Mrs. Colonel Smith

The Battle of Franklin is special to me.  I had quite a few relatives who experienced the terror of that ordeal.  They were with Loring's division and ended up advancing across the yard of Carnton plantation and through the McGavock cemetery, which would eventually become the final resting place of 424 Mississippians, more than from any other state.

I tried miserably to imagine what my relatives faced that evening as I stood in the yard of Carnton, exactly 150 years after them.   Instead of a battle line, though, I stood in an incredibly slow-moving single file line comprised of people who came from all over in order to participate in events commemorating the battle of Franklin.  In this case, we were all waiting to get into the mansion for a candlelight tour, followed by a walk to a nearby field adjacent to the cemetery in order to observe over 9,000 luminaries, one for each casualty of the battle.


While in line, Mark and I struck up a conversation with a lady about women soldiers.  This lady then introduced us to a gentleman whom she had also met while standing in line.  This gentleman shared with us a passage from a book he had with him, Under the Old Flag, by General James H. Wilson, commander of the cavalry corps at Franklin.  Prior to the battle, Wilson wrote about an interesting incident:

On my way back I took station on a railroad embankment to inspect Croxton's brigade, mostly Kentuckians, as it passed to the rear.  It so turned out that the Eighth Michigan Veteran Cavalry (sic for Second Michigan Cavalry commanded by Colonel Benjamin Smith), of excellent reputation well mounted and equipped, had the head of the column, but much to my surprise the regiment itself was headed by a well mounted and well clad woman riding with the field and staff as though she belonged there.  As this was an unusual sight in an actual campaign, I turned to Croxton nearby and asked who the lady was.  The General with a meaning smile said, "Oh, that is Mrs. Colonel Smith commanding the Eighth Michigan Cavalry."  In further explanation he added that she had been with the regiment some time and seemed to be quite at home, whereupon I said with all necessary firmness:  "General, please send my compliments to 'Mrs. Colonel Smith' with an order relieving her from further service in the field, and directing her to take the first train back to Nashville."  Thereupon a broader smile lighted the General's face as well as the faces of his staff, as he said to an aid-de-camp:  "You have heard the General's orders.  Please deliver them to Mrs. Colonel Smith and see that they are promptly obeyed."

This episode, small as it was, made a favorable impression on all present, as well as upon the officers and men of the regiment, for the next day the field and staff called formally to pay their respects to their new commander.  Of course, no allusion was made to the order of sending the Colonel's wife to the rear, but that it was heartily approved was shown by the cordiality of all who took part in the visit.  The day after, however, I received a note from the lady protesting against my action, and asking, inasmuch as both Sherman and Thomas had permitted her to accompany the regiment, that I should at least withdraw my order till the campaign then on was ended.   Of course, I remained obdurate, but did my best to soften the blow by the assurance that I had not intended to cast the slightest reflection upon her courage.  (p. 35-36)

Of course, even though Mrs. Colonel Smith was not an actual woman soldier, I nevertheless thought the story interesting.  There has been no documentation of any women soldiers fighting in the Battle of Franklin, but research is always ongoing.