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.
10-703: 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 m). 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
20-646: A very important role in the Second Battle of Franklin. Prior to the fight, the house was taken over as the headquarters of the Twenty-Third Army Corps commanded by Brigadier General Jacob D. Cox . Federal breastworks were erected just south of the home extending to both the east and west of Columbia Pike. The Carter family took refuge in the basement of their home during the battle. The middle son of Fountain Branch Carter, Tod Carter,
30-517: Is now preserved as part of the 110-acre (45 ha) Eastern Flank Battle Park , which is operated by the city of Franklin. Carter House (Franklin, Tennessee) 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
40-626: 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
50-613: The 20th Tennessee Infantry. The room where Tod Carter died is one of the highlights of the guided tour of the home today. Tours of the Carter House and grounds are available daily. The State of Tennessee has owned the house since it was purchased to save it from demolition in 1953. As one of the Tennessee Historical Commission's 18 State Historic Sites, the property is administered by the Battle of Franklin Trust,
60-432: The 48 acres (190,000 m) surrounding Carnton is another 110 acres (0.45 km) 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,
70-606: 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
80-464: The farm office, smokehouse, and kitchen. In the 1850s, Carter built a cotton gin on his property that became a much-remembered landmark during the Second Battle of Franklin in 1864. Though the cotton gin no longer stands, the house and the other three buildings are still intact and illustrate the horror of the Civil War battle with over a thousand bullet holes still visible. The Carter House played
90-581: 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. Fountain Branch Carter completed construction of the house in 1830. The federal style brick farm house was accompanied by several other outbuildings such as
100-480: Was mortally wounded in the battle. He was still alive the morning after the battle when he was found and brought to the house. There he lived for several more hours, surrounded by his distraught family. Tod Carter died of his wounds December 2, 1864, and was buried in Rest Haven Cemetery just north of town. He came home for the first time in over three years when he fought at the Battle of Franklin in
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