The small town of Franklin, Tennessee had been a Federal (Union) military post since the fall of Nashville in early 1862.  Late in the summer of 1864, Confederate President Jefferson Davis replaced commander Joseph E. Johnston with John Bell Hood (right).  General Hood, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and known for his superb record with his “Texas Brigade,” suffered from a withered arm and amputated leg.  A firm believer in frontal assaults, Hood begins to formulate his “Tennessee Campaign of 1864″ with the main objective to drive Sherman away from Atlanta and Robert E. Lee’s forces.