The Carter Farm

Federal Gen. Thomas H. Ruger’s Division began arriving here about 6.30 a.m. on November 30, 1864, and after a short rest of “a few winks of sleep, and their morning coffee,” Ruger set his men to constructing breast works that wrapped around Carter Hill and angled toward the northwest. The 50th Ohio Infantry and 72nd Illinois Infantry, approximately 600 men, held this section of the main line, while the 44th Missouri Infantry, about 650 strong, was placed in reserve about 200 feet to the north and northwest, and the 183rd Ohio Infantry took a reserve position to the right of the 44th Missouri. Other units, including men from Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana, extended the main line to Carters Creek Pike. In this sector, the 20th Ohio Light Artillery and Bridges’ Illinois Light Artillery supported Ruger’s Division, and Ziegler’s Pennsylvania Battery was posted behind the far right of Ruger’s line. Altogether about 5,000 troops were under Ruger’s command. During the morning, his men cut down small locust trees and a row of fruit trees to create a “fair abatis” and “slight obstruction” in front of the works, and they took fence rails and outbuilding timbers from the Carter farm to strengthen the earthworks. By 2 p.m. the Federal fortifications were mostly completed. In 2010 and 2017, archaeological digs determined the exact location of this portion of Ruger’s defensive line.

Franklin, Tennessee · United States