On March 4th, Gilbert at Franklin ordered Colonel Coburn, with five regiments of infantry, four detachments of cavalry under Colonel Jordan, and Aleshire's battery, the whole command nearly three thousand strong, to proceed south from Franklin with a wagon-trail of one hundred wagons, ostensibly on a foraging expedition, but also to reconnoitre the enemy's front toward Columbia.Coburn's command some twelve miles south of Franklin, was to meet a force moving from Murfreesboro toward Columbia, and these commands were to co-operate and determine the position of the enemy.Unknown to Gilbert, Van Dorn, on assuming command in Columbia, in February, determined to establish outposts and picket-lines within sight of Franklin and Triune, and to move his headquarters north of Duck River to Spring Hill.Jordan's cavalry struck the enemy only three miles from town, formed in line of battle.Opening with artillery, Jordan advanced, and, after a sharp conflict, the enemy retreated to Spring Hill.That night Coburn notified Gilbert that he was confronted by a largely superior force, and suggested that he fall back.Gilbert, however, ordered him to advance.Proceeding next morning, the column met the enemy drawn up in line of battle a short distance from Thompson's Station.Forrest's command occupied the extreme right, with a battery of artillery on the left of this, and some paces retired was Armstrong's brigade.On the left of his command and in line with it was the Texan brigade under Whitfield, with two guns on each side of the Columbia turnpike, making a force of 10,000 men under Van Dorn.It was about half-past nine o'clock in the morning when Coburn struck these troops in line.He immediately deployed his infantry across the pike and to the right, and ordered his command to advance.The enemy's battery posted at the pike opening fire, Coburn's troops charged it handsomely, his entire command moving in line of battle down the pike.When within one hundred and fifty yards, Armstrong's and Whitfield's brigades sprang forward and opened a destructive fire.Coburn's troops held their lines for over half an hour under heavy fire, replying with the same, when he ordered his command to fall back.Finding this large force in his front, he directed Jordan with his cavalry to cover his retreat.Van Dorn now advanced his line, pressed forward his right and left to surround Coburn and capture the entire force.
Jordan formed two detachments, dismounted behind a stone fence to check the advance of Forrest and enable the artillery to escape.
Forrest made two sustained attempts to dislodge these detachments from their position, but he was repulsed each time; on a third attempt they were surrounded and captured.The regiment in charge of the train with the artillery and cavalry now moved off rapidly on the pike to Franklin, and Coburn, being surrounded by the rebels in overwhelming numbers, and finding his ammunition exhausted, surrendered.His loss was 40 killed, and 150 wounded, and 2,200prisoners, including his wounded.The enemy's loss was 35 killed and 140 wounded.The rebels lost heavily in officers, several of the most valued of Forrest's falling in the repulses of his command.
The surrender of Coburn weakened the forces at Franklin, and revealed the enemy in such strong force on the immediate front, that Gordon Granger at once ordered Baird to proceed by rail to Franklin, and moving his own headquarters there, assumed the command in person.
On the 7th, Sheridan's division was ordered to the front to reconnoitre the enemy's position.He reached Franklin, and the force at that place was further increased by the arrival of a brigade from Nashville.On the 9th, Minty's brigade of cavalry also reported, and on the day following, Granger with his troops advanced from there upon Van Dorn's encampment at Spring Hill.In support of Granger's movement on Van Dorn, Rosecrans ordered Davis to move with his division from Salem to Eaglesville, with R.S.Granger's brigade in supporting distance, posted at Versailles.Gordon Granger drove Van Dorn from Spring Hill, and the next day compelled his entire command to retire south of Rutherford's Creek.On account of the high water the pursuit was not continued further.
During March the rebel cavalry under Morgan met with one of the most decisive repulses yet experienced by that command.On the 18th of March Colonel Hall with his command, the second brigade of Reynolds's division, was sent from Murfreesboro after Morgan.
Starting northeast from that place he advanced beyond Statesville, when hearing that Morgan was advancing on him he retired toward Milton, posted his command on some high ground near that place and awaited the attack.Morgan endeavored first to turn the right and then the left of Hall's command, but in each of these attempts he was driven off with heavy loss.He then dismounted the main portion of his command and ordered an attack to be made on the front.Avigorous assault was at once made with a heavy force, but this was also repulsed, Morgan losing a large number of men.After an engagement lasting some four hours, in which Hall's brigade fought with the utmost determination, Morgan's command, being repulsed at all points and in every assault, withdrew from the field with a loss of some ninety-five killed, three hundred and fifty wounded, and twenty prisoners.
Early in April, Morgan's troopers were defeated with great loss.
