“Victory" Declared on Two Critical Properties at Franklin Battlefield
(Franklin, Tenn.) — The American Battlefield Trust has declared final victory on two projects that have added a crucial 1.5 acres to the Franklin Battlefield. The newly saved tracts are located a few hundred feet south of the historic Carter House in Franklin and saw heavy casualties during the fighting. The additional acreage adds to the nearly 200 acres saved by the Trust at Franklin.
“These crucial pieces of hallowed ground would be lost forever without the generosity of our members and federal, state and local support,” said David Duncan, president of the American Battlefield Trust. “Now, all that come to Franklin will be able to more deeply understand and appreciate the battlefield.”
“The sacrifices and memory of the soldiers who fought at Franklin were in danger of being paved over,” remarked Clay Perry, board president for Franklin’s Charge. “We look forward to welcoming people to this hallowed ground, and telling the story of Franklin for generations to come”
In declaring “victory” the Trust signals that all aspects of the acquisitions, including administrative procedures, are complete. As with other expensive Franklin projects, this work would not have been possible without the availability of matching grants from the federal American Battlefield Protection Program and the Tennessee Civil War Sites Preservation Fund (TCWSPF), administered by the Tennessee Wars Commission, a division of the Tennessee Historical Commission, State Historic Preservation Office, as well as support from local preservation groups and local government investment. Next will come the removal of now-vacant warehouses on the protected properties, which will connect two previously protected portions of the battlefield.
Since 1996, the Trust has partnered with organizations like Franklin’s Charge and the Battle of Franklin Trust, assisted by federal and state government agencies and local officials, to purchase and subsequently restore and interpret 182 acres of the battlefield. The total value of this land is $22.89 million, because much of it had been developed as strip malls and fast-food restaurants. But in the early 2000s, a grassroots movement to reclaim the battlefield began. Lot by lot, the landscape was transformed into a heritage tourism destination. The Herbert Harper Visitor Center at the Carter House State Historic Site, now under construction, will usher in a new era for Franklin.
On November 30, 1864, Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood, determined to defeat Union Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield’s Army of the Ohio before they could reach Union reinforcements Nashville, launched a massive frontal assault of around 20,000 men across open ground in Franklin. The attack resulted in more than 8,500 casualties, nearly 75 percent of them Confederate. The six Southern generals killed, with many more wounded or captured, made it greatest loss of such senior officers in any Civil War battle. Scores of Confederate soldiers were killed or wounded on the property just saved by the Trust, and dozens of soldiers were buried there, before being exhumed and moved to a cemetery.
The American Battlefield Trust is dedicated to preserving America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educating the public about what happened there and why it matters today. The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization has protected more than 60,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War across 165 sites in 25 states. Learn more at www.battlefields.org.
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