Franklin-Nashville Campaign: The Twilight of the Southern Confederacy

Q: What was the Nashville Campaign of 1864?

The Franklin-Nashville Campaign of 1864 was a last ditch attempt by the Confederates to reclaim Tennessee from Union occupation. It ended in bitter failure at the Battle of Nashville, where the Confederate Army of Tennessee was destroyed.

Q: Who led the Franklin-Nashville Campaign?

During the Franklin-Nashville Campaign of 1864, the Confederate forces were led by Gen. John Bell Hood while the Union armies were led by Gen. George H. Thomas.

Q: Why was the Franklin-Nashville Campaign significant?

The Franklin-Nashville Campaign of 1864 was significant for leading to the destruction of the Army of Tennessee, the second strongest Confederate army during the American Civil War.

Harrison W. Mark

Definition

The Franklin-Nashville Campaign (September-December 1864) was the last major military operation in the western theater of the American Civil War (1861-1865). After the Southern stronghold of Atlanta fell to Union forces, Confederate General John Bell Hood marched his army into Tennessee to disrupt the enemy supply lines and liberate Nashville from Northern occupation. It was a desperate gambit that met with bitter failure in the battles of Franklin (30 November) and Nashville (15-16 December). Following the campaign, Hood's Army of Tennessee ceased to exist as an effective fighting force, essentially ending the war in the West.

More about: Franklin-Nashville Campaign

Timeline

29 Sep 1864
Gen. John Bell Hood and the 40,000-man Army of Tennessee crosses the Chattahoochee River, beginning the Franklin-Nashville Campaign.
5 Oct 1864
Battle of Allatoona, GA; the Confederate attack is repelled by a smaller Federal garrison.
13 Oct 1864
The Army of Tennessee captures the Union garrison at Dalton, GA, selling the captured African-American soldiers into slavery.
20 Oct 1864
Hood arrives at Gadsden, AL.
13 Nov 1864 - 20 Nov 1864
Gen. John Bell Hood crosses the Tennessee River, beginning his invasion of Tennessee.
29 Nov 1864
Battle of Spring Hill; after launching a botched assault, Confederate Gen. Hood fails to destroy Gen. Schofield's Union army.
30 Nov 1864
Battle of Franklin; the Confederate assault is repulsed with 6,000 casualties, including 14 generals. One of the worst Confederate defeats of the war.
15 Dec 1864 - 16 Dec 1864
Battle of Nashville; the Confederate Army of Tennessee is decisively defeated, ceases to exist as an effective fighting force.
25 Dec 1864
The Confederate Army of Tennessee recrosses the Tennessee River, ending the Franklin-Nashville Campaign.