US ResearchConflictsMexican-American WarBattle of Franklin (Kansas) 1856
Mexican-American War

Battle of Franklin (Kansas) 1856

1856
Kansas
Era
Mexican-American War
Year
1856
Location
Kansas
Status
Verified engagement
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Pro-slavery forces
Forces
pro-slavery garrison at Franklin, Kansas
VS
Victor
Free-state forces
Forces
Free-state forces under James Lane
Outcome
Free-state forces captured the small pro-slavery settlement; cannon ("Old Sacramento") seized
The Battle

History & Significance

The Battle of Franklin was fought on November 30, 1864, in Franklin, Tennessee, as part of the Franklin–Nashville Campaign of the American Civil War. It was one of the worst disasters of the war for the Confederate States Army. Confederate Lieutenant General John Bell Hood's Army of Tennessee conducted numerous frontal assaults against fortified positions occupied by the Union forces under Major General John Schofield and was unable to prevent Schofield from executing a planned, orderly withdrawal to Nashville.

Duration
Single day engagement (November 30, 1864)
Historical context

The Mexican-American War (1846–1848) grew from the annexation of Texas (1845) and a disputed border between Texas and Mexico at the Rio Grande. President James K. Polk ordered US troops under General Zachary Taylor into the contested zone; after a skirmish that killed American soldiers, Congress declared war in May 1846. US forces won a series of engagements — Palo Alto, Monterrey, Buena Vista — before General Winfield Scott led an amphibious landing at Veracruz and an overland campaign to Mexico City, which fell in September 1847. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (February 1848) transferred California, Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona and New Mexico, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming to the United States in exchange for $15 million and assumption of $3.25 million in claims — roughly 525,000 square miles, a 67 percent expansion of US territory. The war's outcome immediately reopened the slavery question: the Wilmot Proviso, debated throughout the war, proposed banning slavery from any territory acquired from Mexico, foreshadowing the sectional crisis of the 1850s.

Casualties & Losses

Several casualties; precise numbers uncertain

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

When did Battle of Franklin (Kansas) 1856 take place?
Battle of Franklin (Kansas) 1856 took place in 1856. Single day engagement (November 30, 1864).
Where was Battle of Franklin (Kansas) 1856 fought?
Battle of Franklin (Kansas) 1856 was fought in Kansas, United States.
What was the outcome of Battle of Franklin (Kansas) 1856?
Free-state forces captured the small pro-slavery settlement; cannon ("Old Sacramento") seized
What was the significance of Battle of Franklin (Kansas) 1856?
The Battle of Franklin was fought on November 30, 1864, in Franklin, Tennessee, as part of the Franklin–Nashville Campaign of the American Civil War. It was one of the worst disasters of the war for the Confederate States Army. Confederate Lieutenant General John Bell Hood's Army of Tennessee conduc
Protected heritage nearby

Historic Sites near Battle of Franklin (Kansas) 1856

Breezedale Historic District
Listed · 1.9 mi
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Source

Content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Wikipedia source.

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