The Carter Farm

At Franklin in November 1864, soldiers of the Army of Tennessee attacked furiously across the rolling fields in a full-throttled charge as their red-and-white tattered flags flared in the sun and the Rebel yell echoed across the ground. Federal fire tore into them, and although some survivors briefly imagined themselves close to victory, the assault ended in terrible failure. The Confederate troops came from at least six Southern states, and most were young or middle-aged men who had served since at least 1862, largely poor farmers and merchants who believed they were defending their homes and way of life. Many perished on this once quiet ground in fighting so horrible that survivors struggled to describe it and carried the memories for the rest of their lives. When the battle ended, more than 2,000 Confederate troops had become casualties in this area, the dead lay piled upon one another, wounded men were strewn across the field, and hundreds were taken prisoner, including Gen. George W. Gordon.

Franklin, Tennessee · United States