Restoring a Battlefield

On November 30, 1864, one of the bloodiest and most consequential battles of the American Civil War was fought on the southern outskirts of Franklin, Tennessee. But unlike other well-preserved battlefields like Shiloh and Gettysburg, the trench lines and places of savage combat were covered over with homes, industrial sites, shops, and parking lots. Whether through ignorance or a desire to forget, the places where hundreds lay dead or dying were now locations where one could buy pizza or cold beer.

It would have been easy to have just written Franklin off, but a determined set of preservation-minded organizations, including the Heritage Foundation of Franklin, Save the Franklin Battlefield, the Battle of Franklin Trust, and the American Battlefield Trust began the task of reclaiming the Franklin battlefield, often acre by acre, tract by tract. In 2013, the American Battlefield Trust, working with Franklin’s Charge, acquired the keystone tract—the “strip center.” Victory here finally created a critical mass of ground that can be turned into a battlefield park that will better commemorate the sacrifices of both the North and South at the Battle of Franklin.  Now, in 2014, we are working to add three additional acres of hallowed ground to what has already be saved on this portion of the Franklin battlefield.

Below you will find images that better highlight the challenges and our work at Franklin.

While the American Battlefield Trust had worked to secure the 112-acre Eastern Flank property, it wasn’t until 2006 that the Trust produced its first success in the breakthrough region of the battlefield. In that year, the Trust worked to acquire, demolish, and restore the “Pizza Hut tract” along Columbia Pike. It was on this very ground that Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne, the “Stonewall of the West”, fell during the attack upon the Union main line.

The site of the Pizza Hut has since become a memorial park, with this pyramid commemorating Cleburne's death and the sacrifices of the soldiers who fought here.

A short distance from the Pizza Hut property was another small tract of land with great historical significance.  The Union army's main defensive line ran through the yard of this home and was the site of the Confederate breakthrough on November 30th.  Like many other Civil War "breakthrough" sites, this ground was the scene of intense hand-to-hand combat as the two sides became embroiled in a terrific melee that lasted until dark.

In 2010, Franklin’s Charge, with the assistance of the American Battlefield Trust, purchased this property. From here, visitors can now look southward from this previously unprotected land and see—almost—the Confederate position near the Cleburne monument. This was an incredible success for preservationists, but there is still work to be done.

The following year, the Trust acquired another small residential tract next to the site of the famous Cotton Gin – one of the landmarks of the battlefield.

In November 2012, American Battlefield Trust and Franklin’s Charge embarked on a campaign to reclaim this portion of the Franklin battlefield breakthrough region. Situated between the Cleburne monument and the Holt property, it was home to a Domino's Pizza franchise and small market selling cheap beer. But on November 30, 1864, this ground was the scene of tremendous bloodshed and incalculable chaos in 1864 as Cleburne's brigades smashed headlong into the Federal earthworks. The campaign succeeded, and this blood-soaked ground is now being restored.

An artist's rendering (below) shows what a Battle of Franklin park could look like in the not-too-distant future.  As you can see, the strip center is--quite literally--the only piece of land between the Cleburne monument and the Holt property. Preserving the missing piece of this puzzle removed the last obstacle to creating a contiguous park allowing visitors to reflect on one Civil War's bloodiest episodes.

Although the American Battlefield Trust and its partners have had many successes at Franklin, there is still so much hallowed ground at this site that needs to be preserved. In 2014, we are now working to save three more acres at the heart of the battlefield. This land is adjacent to the Carter House and across the Columbia pike from the Holt House, the Cotton Gin site, and the Trust's most recent 2012 acquisition.