The battle during the 15th was severe, but favorable to the Union troops, and continued until night closed in upon the combat.  The next day the battle was renewed.  After a successful assault upon Hood’s men in their intrenchments the enemy fled in disorder, routed and broken, leaving their dead, their artillery and small arms in great numbers on the field, besides the wounded that were captured.  Our cavalry had fought on foot as infantry, and had not their horses with them; so that they were not ready to join in the pursuit the moment the enemy retreated.  They sent back, however, for their horses, and endeavored to get to Franklin ahead of Hood’s broken army by the Granny White Road, but too much time was consumed in getting started.  They had got but a few miles beyond the scene of the battle when they found the enemy’s cavalry dismounted and behind intrenchments covering the road on which they were advancing.  Here another battle ensued, our men dismounting and fighting on foot, in which the Confederates were again routed and driven in great disorder.  Our cavalry then went into bivouac, and renewed the pursuit on the following morning.  They were too late.  The enemy already had possession of Franklin, and was beyond them.  It now became a chase in which the Confederates had the lead.

Our troops continued the pursuit to within a few miles of Columbia, where they found the rebels had destroyed the railroad bridge as well as all other bridges over Duck River.  The heavy rains of a few days before had swelled the stream into a mad torrent, impassable except on bridges.  Unfortunately, either through a mistake in the wording of the order or otherwise, the pontoon bridge which was to have been sent by rail out to Franklin, to be taken thence with the pursuing column, had gone toward Chattanooga.  There was, consequently, a delay of some four days in building bridges out of the remains of the old railroad bridge.  Of course Hood got such a start in this time that farther pursuit was useless, although it was continued for some distance, but without coming upon him again.

CHAPTER LXI.

EXPEDITION AGAINST FORT FISHER—­ATTACK ON THE FORT—­FAILURE OF THE EXPEDITION—­SECOND EXPEDITION AGAINST THE FORT—­CAPTURE OF FORT FISHER.

Up to January, 1865, the enemy occupied Fort Fisher, at the mouth of Cape Fear River and below the City of Wilmington.  This port was of immense importance to the Confederates, because it formed their principal inlet for blockade runners by means of which they brought in from abroad such supplies and munitions of war as they could not produce at home.  It was equally important to us to get possession of it, not only because it was desirable to cut off their supplies so as to insure a speedy termination of the war, but also because foreign governments, particularly the British Government, were constantly threatening that unless ours could maintain the blockade of that coast they should cease to recognize any blockade.  For these reasons I determined, with the concurrence of the Navy Department, in December, to send an expedition against Fort Fisher for the purpose of capturing it.