McGavock Confederate Cemetery, Franklin, Tennessee.

Near the Franklin battlefield is the McGavock Confederate Cemetery, the largest privately owned military cemetery in the United States.

Each state represented in the cemetery has a monument with the number of soldiers resting there.

Most of the stones are simple such as the two above. Sadly a large number of them are marked unknown as the temporary wooded headstones used for the soldiers first burial faded or was used for fire wood by poor people before they were reinterred to the plot donated by the McGavock family in 1866 and the stone markers added in 1890.

Several had more information and I've added notes where known.

C.N.B. Street, Sergeant Major 33rd Mississippi Regiment

Killed November 30th 1864 at Franklin Tennessee

L.R. Townsend of Carroll County, Captain Co. E 4th Mississippi Regiment

Killed at Franklin Tennessee November 30th 1864, aged 32 years

W.D. Stone, Co. I 19th Regiment South Carolina Val

Frank Gray and John Russell, 6th Arkansas

C.A. Begbie July 12, 1826- January 13, 1902. 5th Kentucky Cavalry

W.B. son of John Early, 1832-September, 22 1894

Co. F 4th Tennessee Cavalry CSA. Twice wounded

There are 1496 Confederate soldiers buried here, it is maintained by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

The internet has been a huge help for me as I research my ancestors and I hope that maybe one of the headstones I've posted here can someday be that exciting piece of history someone is looking to find.

Franklin, Tennessee Battlefield.

How's that for a teaser shot? Sweating and smiling like an idiot! The Franklin battlefield was my favorite part of our whole vacation. It's a little surprising to stumble across such a bloody battlefield in the middle of a suburban neighborhood but that's exactly what Franklin is. What it lacks in size it makes up for in quality and rich history. The park was very well kept, the museum was excellent, the gift shop had a great selection of books, and the tour was well worth the $15 charge. I took a lot of pictures and I'll post some of them here with some notes. Hopefully my commentary isn't too confusing!

At the heart of the battle was the Carter House, and it is now a monument to the grisly fire of the engagement.

Here is the front of the Carter house. The tour was through the house and then across the property, it focused a lot on the Carter family, and their actions during the battle. The house was used as a federal headquarters prior to the battle, and shielded the family during the conflict.

A few yards away from the house is the farm office (on the left) and the smoke house (on the right)

Note the damage to the farm office. It is widely considered the most battle damaged Civil War structure still standing.

A close up of the damage.

Here is a shot of the scarring to the smoke house.

A shot of the farm office and smoke house from the steps of the Carter house back porch.

The back of the Carter house on the right, slave quarters on the left.

Bullet holes in the Carter house on the back porch.

Gun marking a federal battery.

Another gun placed next to the smoke house.

The view along the second line of Union fortifications. Standing by the artillery positions next to the smoke house, facing northwest down the federal position.

Standing behind the second line, the straw bales mark the main line.

Further northwest down the line, facing west.

The beautiful wife, braving the heat for her overly excited husband.

Plaque for the 183rd Ohio, facing the confederate approach.

 North of the Carter house, from this position Opdycke's Brigade counter charged the rebels as they broke through the Union line and stemmed the breakthrough.

From the front of the Carter house facing south. A well known pizza chain, sitting on the site of some of the bloodiest fighting of the battle, the cotton gin.

There are a few preservation groups working to acquire this property and rebuild the cotton gin and restore the ground to it's historic condition before the 140th anniversary of the battle.

Plaque commemorating the struggle for the landmark.

Cleburne park, commemorating the place where General Cleburne was killed.

Plaque marking the confederate approach to the federal left.

Another shot.

One of the sad stories of the battle is that of Todd Carter, who after 3 years at war returned home with the 20th Tennessee and was killed a few hundred yards from the house he was born in, he died there a few days later.

Nashville National Cemetery

Our first day in Nashville we got a little bit turned around and accidentally found the Nashville national cemetery.

The first soldier was buried there in 1864 and it was established as a U.S military cemetery in 1867. There are over 33,000 interments from all wars, of which over 12,000 are Union soldiers from the Civil War.

There are over 4,000 unknown soldiers buried there.

While I wish I could share every soldiers grave and give them the honor that they deserve, I'm unable to so I've noted a few of them here. You can see all of their names on the cemetery's website.

Augustus Reif, Corporal Co D 50th Ohio Infantry, died December 13, 1863.

Tillman Ford, Private Co C 1st Tennessee Artillery, died March 3, 1864.

Marson Mack, Private Co L 8th Tennessee Cavalry, died February 8, 1864.

Noah Holloway, Private Co I 10th Tennessee Cavalry, died April 7, 1864.

S. B. Adams, Lieutenant, TN, died February 2, 1864.

Thomas Nolan, Private Co I 103rd Illinois Infantry, died April 9, 1864

Edward Reynolds, Private, KY, died August 15, 1864.

Harrison Summers, Private, KY, died July 12, 1864.

This statute in the cemetery was dedicated in 2003 to all of the soldiers of the U.S Colored troops, of which almost 2,000 are buried there.

Lee Humphrey, Private U.S.C.T., died June 16, 1864.

Reuben Thornton, Private Co I 12th U.S Colored Troop, died February 14, 1899.