Civil War Era Military Sites in Williams County, Tennessee (in progress)

By Kraig W. McNutt, Blogger – BattleofFranklin.net and founder of The Center for the Study of the American Civil War. [email protected]

Civil War Era Military Sites in

Williamson County, TN

“From large battles to small skirmishes, Dyer's Compendium of the American Civil

War identifies more than 10,000 military events that occurred during this turbulent

period. Of these, 1,462 occurred in Tennessee placing our state second only to

Virginia in the number of military activities.”

- Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association

There are 815 total site components in Tennessee and 65 extant buildings. There are 443

recorded sites in Tennessee.

East 188 42%

Middle TN 165 37%

West TN 90__ 20%

443 Note:

West TN has 21 counties; Middle TN has 41 counties; East TN has 32 counties.

Key middle TN counties with the Civil War era sites:

Williamson County 50 (11%)

Davidson 77 (17%)

Robertson 48 (11%)

Three types of components:

Military site component terms:

Entrenchment, redoubt, redan, lunette, priest cap, artillery emplacement,

earthwork, fort, stockade, blockhouse, railroad guard post, battlefield (sm),

battlefield (lge), encampment (short-term), encampment (long-term),

hospital (short-term), hospital (long-term), headquarters, prison, signal

station, magazine, cemetery

Extant Relevant Building (i.e., Carnton, Carter House, etc.)

Other

Foundry, grist mill, petroglyph, railroad depot, saltpeter mine, shipyard, train

wreck


WILLIAMSON COUNTY

Williamson County - 50 sites total

Military site components 43

Extant buildings 7

Other 0

50 total

Most numerous kinds of components in Williamson county:

Entrenchments 9

Hospital (short-term) 7

Extant relevant building 7

Encampment (long-term) 5

Headquarters 4

Redoubt 3

Others combined 15

Entrenchments (Nine components):

Fort Granger (U) 1

Roper’s Knob (U) 1

Battle of Franklin (U) 1

Triune, defenses (U) 4


Carter House (U) 1

Hospital - short-term (Seven components):

Carnton ( C ) 1

Carter House (U) 1

Masonic Hall (C/U) 1

Courthouse (C/U) 1

Figuers House (C/U) 1

St. Paul’s Episcopal (C/U) 1

Harrison House ( C ) 1


Extant Relevant Building (Seven components):

Carnton ( C ) 1

Carter House (U) 1


Courthouse (C/U) 1




Encampment - long-term (Five components):

Fort Granger (U) 1


Franklin defenses (U) 1

Franklin defenses (U) 1

Triune defenses (U) 1

Headquarters (Four components):

Carter House (U) 1

Courthouse (C/U) 1



Redoubt (Three components):



Other (selected)

Forts (Two components):

Fort Granger (U) 1


Blockade (one component): Roper’s Knob (U)

Battlefield - large (Two components)

Battle of Franklin 1

Carter House 1

[Eastern Flank] 1*


*The 2003 survey did not include Carnton/Eastern Flank as a large battlefield site because it was still the old

golf course. I’d argue that the Eastern Flank should be officially added as a middle TN Civil War era site.

Signal Station (Two components):



Cemetery (One component) – Carnton (McGavock Confederate Cemetery)*

*McGavock is only one of three Civil War cemeteries in all of middle TN; the others are Guests’ Hollow in

Warren County and Stone’s River in Murfreesboro. There are twelve total Civil War cemeteries in all of

Tennessee.


Entrenchments

Fort Granger (U) 1


Battle of Franklin (U) 1



Carter House (U) 1

“Entrenchments were the most basic of the many kinds of earthen defensive

constructions used during the Civil War, and their remains constitute one of the

most common Civil War era archaeological components recorded in Tennessee.

The terms breastwork and the pit are often used as synonymous with

entrenchment. . . . . In its simple form an entrenchment was often no more than

a dirt and parapet, with the dirt taken from the ditch thrown up in front of the

work. . . . Parapets were sometimes constructed using locally available materials

such as stones or logs . . . Complex entrenchments, especially those used in

connections with large earthen fortifications, often also included such features

as outer ditches, headlogs (at the top of the parapet), palisades, advance rifle

pits, and abatis.” - “A Survey of Civil War Era Military Sites in Tennessee,” Samuel D. Smith and Benjamin C. Nance. TN Dept of

Environment and Conservation, Division of Archaeology. 2003: p. 99.

Fort Granger

Fort Granger was a Union earthwork fortification that was built between March and May of 1863 when Federal forces occupied Franklin. It is named after Union General Gordon Granger. Laborers worked around the clock to construct it, even using some materials from local resident’s homes.

Originally about 781’ by 346’ wide, the fort encompassed nearly twelve acres (11.76). It sits right on the Harpeth River, near downtown Franklin. The parapets face a southwestern direction. There were two fortified fronts on the northern and eastern sides. The walls were packed with dirt and supported by wood timbers.


By April of 1863, Fort Granger held 18 field guns and two 30 pound siege cannons. With 314 officers and 5,494 men, most of the artillery fired through embrasures (openings in the parapet walls). At full capacity, the fort housed 5,194 infantry troops, 2,728 cavalry and 24 artillery pieces.

Fort Granger played an important role in military actions of April 10, 1863 and June 4, 1863. Shells from the fort landed in some Franklin houses during the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864, during which it served as the final headquarters for Federal General John M. Schofield. During that engagement the fort held 8,500 soldiers and 24 pieces of artillery.

The area south of Franklin was a "no-man's" land of guerilla warfare and reprisals. Fort Granger was

attacked several times by Confederate cavalry units.

Long neglected after the Civil War, Fort Granger was purchased by The City of Franklin in the 1970's. (Text Adapted From: "Fort Granger's History" signage, located in the center of the fort's open area, between the Middle Bastion and the SE Bastion).

Google Map view of Fort Granger, looking southwest. FranklinBattlefield.com

Union General Gordon Granger


When walking into the entrance to Fort Granger today you will enter in from the Middle

Bastion. The far wall facing – opposite the bastions – sits atop Figuer’s Bluff and the Harpeth

River is below.

S

E W

N

Entrance

Parking

Area


The war of the rebellion: a compilation of the official records of the Union ... (p. 979)

By United States. War Dept, Robert Nicholson Scott

The Pictorial Field Book of the Civil War in the United States of America (Volume 2): 421.


Prominent Franklin resident – Royce – prosecutes claim for loss of

home during the Civil War (Transcription of letter) David Campbell Esquire

Dear Sir,

I neglected to speak to you yesterday in regard

to prosecuting a claim for damages for my

wife’s property which was destroyed by the

Federal army under General Granger. I will

therefore make a brief statement of the facts

in the case and would like to be advised what

steps are necessary to be taken in the matter.

The house where we formerly lived was deeded

by me and W. S. McLemore (the former trustee

for my wife) to myself as trustee for my wife

and children some two years before the war –

The deed was drawn by John Marshall and I

had a perfect night to make the deed as I had

sufficient property outside of that to meet all

my debts and have a surplus. At the time my

wife was ordered out of the lines she informed

the authorities that the house was her property

and she delivered the key to General Granger’s Adjutant notifying him that she

should hold him responsible for its safe keeping. She had never been required to

take the oath of allegiance and of course had never refused [end page one] to

take it. She had never been charged with doing any act prejudicial to the U.S.

Army and as a matter of fact had done no such act. She had not been off her lot

for three months previous to her being sent away, except twice, and no one was

with her in the house except my two little girls, one eight and the other six years

old. You are aware how the house was destroyed after she left, being hauled away

by government wagons to the fort for the purpose of making barracks for soldiers.

I estimate the damage to the property at five thousand dollars ($5,000) as I am

satisfied it could not be restored for anything less than that amount. If there us

any reasonable prospect of obtaining damages I wish to have steps taken

immediately to prosecute the claim, and would like to be furnished with papers in

proper form if it is necessary for me to certify to any such. All the facts stated

here can be proven by witnesses now in Franklin.

I am yours very truly,

M.S. Royce

Courtesy: The Kraig McNutt Civil War Collection


Triune defense

The Federal earthworks at Triune are near pristine examples of military engineering. They

represent what the outer earthworks at Nashville and Franklin would have looked like had

they survived the ensuing 143 years. These works, the centerpiece of the southern perimeter

of defenses around Nashville, were built in 1863 by the same engineering team that built Forts

Granger and Roper’s Knob, Rosecrans in Murfreesboro and Negley in Nashville.

Following the Battle of Stones River on Dec. 30-31, 1863 the Confederate Army of Tennessee

took up defensive positions on a line from Shelbyville to Spring Hill. During the first six months

of 1863, the Federal Army of the Cumberland fortified a line of defenses from Murfreesboro to

Franklin.

The fortifications at Triune, in place by March 8th, were constructed on three hilltops just

north of Triune. Redoubts, artillery positions, and powder magazines were connected by

trenches and rifle pits. The post was part of the signal link between Franklin and

Murfreesboro.

Because of the crossroad at Triune’s importance and the size of the garrison, the site saw

numerous skirmishes from March through June of 1863. It was a major staging area for

10,000 of the troops that moved against the Confederates as part of the Tullahoma Campaign

beginning in late June.

For the remainder of 1863 and 1864 the fortifications were garrisoned by Federal troops. With

the approach of the Confederate army back into middle Tennessee in November 1864, the

post was evacuated. Following the Battle of Nashville, the fort was reoccupied by Federal

troops and garrisoned until the end of the war, when it was abandoned.

Source: The Murfreesboro Post


More entrenchments:

Fort Granger

Roper’s knob

Battle of franklin

Triune defenses

Carter house


Hospital – short-term

Carnton ( C ) 1

Carter House (U) 1


Courthouse (C/U) 1




Carnton

A short-term Confederate field hospital during and after the Battle of Franklin. The

then-home of John and Carrie McGavock. Carnton is also the setting for Robert Hicks’

best-selling Widow of the South.

Carnton - photo courtesy of Kraig McNutt.


Carter House

A short-term Confederate and Union field hospital during and after the Battle of

Franklin. The then-home of Moscow B. Carter. Captain Todd C. Carter, 20th TN C.S.A.

fell wounded close to his own home and was carried to his bedroom mortally

wounded. He died short thereafter.

Carter House - photo courtesy of Kraig McNutt. Below: The WCHS.


Masonic Hall


Franklin.

Masonic Hall - photo courtesy of Kraig McNutt. Below: the WCHS.


Williamson County Courthouse


Franklin.

Photo courtesy of The Williamson County Historical Society


Figuer’s House


Franklin.

Photo courtesy of Kraig McNutt.


St. Paul’s Episcopal Church


Franklin.

Image courtesy of the WCHS.


Harrison House

A short-term Confederate field hospital during and after the Battle of Franklin.

Photo courtesy of Kraig McNutt

Here, Sept. 2, 1864, the mortally wounded Brig. Gen. John H. Kelly, CSA, was

brought after the affair between his cavalry division and Federals under Brig.

Gen. James D. Brownlow. He was buried in the garden, in 1866 reinterred in

Mobile. Here Gen. Hood held his last staff conference before committing his

army to the Battle of Franklin, Nov. 30, 1864. Here the wounded Brig. Gen. John

C. Carter was brought after that battle. He died Dec. 10, 1864, and was buried in

Columbia, 16 mi. south


Battlefield

Battle of franklin

Merril Map


Carter house

The fiercest fighting during the battle of Franklin (November 30, 1864) centered around the

home of Fountain Branch Carter (see above), looking East. Hundreds of wounded and dead

could be seen from the porch after the battle. Many of those – Confederate soldiers – would

eventually be interred at McGavock cemetery close by.


Eastern flank


Click on map to see an enlarge map with more scope

As you can see on the map above, the Confederate brigades of Scott and Featherston assaulted the far left Union flank by sweeping across what is currently known as the Eastern flank. Hundreds of Rebel boys were killed on tis part of the field including hundreds from Mississippi and Alabama.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/145/331417614_7b66bdccb7_o.jpg


Signal station

ROPER’S KNOB


Indiana soldier writes about war worn Franklin in May 1863

Scot Butler served in the 33rd Indiana Infantry and the U.S. Signal Corps. By 1863 he was in the Signal Corps and stationed in Franklin, Tennessee. The following account is taken from “Affectionately Yours: The Civil War Home-Front Letters of the Ovid Butler Family.” Edited by Barbara Butler Davis. 2004.

“The Signal Corps holds communication from one wing to the other of Rosecran’s army. The station which I am on is situated on a hill near Franklin, several hundred feet above the surrounding country and its warlike occupants. From here we command one of the most beautiful landscape views I ever beheld. This is called the ‘Garden Spot’ of America. Away off to the north stretches a valley of unrivaled beauty. Alternate patches of meadow and woodland, its dashing streams, shining through the mist of morning like threads of silver, and the hills, ranged on each side, clothed with towering trees and stand like eternal sentinels over this scene of seeming quiet beauty and content. What a beautiful place was Franklin & its surroundings of elegant country mansions and extensive plantations before the hearts of the people were corrupted by political leaders, in their lust for power. Franklin is war worn. The shattered glass in her churches and school houses, her lonely streets and the closed shutters of her store houses, the battered doors and ruined machinery of her manufactories, and above all that deathlike, breathless silence, that absence of all sound, that can be felt no where but at the desolate hearthstone, here reigns supreme. Here and there a lounger attired in the butternut garb of chivalry, with hate gleaming in his eyes.” p: 27-28

http://battleoffranklin.wordpress.com/2010/07/05/indiana-soldier/


Cemetery

Mcgavock confederate cemetery

The McGavock Confederate Cemetery is the largest privately held Confederate cemetery in

the United States. It is located in Franklin, Tennessee. The nearly 1,500 Confederate soldiers

buried there were casualties during the Battle of Franklin that took place November

30, 1864. 780 of the soldiers’ identities are known today, leaving 558 as unknown but not

forgotten.

Most of the Confederate (and Union dead) were buried “near and along the length of the Federal breastworks, which spanned the Southern edge of what was then Franklin,” according to Jacobson; The McGavock Confederate Cemetery, p. 21. Union dead were placed by twos in shallow grave in long rows by their comrades without marking the identities. Many of the Union dead were later removed either by family or loved ones or by the military and relocated in graves at home or buried at the Stones River National Cemetery in Murfreesboro, TN. The Union soldiers interred at Stone’s River were placed there by the 11th United States Color Troops, according to Jacobson: McGavock, p. 22.

However, the identities of the Confederate dead at Franklin, some 1,750, were mostly identified by burial teams the next day (December 1st). They were not buried in mass graves. Rather, soldier burial teams took great care to collect and identify their fallen comrades placing makeshift wooden markers at the head of the graves, identifying the men by name, rank, Regiment and the Company they served in.

Most of the Confederate dead found initial rest on the property of Fountain Branch Carter and James McNutt. Carter had the largest section of land with killed. He also lost his own son,


Todd Carter, in the Battle of Franklin. The Carter-McNutt land would be but a temporary rest until the bodies were transferred to their permanent home some eighteen months later, in June 1866.

Source: excerpted from the Wikipedia article (authored by Tellinghistory, the owner of this blog site)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mcgavock_Confederate_Cemetery


Think through these issues:

Assistance from :

a. TSLA

b. Carter House Archives

c. Carnton

d. State/City depts. and people

i. Tennessee Wars Commission

ii. Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association

e. Relic hunters

Modern-day pics

Older pics in appendices

Modern video

Presentation formats:

a. Written article

b. FCWRT

c. Franklin’s Charge

d. Guidebook

e. Col. State class

f. BoF blog

g. WCHS newsletter

h. Documentary

Share info with:

a. Tourism bureau

b. Eric | Thomas

c. Franklin Battlefield Trust

Tennessee Wars Commission

http://www.tennessee.gov/environment/hist/tn_wars_com.shtml

http://www.tennessee.gov/environment/hist/tn_wars_com.shtml


The Tennessee General Assembly enacted legislation in April 1994

creating the Tennessee Wars Commission, which is administratively

attached to the Tennessee Historical Commission.

The duties of the Wars Commission include the coordination of

planning, preservation, and promotion of structures, buildings, sites,

and battlefields of Tennessee associated with the French and Indian

War (1754-1763), American Revolution War (1775-1783), War of

1812 (1812-1815), U.S.-Mexican War (1846-1848), and the War

Between the States (1861-1865). The Commission has developed a

plan that provides incentives to local landowners and governments to

preserve and restore battlefields and historic sites related to the

above time frames. It is charged with acquiring or providing funds for

the acquisition of battlegrounds, cemeteries, and other historic

properties associated with the wars.

The Commission has the authority to expend funds received from

state appropriations, and other sources, to make grants to

municipalities, counties, and nonprofit organizations for the purposes

of maintaining and restoring existing memorials and cemeteries

related to the wars. It is also authorized to receive and accept loans,

gifts, grants, donations, or contributions of money, property, facilities,

and services. The Commission may, with the consent of the

landowner, acquire by donation, purchase, or exchange, lands and

interests in battlefields, together with lands and interest in lands

necessary to provide adequate public access to the battlefields and

memorials. Subject to appropriations for such purposes, the

Commission may make funds available for the maintenance and

protection of battlefields and memorials.

The Tennessee Wars Commission has published several brochures

providing information about Civil War sites in Tennessee as well as a

comprehensive plan entitled, Preservation and Interpretation Plan for

Civil War Resources in Tennessee. An Emmy Award-winning video,

Hallowed Ground, Preserving Tennessee's Civil War Battlefields, is

being sent to over 2000 Tennessee public schools for use in their

libraries and history classes associated with the 5th, 8th, and 11th

grades.

Wars Commission Members Mr. Sam Elliott, Chairman

Mr. Norm Hill

Ms. Joanne Moore

Ms. Clarene Russell

Mr. Fred Prouty, Director

615/532-1550 ext. 104

[email protected]

Tennessee Civil War Sourcebook (a TWC resource)

http://tennessee.civilwarsourcebook.com/

mailto:[email protected]?subject=Question/Comment%20for%20TN%20Wars%20Commission

http://tennessee.civilwarsourcebook.com/


The Tennessee Civil War Sourcebook is a searchable collection of over 7,000 articles chronicling the Civil War in Tennessee from September 1, 1863 through September 30, 1865. Use the searchbox below to query the articles in Sourcebook. You can also use the Search Box at the top right of each page.

Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association

http://www.tcwpa.org/

Our Mission

The Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association's mission is to protect, interpret

and make accessible Tennessee’s surviving Civil War battlefields and contributing

landscapes for the benefit of present and future generations.

Who We Are

We are mostly Tennesseans, but our members are from several other states. TCWPA

members are active preservationists, genealogists, armchair historians, doctors,

lawyers, educators, heritage tourism advocates, corporate leaders, young people and

seniors – all dedicated to preserving and interpreting Tennessee’s large network of

Civil War Battlefields.

What We Do

TCWPA raises funds to protect Civil War battlefields, promotes their preservation and

interpretation, and provides an ongoing battlefields assessment program. TCWPA

facilitiates a statewide network of local preservation organizations. We do events, we

do campaigns, we do awards and we do learning.

2008 Annual Report:

http://www.sitemason.com/files/i20jRu/annual_report_2008.pdf

Contact us: [email protected]

Write to us at: TCWPA, P.O. Box 148535, Nashville, TN 37214

The Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association (TCWPA) has developed

the Tennessee Battlefield Assessment to capture our state's rich Civil War

heritage by inventorying the many sites of conflict and documenting their

current condition.

Our goal is to create the most complete reference source of Tennessee Civil

War military events and to make it easily accessible. We are creating a

database that will answer such questions as how many Civil War battles

http://www.tcwpa.org/

http://www.sitemason.com/files/i20jRu/annual_report_2008.pdf

javascript:void(location.href='mailto:'+String.fromCharCode(105,110,102,111,64,116,99,119,112,97,46,111,114,103)+'?')


occurred in Tennessee, when they were, what happened at each, which

sites survive, which are threatened, who is working to preserve them, and

which are accessible to visitors. We welcome you to this work-in-progress

and ask for your help in making this information more complete.

Our Board of Directors

lead our non-profit organization and are from all parts of the state

President James W. Danley (Germantown)

Vice President Julian Bibb (Franklin)

Vice President Joe Smyth (Franklin)

Vice President Doug Jones (Nashville)

Other Board members

Sam Elliott (Chattanooga)

Jack Fishman (Morristown)

Joan Markel (Knoxville)

Lee Millar (Collierville)

Phil Walker (Nashville)


Bibliography

“A Survey of Civil War Era Military Sites in Tennessee,” Samuel D. Smith and Benjamin C.

Nance. TN Dept of Environment and Conservation, Division of Archaeology. 2003.

Civil War Era Military Sites in Williams County, Tennessee (in progress)

Documents

Transcript of Civil War Era Military Sites in Williams County, Tennessee (in progress)