Thanks for your information. I have confirmed your message, after reading a very interesting book, "To Battle for God and the Right" (The Civil War Letterbooks of Emerson Opdycke), edited by Glenn Longacre and John Haas.

The book states, "Wagner trembled with fear and ordered me to "Fight whenever and wherever you think best"; that was the last I saw of him until after the battle. The two (other) brigades came back in a perfect stampede and got inside the breastworks, some could not be stopped even there. Carters hill was the key to our whole position, which if gained would destroy our army.

Thank God that the 1st Brigade proved irresistibile, the breastworks were ours, and several hundred prisoners, and ten rebel battle flags were their trophies. Again and again, the enemy attacked our line in the most determined and reckless manner, even after darkness shadowed the awful scene, then the blazing guns seemed to me millions; finally the enemy yielded and ceased firing.

I never worked as hard since I was born, as I did in trying to force the stampeded men back to the works, to help my own invincible brigade. I broke my pistol hitting them with it, and then got off my horse, took a musket, and absolutely drove the two regiments up to the works. Everyone here says, "Col. Opdycke saved the day." Stanley, Wood, and Wagner assert it. General Cox said the same to me, and to day the immortal Thomas pressed my hand and repeated it."

Many veterans of battles in the western theater, both Union and Confederate, believed that Franklin was the most physically demanding battle they had experienced. The intense fighting, coupled with the previous day's hard marching, proved an extraordinarily demanding task.

Sam