Finial Style: Brass Eagle

Location Housed: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, Ohio

Measurements: 6" X 7" at the widest part of the wing

Recovery Location: State of Ohio, Columbus, Ohio

Finial Attribution: 97th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, National Flag finial,H85960

Photograph Attribution: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, Ohio

Additional Information: On November 30, 1864, in Richmond, Virginia at the Confederate War Department, Confederate clerk John B. Jones wrote in his diary that the day was very warm, and summer like, with no fires required to keep warm. Jones also wrote of the day, "it is reported that Gen. Hood is still moving north, and is near Nashville." Jones had no way of knowing the the Army of Tennessee had already collided with the Union Army at Franklin, and that over 7200 of the flower of the south had had been killed, wounded or taken captive, including six Confederate generals killed, which would hamper the Confederates war efforts for the remainder of the war.

In Franklin, Tennessee, on November 30, 1864, the weather was much the same. Some described the day there as being like an "Indian Summer" day with bright sunshine and the temperature being in the mid 60's. The 97th Ohio Infantry was there, now about 465 miles from home in the Zanesville, Ohio area. The regiment had already "seen the elephant," and was about to see him again. The 97th had been at Perryville, Stones River, Missionary Ridge, where they had lost 156 ment killed and wounded, Kennesaw Mountain where they lost approximately 100 men in 30 minutes, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Lovejoy Station, and dozens of other places fighting their way to the end of the war. But today, up to this point in the war, they had never seen the spectacle they were about to behold. The 97th, as well as all the other Union regiments present, would see an entire Confederate army at one time in the form of the Army of Tennessee. 20,000 soldiers coming across a field, flags flying, bands playing, and it was all playing out before their eyes on that warm southern late fall day.

The 97th Ohio, as well as the other Union regiments, reached Franklin about noon on November 30, 1864, and after being moved to several places in town, the regiment was finally placed south of town to the right of the Columbia Pike, in the right center of the Union lines. By 4:00 p.m. the Confederate army arrived south of town on the Columbia Pike and formed for an attack. The 97th Ohio had two companies forward that were acting as skirmishers that were quickly driven in. In just a few minutes, the battle would begin in earnest, and the carnage would begin as the sun faded to evening and finally nightfall.  The 97th was initially in an outer work, and as the Confederates advanced, it became apparent the Ohioans had to hightail back to the main line of battle, after other Union regiments had already left the Ohioans alone.  Once inside their main line of defense, the Confederates followed immediately. Hand to hand combat, with the devil of hatred for their foes in the hearts of both Union and Confederate, showed himself as he did at Spotsylvania, few other places in the war.

The 2nd and 6th Missouri Consolidated regiment was in that attacking Confederate army that day, placed on the left of the army, headed to a field in front of the Carter house. The Confederate lines became so crowded with attempts to penetrate the Union position, the Missouri regiment found themselves behind the division of General John C. Brown. Finally reaching the Union line, and spilling into the abatis, Company G of the Missouri regiment immediately lost 21 of its 30 members killed or wounded. A young color bearer of the Missouri regiment, leading the way to the Unionist, jumped up on the Union works and was immediately shot dead, his colors falling to the ground. The Missourians lost 164 men, killed, wounded, or missing, including eight company commanders. Sergeant Alfred Ransbottom of the 97th Ohio regiment captured the colors of the Missouri, regiment. The colors were turned over to an officer by  Ransbottom. For the Sergeants effort, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor just three months later on February 24, 1865. Ransbottom' s Medal of Honor Citation reads that the flag captured was that of the 2nd Mississippi, however, that regiment was not in the Army of Tennessee, and was not present at Franklin. To this, many are in agreement the citation is in error, and the actual flag captured was that of the Missouri regiment. 

During the battle with the 97th Ohio came the 24th South Carolina Infantry regiment. Captain James Tillman of the 24th gathered Privates J.E.O. Carpenter, J.P. Blackwell, Anderson Walls, and an unknown Georgia regiments soldier followed James Tillman over the second line of defense of the Union soldiers. According to the book "Enlisted For The War by James W. Jones that speaks of the struggles of the 24th South Carolina during the war, Tillman and his squad captured the color company of the 97th Ohio, along with their regimental colors. The color bearer of the 97th was persuaded to surrender the colors after a rap on the head with a musket. Tillman handed over the prisoners and flag to the confederates waiting on the other side of the Union works. 

The fighting was reported, by the Colonel of the 97th Ohio, to have stopped around 10:00 p.m. The 97th Ohio lost 69 soldiers, killed, wounded or missing that day in November 1864. Milton Barnes, the commanding officer of the 97th Ohio, in his official reports of the battle minimized his loss at Franklin, and did not report the loss of his colors. In a letter home to Milton Barnes wife on December 3, 1864, is the first time known to the author that Barnes put pen to paper and confessed the loss of the colors of the 97th Ohio when he speaks of "the loss of my colors and a color sergeant in the fight, {at the time Barnes thought the color Sergeant lost, however time would prove he was not.}

Thousands of dead and wounded were on the fields, in the trenches, behind the abatis quickly made, left to the towns people, and the remainder of the Confederate army to try and care for. Only morning and daybreak the next day would tell the story of what happened in Franklin. The Union army moved on to Nashville, as well as the remainder of Hood's army being close behind. 

The Confederate War Department in Richmond, according to John B. Jones diary, didn't receive information for days about the happenings at Franklin. Most of the information received was through Union newspapers. In Jones diary of December 5, 1864, he writes, "Our people think, in the Federal accounts of a victory over Gen. Hood, at Franklin, Tenn., they perceive a Confederate victory. It is understood that the enemy fell back upon Nashville after battle, pursued by Hood." By December 20, Jones writes, "If the Northern accounts be true, Gen. Hood has sustained an irretrievable disaster." In Jones diary of January 17th 1865, he states, " Lieut-Gen. Hood has been relieved and is ordered to report here." Not until January 21, 1865, according to Jones diary, did the Confederate War Department have the facts as presented by General Hood of the happenings of November 30, 1864. Jones writes, "We have at last a letter from Gen. Hood, narrating the battle at Franklin, Tenn. He says he lost about 4500 men-enemy's loss not stated. Failure of Gen. Cheatham to execute an order the day before, prevented him from routing the enemy."
The 97th Ohio went on to the end of the war, being mustered out of service on June 12, 1865 at Nashville, Tennessee. Alfred Ransbottom went back home to Ohio after winning his Congressional Medal. In 1880, Alfred is listed as married with six children and was a pottery maker, which he did until he died in 1893. Through the courtesy of the Missouri State Museum in Jefferson City, the flag of the 2nd & 6th Missouri Consolidated Regiment, captured by Alfred Ransbottom is presented. The eagle finial presented is that belonging to the National Color of the 97th Ohio Infantry Regiment.

In 1885, General Ellison Capers of the former 24th South Carolina made arrangements with members of the 97th Ohio reunion committee to return the 97th's colors at the reunion. James Tillman was dead by then passing the year after the end of the war. General Capers was in bad health and unable to make the reunion trip to reunite the flag with the men of the 97th that remained.  The flag was returned to the 97th Ohio at their reunion in November 1885. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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