Welcher, p. 593; Sword, p. 167; Eicher, p. 772. where he had an excellent view of the battlefield. 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. Fort Granger's artillery delivered enfilading fire upon Confederate attackers on November 30, 1864. Four 3-inch rifled cannons in Fort Granger were fired by Capt. Giles J. Cockerill, Battery D, 1st Ohio Light Artillery. The Confederates suffered serious casualties under the 163 rounds fired by Cockerill's guns. The right wing of the Confederate line, commanded by Gen. A. P. Stewart's corps, suffered the most from these rounds. Confederate attackers were subject to massed fire from the Union artillery from the fort. 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 Thomas Scott may refer to: Australia * Thomas Hobbes Scott (1783–1860), Anglican clergyman and first Archdeacon of New South Wales * Thomas Scott (Australian politician) (1865–1946), member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Thomas Sco ...

's brigade, and the 43rd Mississippi, Gen.

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...

' brigade, were in particular had numerous casualties. Stewart's Corps suffered almost 3,000 casualties during the battle. 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."

As a historical site

In 1973, a area designated as the Fort Granger site, which included one

contributing structure In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

and one

contributing site In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

, was listed on the

. with The site now contains several historical panels about the fort's history and the events surrounding its construction and use.

Gallery

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 Fort Granger - Franklin TN - View of earthernworks and observation deck 01.jpg, View of earthworks and 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 - Center of fort site 01.jpg, Center of the Fort Granger site FT. GRANGER.jpg

References

External links

Fort Granger
- City of Franklin
Virtual tour of Fort Granger
- Stop #5 {{National Register of Historic Places Buildings and structures in Franklin, Tennessee Government buildings completed in 1862 Infrastructure completed in 1862

Granger Granger may refer to: People *Granger (name) *Hermione Granger, a fictional character in Harry Potter United States * Granger, Indiana * Granger, Iowa * Granger, Minnesota * Granger, Missouri * Granger, New York * Granger, Ohio * Granger, Texas ...

Battlefields of the Western Theater of the American Civil War Parks in Tennessee Protected areas of Williamson County, Tennessee

1862 establishments in Tennessee National Register of Historic Places in Williamson County, Tennessee American Civil War on the National Register of Historic Places