Franklin Battlefield was the site of the
Second Battle of Franklin, which occurred late in the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. It is located in the southern part of
Franklin, Tennessee
Franklin is a city in and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020 Uni ...
, on
U.S. 31. It was declared a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
in 1960.
[ and ]
The
Carter House, which stands today and is open to visitors, was located at the center of the
Union 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 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 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, 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, Major-General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne ( ; March 16, 1828November 30, 1864) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer in the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, West ...
fell, for instance, was covered until late 2005 by a
Pizza Hut restaurant. Although the restaurant was purchased by a preservation group and demolished, the
Civil War Preservation Trust 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 is preserved in a section that is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
The battlefield is now preserved as part of the Eastern Flank Battle Park, which is operated by the city of Franklin.
See also
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in Tennessee
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Williamson County, Tennessee
References
External links
Eastern Flank Battle Park- City of Franklin
Battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864*
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{{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