Franklin in Williamson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
A Crucial War Zone 1863
Photographed By Brandon Stahl, April 26, 2017
1. Crucial War Zone 1863 Marker
Inscription.
A Crucial War Zone 1863. . For the Union, 1863 brought the Emancipation Proclamation, victory at Gettysburg, and the capturing of the Mississippi River. Federal forces continued their drive toward Atlanta in hopes of ending the war altogether. But on March 5th, seven miles (11.3 km) south of here, the Battle of Thompson Station turned into a major loss for the Union, with more than 1,000 men captured. In response thousands of Federal troops occupied this area, and built Fort Granger just east of Franklin, resolving to hold onto this vital region for the duration. By late spring, this immediate area became the front line of the Civil War. , As a result, much of this landscape was destroyed. Both sides striped the countryside of livestock and grain to feed their armies. Churches, public buildings, and schools in Franklin and surrounding communities became headquarters and hospitals. Soldiers tore down barns and homes to build huts and fortifications. Federals in Franklin also chopped down whole forests and orchards, including trees in this area, to provide clear lines of fire for artillery. And the battles continued. In late September, just across the border into Georgia, the Battle of Chickamauga killed and wounded over 28,000 men, including more than seventy locals. It would prove to e the second bloodiest battle of the war. , "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 the deathlike, breathless silence, that absence of all sound, that can be felt nowhere but at the desolate hearthstone, here reigns supreme." , Scot Butler, 33rd Indiana Regiment - 1863
For the Union, 1863 brought the Emancipation Proclamation, victory at Gettysburg, and the capturing of the Mississippi River. Federal forces continued their drive toward Atlanta in hopes of ending the war altogether. But on March 5th, seven miles (11.3 km) south of here, the Battle of Thompson Station turned into a major loss for the Union, with more than 1,000 men captured. In response thousands of Federal troops occupied this area, and built Fort Granger just east of Franklin, resolving to hold onto this vital region for the duration. By late spring, this immediate area became the front line of the Civil War.
As a result, much of this landscape was destroyed. Both sides striped the countryside of livestock and grain to feed their armies. Churches, public buildings, and schools in Franklin and surrounding communities became headquarters and hospitals. Soldiers tore down barns and homes to build huts and fortifications. Federals in Franklin also chopped down whole forests and orchards, including trees in this area, to provide clear lines of fire for artillery. And the battles continued. In late September, just across the border into Georgia, the Battle of Chickamauga killed and wounded over 28,000 men, including more than seventy locals. It would prove to e the second bloodiest battle of the war.
"Franklin is
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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 the deathlike, breathless silence, that absence of all sound, that can be felt nowhere but at the desolate hearthstone, here reigns supreme."
Scot Butler, 33rd Indiana Regiment - 1863
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is March 5, 1863.
Location. 35° 54.298′ N, 86° 51.519′ W. Marker is in Franklin, Tennessee, in Williamson County. Marker is on Eastern Flank Circle, 0.4 miles Lewisburg Pike (Business U.S. 431), on the right when traveling west. Located in Eastern Flank Battlefield Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1345 Eastern Flank Cir, Franklin TN 37064, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Postwar photo showing the remains of Fort Granger on Figuers Bluff in the background, with the Harpeth river and the Nashville-Decatur Railroad bridge in the foreground. In the spring of 1863, 1.2 miles (2km) northeast of where you are standing, Union soldiers built the fort to secure the vital rail lines, and to possess a commanding view of this entire area.
Photographed By Brandon Stahl
5. George Washington Brown
In 1860, a majority of Williamson County's residents were enslaved. Many area slaves ran away to join the Federals, while others were sent southward by their owners who wanted to hold onto their "property" as long as possible. After the war, whites slightly out-populated African Americans in the county, and the ratio gradually widened thereafter.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2020. It was originally submitted on May 10, 2017, by Brandon Stahl of Fairfax, Virginia. This page has been viewed 416 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 10, 2017, by Brandon Stahl of Fairfax, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.