The soldiers did the fighting; the generals, the Infighting
In the waning months of the American Civil War, a delusional Confederate commander makes a desperate attempt to change the course of the South’s dwindling hopes by invading middle Tennessee. The tragic result of Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood’s misplaced hubris devastates his Army of Tennessee and alters the lives of the citizens of Franklin, Tennessee.
In a historical novel reminiscent of The Killer Angels, Too Much the Lion follows a handful of Confederate generals, infantrymen and local residents through the five days leading up to the horrific Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864. The lives of soldiers ranging from Major General Patrick Cleburne to Brigadier General Hiram Granbury and from Sergeant Major Sumner Cunningham to Corporal Sam Watkins will be forever changed by Hood’s decisions and mistakes.
Franklin civilians like apprehensive and loving mother Mary Alice McPhail and teen Hardin Figuers, desperate to serve the Confederacy but too young to enlist, are ensnared in the events that will bring death and devastation to their very doorsteps. Devout Confederate Chaplain Charles T. Quintard must reconcile his religious beliefs with his support of slavery. Slaves like the elder Wiley Howard and the inquisitive young Henry B. Free are trapped on the fault line between what has been and what could be.
Too Much the Lion offers an unvarnished account of the dying days of the Confederacy in a powerful and moving narrative of honor and betrayal, bravery and cowardice, death and survival. Told with poignancy and honesty by an accomplished novelist, Too Much the Lion achieves for the Battle of Franklin what The Killer Angels did for the Battle of Gettysburg, providing a classic fictional account of one of the Civil War’s pivotal encounters.
Too Much the Lion is the story of the Battle of Franklin and the five days leading up to the disastrous conflict as lived by select generals, infantrymen, and civilians in the waning weeks of the Confederacy. In a war filled with tragic encounters, this was one of the most heartrending, yet least remembered battles of the Civil War, largely because it occurred in the Western Theater, far removed from the aura of Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia.
The Confederate Army of Tennessee produced no Robert E. Lee, but instead fought under a succession of mediocre commanders whose battlefield triumphs were limited to a single decisive but bloody victory at Chickamauga. The army’s commanders had little else to show for the sacrifice of Rebel men and boys. Though the overall leadership lacked the tactical flair of a Lee or a Stonewall Jackson, the Army of Tennessee possessed some superb generals such as cavalryman Nathan Bedford Forrest and division commander Patrick Ronayne Cleburne, who both appear in this account, though the focus is on the lesser-known Cleburne and his division.
With more than 8,500 combined casualties, the Battle of Franklin does not make the top twenty list of Civil War battles with the most losses. Even so, Union and Confederate forces endured five of the most ferocious hours of combat during the War Between the States. Besides the hubris of Army of Tennessee commander John Bell Hood, the events of the preceding night at Spring Hill contributed to the next day’s ill-fated attack—dubbed “the Pickett’s Charge of the West”—at Franklin.
In one of the greatest blunders of the Civil War, the Union army slipped past the Army of Tennessee during the night at Spring Hill, Tennessee, and escaped the trap Lieutenant General Hood had set but failed to execute. Charges and countercharges about who was at fault echoed through the years, and historians remain conflicted about who forfeited one of the South’s last opportunities for a victory over Union forces. The interpretations of the events at Spring Hill in Too Much the Lion are entirely those of the author after considerable research and head-scratching.
In addition to the many generals mentioned in this historical novel, two Confederate infantrymen who left accounts for posterity provide perspective from the viewpoint of the foot soldier. While novels about war rightfully focus on soldiers, battle takes its toll on civilians as well, so two Franklin families—the Carters and the Figuers—provide perceptions beyond those of the troops. Two slaves serving Confederate officers as manservants—one elderly and one in his teens—also enter the narrative.
Except for two characters, all the names listed are those taken from historical accounts. The name of a Franklin doctor was fictionalized, and the last name of the slave named “Henry” was added since the historical account only listed his first name. Otherwise, the names are actual, including the lists of casualties and the causes of their deaths. The interpretation of each character is that of the author, based on his research.
Too Much the Lion is told entirely from the Confederate viewpoint, both soldier and civilian. It is important to remember that by late 1864, both Southern combatants and noncombatants had endured three years of death and deprivation. Both citizens and warriors alike were tired of war, its hardships, and the uncertainty it created for their futures.
For those unfamiliar with the organization of a Confederate army, the Army of Tennessee operated under Lieutenant General John Bell Hood in overall command of three infantry corps and a cavalry corps under the direction of Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest. This account focuses on the corps under the command of Major General Benjamin Franklin Cheatham of Tennessee. His three division commanders included Major General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne of Arkansas and Major General John C. Brown of Tennessee, who are pivotal in this account. Major General William B. Bate of Tennessee also served as a division commander under Cheatham, but he played a lesser role in the events as depicted in Too Much the Lion.
Three brigades under the commands of brigadier generals Hiram B. Granbury of Texas, Daniel C. Govan of Arkansas, and Mark P. Lowery of Mississippi reported to Cleburne, their division commander. Between seven and ten regiments designated by number and state served under these three brigadier generals.
Two of the four brigades in Brown’s division appear in this account. Commanders of those brigades were brigadier generals States Rights Gist of South Carolina and Otho F. Strahl of Ohio. While other generals and combatants show up in this account, their roles are nominal in this telling of the story of the Battle of Franklin.
In compiling this narrative, the author has attempted to stay within the historical framework of the events leading up to and culminating in the Battle of Franklin and its aftermath. Occasionally, time elements may have been compressed or slightly altered for the sake of the overlapping narratives from the different viewpoints.
If nothing else, perhaps Too Much the Lion will drive readers to the historical accounts of the Battle of Franklin to make their own assessments and draw their own conclusions of the tragic encounter in the waning months of the Civil War. If Too Much the Lion accomplishes anything, perhaps it will give Patrick Ronayne Cleburne his due as one of the noble generals of the Civil War, much like The Killer Angels elevated Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain into the public consciousness.
Too Much the Lion is a novel of war, and war is the failure of man to live up to the “better angels of our nature” as President Abraham Lincoln first used the term in his 1861 inaugural address before the start of the conflict that killed more Americans than any other in our nation’s history.
By its very nature, however, any novel of war is also an anti-war novel, for it shows the dire consequences on individuals of political and military deceit and hubris. Perhaps Too Much the Lion offers lessons for today if we are honest and humble enough to accept them.
Preston Lewis is the award-winning author of more than 50 western, historical, juvenile, and nonfiction works. In 2021 he was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters for his literary achievements.
Western Writers of America (WWA) has honored Lewis with two Spur Awards, one for best article and the second for best western novel. He has received ten Will Rogers Medallion Awards (six gold, two silver and two bronze) for written western humor, short stories, short nonfiction, and traditional Western novel.
Lewis is a past president of WWA and the West Texas Historical Association, which named him a fellow in 2016. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and a master’s degree from Ohio State University, both in journalism. Additionally, he has a second master’s degree in history from Angelo State University. He lives in San Angelo, Texas, with wife Harriet Kocher Lewis.
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