Franklin Battlefield

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Franklin Battlefield
Winstead Hill Franklin TN.jpg
View of the battlefield from atop Winstead Hill, which served as General Hood's headquarters
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Location Franklin, Tennessee
Coordinates 35°54′13″N86°51′58″W / 35.90361°N 86.86611°W / 35.90361; -86.86611 Coordinates: 35°54′13″N86°51′58″W / 35.90361°N 86.86611°W / 35.90361; -86.86611
Architectural styleGreek Revival, Federal
NRHP reference No. 66000734
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966 [1]
Designated NHLDDecember 19, 1960 [2]

Franklin Battlefield was the site of the Second Battle of Franklin, which occurred late in the American Civil War. It is located in the southern part of Franklin, Tennessee, on U.S. 31. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960. [2] [3]

Contents

The Carter House, which stands today and is open to visitors, was located at the center of the Union position. The site covers about 15 acres (61,000 m2). 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. [4] 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 48 acres (190,000 m2) surrounding Carnton is another 110 acres (0.45 km2) 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 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 20-acre (8.1 ha) section that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The battlefield is now preserved as part of the 110-acre (45 ha)Eastern Flank Battle Park, which is operated by the city of Franklin.

See also

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Battle of Franklin (1864) Battle of the American Civil War

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Oatlands Plantation United States historic place

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Kenmore (Fredericksburg, Virginia) United States historic place

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Robert Hicks (American author)

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Carnton United States historic place

Carnton is a historic home and museum in Franklin, Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The sprawling farm and its buildings played an important role during and immediately after the Battle of Franklin during the American Civil War. It is managed by the non-profit organization The Battle of Franklin Trust.

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.

Carter House (Franklin, Tennessee) United States historic place

The Carter House State Historic Site is a historic house at 1140 Columbia Avenue in Franklin, Tennessee. In that house, the Carter family hid in the basement waiting for the second Battle of Franklin to end. It is a Tennessee Historical Commission State Historic Site, managed by the non-profit organization The Battle of Franklin Trust under an agreement with the Tennessee Historical Commission. The house is a contributing property and centerpiece of the Franklin Battlefield, a U.S. National Historic Landmark historic district.

Lotz House United States historic place

The Lotz House 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.

Maney-Sidway House United States historic place

The Maney-Sidway House, also known as Jasmine Grove and as Myles Manor, is a building in Franklin, Tennessee originally built c.1836, that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Fort Granger United States historic place

Fort Granger was a Union fort built in 1862 in 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, the fort was used by Union troops to defend their positions in Middle Tennessee against Confederate attackers. The Second Battle of Franklin in 1864, part of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign in the Western Theater, was the most notable engagement of this area during the Civil War.

Henry H. Mayberry House United States historic place

The Henry H. Mayberry House, also known as "Riverview", is a private home in Franklin, Tennessee located on Franklin Pike just north of the Harpeth River Bridge. Built in 1902 in Neo-Classical or Classical Revival architecture, it is one of the notable residences of the 1900-1935 period in Williamson County. At the time it was built it had the most technologically advanced utilities in the county, including electric lights and its own water works. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. When listed, the property included an area of 26 acres (11 ha).

McGavock–Gaines House United States historic place

The McGavock–Gaines House, also known as Riverside, is a historic mansion in Franklin, Tennessee. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The property then included two contributing buildings, one contributing structure, and one non-contributing building, on an area of 3.2 acres (1.3 ha).

Ropers Knob Fortifications United States historic place

Roper's Knob Fortifications were constructed by Union Army forces between February and May 1863 in Franklin, Tennessee. According to Tennessee Archaeology, "Roper's Knob served as part of a chain of signal stations that provided a communications link from Franklin to Murfreesboro. Additionally the knob had a large redoubt capable of holding four large artillery pieces, a blockhouse, cisterns, and a magazine. ... "

Winstead Hill United States historic place

Winstead Hill is a property in Franklin, Tennessee that has significance in 1864 for being in the Second Battle of Franklin battlefield. It is located within the Franklin Battlefield, a U.S. National Historic Landmark area.

Randal McGavock (1766–1843) was an American politician and Southern planter in Nashville, Tennessee. Identifying as a Jeffersonian Republican, he served as the Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee from 1824 to 1825.

Two Rivers Mansion (Nashville, Tennessee) United States historic place

Two Rivers Mansion is an Antebellum historic house in Nashville, Tennessee, United States.

McGavock-Gatewood-Webb House United States historic place

The McGavock-Gatewood-Webb House, also known as Blue Fountain, is a historic house in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. It was built in the 1840s.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. 1 2 "Franklin Battlefield". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2007-12-29. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
  3. Cecil N. McKithan (November 5, 1982). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Franklin Battlefield" (pdf). National Park Service.Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying seven photos, from 1961 and undated  (32 KB)
  4. Thompson, J.T.; Carlisle II, Robert Z. (2017). The Lotz Family: Survivors of the Battle of Franklin (Third ed.). Franklin, Tennessee. ISBN   9781467908252.