Franklin Battlefield was the site of the

Second Battle of Franklin The Second 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. Confede ...

, which occurred late in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. It is located in the southern part of

Franklin, Tennessee Franklin is a city in and county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020, its population was 83,454 ...

, on U.S. 31. It was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1960. and The Carter House, which stands today and is open to visitors, was located at the center of the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

position. The site covers about . The house and outbuildings still show hundreds of bullet holes. Across the street from the Carter house, the

Lotz House The Lotz House (Lotz rhymes with “boats") is a two-story frame house built in 1858 in the central Tennessee town of Franklin. The house is significant for being in the epicenter of the Battle of Franklin in the American Civil War in 1864. Hi ...

was similarly damaged, and the Lotz family huddled in the Carter House basement while the battle raged above. The Carnton Plantation, home to the McGavock family during the battle, also still stands and is likewise open to the public.

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

soldiers swept past Carnton toward the left wing of the Union army, and the house and outbuildings were converted into the largest field hospital present after the battle. Adjacent to Carnton is the

McGavock Confederate Cemetery The McGavock Confederate Cemetery is located in Franklin, Tennessee. It was established in June 1866 as a private cemetery on land donated by the McGavock planter family. The nearly 1,500 Confederate soldiers buried there were casualties of the ...

, where 1,481 Southern soldiers killed in the battle are buried. Adjacent to the surrounding Carnton is another of battlefield, which is currently being converted to a city park. Much of the rest of the Franklin battlefield has been lost to commercial development. The spot where Gen.

Patrick Cleburne Major-General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne ( ; March 16, 1828November 30, 1864) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. Born in Ireland, Cleburne served in the ...

fell, for instance, was covered until late 2005 by a

Pizza Hut Pizza Hut is an American multinational restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. They serve their signature pan pizza and other dishes including pasta, breadsticks and dessert at d ...

restaurant. Although the restaurant was purchased by a preservation group and demolished, the

Civil War Preservation Trust The American Battlefield Trust is a charitable organization (501(c)(3)) whose primary focus is in the preservation of battlefields of the American Civil War, the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 through acquisition of battlefield land. The ...

continues to rank the Franklin battlefield as one of the ten most endangered sites. City officials and historic-preservation groups have recently placed a new emphasis on saving what remains of the land over which this terrible battle raged.

Fort Granger Fort Granger was a Union fort built in 1862 in Franklin, Tennessee, Franklin, Tennessee, south of Nashville, after their forces occupied the state during the American Civil War. One of several fortifications constructed in the Franklin Battlefield ...

is preserved in a section that is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The battlefield is now preserved as part of the Eastern Flank Battle Park, which is operated by the city of Franklin.

References

External links

Eastern Flank Battle Park
- City of Franklin
Battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864
* * * * * {{National Register of Historic Places National Historic Landmarks in Tennessee Historic American Buildings Survey in Tennessee Historic American Landscapes Survey in Tennessee Franklin, Tennessee Battlefields of the Western Theater of the American Civil War Parks in Tennessee Protected areas of Williamson County, Tennessee Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee Conflict sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee Tennessee in the American Civil War National Register of Historic Places in Williamson County, Tennessee

See also

References

External links