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Franklin, Tennessee
November 30, 1864
The Battle of Franklin, fought on November 30, 1864,
was one of the most agonizing defeats suffered by
the South during the Civil War. Rebel forces under
General John B. Hood were ordered to make a frontal
assault against a nearly impregnable line of earthworks
manned by Union troops led by General John Schofield.
Although the Confederates were briefly able to penetrate
the Federal line, they were quickly repulsed at a
cost of more than 6,000 soldiers. Among the casualties
were six Southern generals, killed or mortally wounded
in the attack.
Current Status: After years of neglect, the
Franklin Battlefield is becoming a hotbed of preservation
activism, with both local government officials and
the nonprofit community involved. Mayor Tom Miller,
along with the city's board of aldermen, recently
pledged $2.5 million toward the purchase of a historically
crucial piece of the Franklin Battlefield near Carnton
Plantation. "Franklin's Charge," a coalition
of nonprofit groups that includes CWPT, is working
to raise the remaining $2.5 million needed to acquire
the site.
Franklin is a Priority IV, Class A site. CWPT has
protected 57 acres at Ropers Knob, a key part of Franklin
Battlefield.
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