Fort Granger was a Union fort built in 1862 in Franklin,

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, south of

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, 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 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 state's capital an ...

against Confederate attackers. The Second Battle of Franklin 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 Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The site is accessible to the public via a trail from Pinkerton Park. Its grounds include a boardwalk offering a view of the Harpeth River and extending through part of the fort's site.

History

As a fort

Construction, early use

After the Union Army 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 (American Civil War), Union general during the American Civil War, where he distinguished himself at the Battle of Chickamauga. Granger is best re ...

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, 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 Harpeth River 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." 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 Second Battle of Franklin. Confederate John Bell Hood led efforts in September 1864 with the Army of Tennessee to attack Union General William T. Sherman's supply lines, after Sherman had defeated Hood at

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

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

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

' 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."

Condition in 1864-5

In 1864, James Willett found the fort to be in a "dilapidated condition" and noted that "no efforts had been made to keep it in proper order or repair." He noted further that the "magazines erevery damp and entirely unfit to store ammunition." He further "noticed green mold on the ceiling." "The heavy guns," he noted, "were being remounted"; Willett believed that "the intention was to keep two field pieces in the fort." The site is accessible to the public via a trail from Pinkerton Park. Its grounds include a boardwalk offering a view of the Harpeth River and extending through part of the fort's site. By June 1865, the fort's was inspected under the authority of Maj Gen George H. Thomas. It was then "in reality dismantled, both guns and gun platforms having been removed; yet there asa small detachment living in tents within the fort", of insufficient number to keep it "in order" Batteries constructed to the north had long been abandoned.

As a historical site

In 1973, a area designated as the Fort Granger site, which included one contributing structure and one contributing site, 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 Military installations established in 1862 Granger Battlefields of the Western Theater of the American Civil War Parks in Tennessee Protected areas of Williamson County, Tennessee Granger Granger 1862 establishments in Tennessee National Register of Historic Places in Williamson County, Tennessee American Civil War on the National Register of Historic Places