McGavock Confederate Cemetery

Carnton witnessed the "five bloodiest hours" of the Civil War: November 30, 1864's Battle of Franklin. In just five hours, almost 10,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, captured or missing. Carnton, the home of Carrie and John McGavock, served as the largest Confederate field hospital, as surgeons toiled inside the house; bloodstains still mar the floors. The bodies of four Confederate generals lay on the back porch on the morning of December 1, 1864. In 1866, the family donated two acres for the McGavock Confederate Cemetery and oversaw the reburial of nearly 1,500 soldiers. Robert Hicks immortalized Carrie McGavock in his New York Times bestseller The Widow of the South. The story will come alive as you take a one-hour guided tour of the house. Experience the grounds' outbuildings, gardens and cemetery on your own with a map and brochure provided with admission.