The evening of 2 October, Confederate pickets observed the three riverboats waiting around South Quay, Virginia, approximately three miles (4.8 km) downriver from Franklin.
 At 5:45 a.m. the next day, the three ships began moving towards the city while shelling the nearby banks.
The attack was led by the Commodore Perry, followed by the Whitehead astern the Hunchback.
 While the Union shelled the banks of the Blackwater, Confederate troops began distributing themselves along the riverside to take advantage of the concealment there.
Some of the 4th North Carolina Cavalry was dismounted and taken up by Colonel Marshall of the 52nd, and positioned along with his men at Crumpler's and neighboring bluffs to fire upon the riverboats.
Colonel Ferebee took the rest of the 4th NC Cavalry and dismounted and positioned them behind the trees and bushes along the banks of the Blackwater, under the command of a Lieutenant Ruffin.
 According to a Union naval officer later, the Confederate's forces along the Blackwater also included "some nonuniformed irregulars and even 'some negroes.'"

At 7:00 a.m., approximately .75 miles (1.21 km) from Franklin, the Commodore Perry came under fire from the Confederate forces along the river and atop the bluffs.
As the Perry was too close to bring her large-bore guns to bear, Commander Flusser ordered his sailors to shelter themselves as best they could while the ship tried to steam past the enemy.
Unfortunately, due to the narrowness of the bend, the Commodore Perry ran aground; Lt.
Ruffin and his men were so close to the grounded riverboat, they later claimed to have heard the Perry's officers cursing her enlisted sailors.
 Freeing herself, the Perry rounded the bend and maneuvered to provide suppressive fire to allow the Hunchback and Whitehead to follow; the combined shelling of all three ships forced Lt.
Ruffin and his detachment to withdraw from the banks of the river.
 However, all three ships' progress was soon halted by a barricade in the river.
While the barricade was removable with Commander Flusser's available manpower, he could not attempt to do so due to the "terrible fire to which [they] were exposed."
 While continuing to assault the Confederacy with their "IX-inch grape and shell" guns, "32-pounder" guns, field gun, and muskets, the three ships waited at the barricade hoping to hear the gunfire of General Dix's infantry forces.

At 10:15 a.m., Commander Flusser ordered retreat from the river barrier.
All three ships remained under heavy fire by enemy forces from multiple angles until between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.  An incomplete rear barricade of felled trees failed to stop the ships which "[pushed through] with a heavy head of steam."
 Flusser later opined that this new barricade would have been impassable had the ships remained north of it for several more hours, waiting for General Dix's quiescent forces.

Meanwhile, Colonel Spear arrived around 1:00 p.m. and anticipating support from the now-retreating naval gunships, the Union infantrymen conflicted with the Confederates in Franklin.
 After six hours of combat, running low on ammunition, realizing that he only had 1,300 men and not the 1,700–2,000 he'd thought, and losing two riflemen to Confederate defection, Spear withdrew the Union forces around Franklin, and returned to Suffolk abandoning one brass field piece, a few overcoats, and a horse.
The evening of 2 October, Confederate pickets observed the three riverboats waiting around South Quay, Virginia, approximately three miles (4.8 km) downriver from Franklin.  At 5:45 a.m. the next day, the three ships began moving towards the city while shelling the nearby banks. The attack was led by the Commodore Perry, followed by the Whitehead astern the Hunchback.  While the Union shelled the banks of the Blackwater, Confederate troops began distributing themselves along the riverside to take advantage of the concealment there. Some of the 4th North Carolina Cavalry was dismounted and taken up by Colonel Marshall of the 52nd, and positioned along with his men at Crumpler's and neighboring bluffs to fire upon the riverboats. Colonel Ferebee took the rest of the 4th NC Cavalry and dismounted and positioned them behind the trees and bushes along the banks of the Blackwater, under the command of a Lieutenant Ruffin.  According to a Union naval officer later, the Confederate's forces along the Blackwater also included "some nonuniformed irregulars and even 'some negroes.'"
At 7:00 a.m., approximately .75 miles (1.21 km) from Franklin, the Commodore Perry came under fire from the Confederate forces along the river and atop the bluffs. As the Perry was too close to bring her large-bore guns to bear, Commander Flusser ordered his sailors to shelter themselves as best they could while the ship tried to steam past the enemy. Unfortunately, due to the narrowness of the bend, the Commodore Perry ran aground; Lt. Ruffin and his men were so close to the grounded riverboat, they later claimed to have heard the Perry's officers cursing her enlisted sailors.  Freeing herself, the Perry rounded the bend and maneuvered to provide suppressive fire to allow the Hunchback and Whitehead to follow; the combined shelling of all three ships forced Lt. Ruffin and his detachment to withdraw from the banks of the river.  However, all three ships' progress was soon halted by a barricade in the river. While the barricade was removable with Commander Flusser's available manpower, he could not attempt to do so due to the "terrible fire to which [they] were exposed."  While continuing to assault the Confederacy with their "IX-inch grape and shell" guns, "32-pounder" guns, field gun, and muskets, the three ships waited at the barricade hoping to hear the gunfire of General Dix's infantry forces.
At 10:15 a.m., Commander Flusser ordered retreat from the river barrier. All three ships remained under heavy fire by enemy forces from multiple angles until between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.  An incomplete rear barricade of felled trees failed to stop the ships which "[pushed through] with a heavy head of steam."  Flusser later opined that this new barricade would have been impassable had the ships remained north of it for several more hours, waiting for General Dix's quiescent forces.
Meanwhile, Colonel Spear arrived around 1:00 p.m. and anticipating support from the now-retreating naval gunships, the Union infantrymen conflicted with the Confederates in Franklin.  After six hours of combat, running low on ammunition, realizing that he only had 1,300 men and not the 1,700–2,000 he'd thought, and losing two riflemen to Confederate defection, Spear withdrew the Union forces around Franklin, and returned to Suffolk abandoning one brass field piece, a few overcoats, and a horse.
Joint Expedition Against Franklin