I lived in Franklin from 2012-2017. Neat area. The one battle line crossed just south of our neighborhood on old 96, so I ran along the battle lines every day.
I assume the tour includes the Carnton plantation and the cemetery? That sounds like what you would enjoy.
Also the Lotz house.
Otherwise , it's just a neat downtown and a lot going on. I hope you enjoy the trip.

Kinda unrelated, but reminded me of the fact that Franklin was also a semi renegade independent state for four years. In the 18th century, which is weird.

Live in Nashville for a couple of years recently and took a visit to the battle site. We did not do a guided tour but I am sure that that would be neat.

Did atour there about 15 years sgo

Reported as the highest casualty rate (by time) of any CW battle.

Went through the home that served as a hospital. They said the pile of amputated limbs outside came up to the window sills... About 7' above the ground and when viewed under blacklight there was not a squate inch of the "operating room" walls that did not show blood spatter.

One Confedrate soldier wounded was the son of the homeowner. He died several days later in the same bed he was born in.

Brutal in so many ways.

cavscout96 said:

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Did atour there about 15 years sgo

Reported as the highest casualty rate (by time) of any CW battle.

Went through the home that served as a hospital. They said the pile of amputated limbs outside came up to the window sills... About 7' above the ground and when viewed under blacklight there was not a squate inch of the "operating room" walls that did not show blood spatter.

One Confedrate soldier wounded was the son of the homeowner. He died several days later in the same bed he was born in.

Brutal in so many ways.

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The only reason my g-g-grandfather survived Franklin was a stroke of luck. His unit, the 34th Alabama, marched the furthest from Columbia TN to Spring Hill TN. They needed to be rested, so they were thrown into the battle last, after the sun went down. fewer casualties in the dark. 2 weeks later Dec. 15, 1864 he was captured at Nashville Tn.

Stones River Battlefield is worth a visit as well. Not too far from Franklin.

Captain Todd Carter, mortally wounded in the vicinity of his boyhood home and eventually died on it

"As the resolute men of Walthall's brigades advanced closer to the Union main line they would have next encountered the powerful blasts of 12-pounder Napoleon smoothbore cannon situated in embrasures near the Cotton Gin and the Lewisburg Pike. The flat, open terrain in front of the Federal line provided Walthall's men little cover from the screaming rounds being fired by Lt. Aaron Baldwin's 6th Ohio Light Battery.
At under 400 yards, most of the Union guns switched over to deadly canister shells real short range killers. Canister shells for 12-pdr Napoleon guns contained 27 balls (each about 1 1/12" in diameter) that would spray out from the muzzle at more than 1,200 feet per second. Like a large shotgun, these smoothbores could do devastating work against closely packed attackers.
During the frantic assault on the Union left flank, Baldwin's guns reportedly fired "triple canister" three canister shells stacked on top of one another. There were even accounts of Lt. Baldwin asking men to load musket balls into socks that would then be loaded into the hot cannon tubes.
Doing the terrible math, each veteran gun crew, firing triple canister, firing three times a minute, would therefore have unleashed 243 deadly canister balls every minute. At Franklin, this veritable blizzard of iron balls extracted a terrible toll from Walthall's exposed men."


The 12th Kentucky and the 65th Illinois were two units that met the Confederates as the stormed down the Columbia Pike. They were armed with Henry repeating rifles. I distinctly remember how they sounded as I rushed through the Columbia Pike opening in the Federal works during the 120th Reenactment in 1984. It was heart wrenching as the survivors of the assault on the works were mowed down by the rapid fire weapons. I know, mellow dramatic. That had to be the most surreal reenactment that I ever took part. You never saw the spectators.

The American Battlefield Trust has a great set of videos currently out about Franklin. They even feature Trace Adkins whose GGF or some other direct relation was in an Alabama regiment during the charge and were directly opposed by Federals armed with Henry's. A lot of good info about site preservation and about buying land to reclaim from the urban sprawl. There is a good living history going this weekend as well with a couple hundred dudes and civilians recreating events there (no battle reenactment just living history and demonstrations). For what it was, it's almost criminal places like Franklin and Chickamauga are overlooked because they weren't in the east.

Thanks for those videos...good preperation for me.

Do you still have family in Rusk County? Mine came here in the 1880s. I wonder if they knew each other.

rackmonster said:

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spud1910 said:

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Do you still have family in Rusk County? Mine came here in the 1880s. I wonder if they knew each other.

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My mother's maiden name was Vise. My grandfather had a small farm on the Old Longview Highway. I had kinfolk all up and down that road. Bassetts....Smith.... My grandparents, and most of my kin, are buried in Crim's Chapel Cemetery. My first cousin, the late Paul Smith, is in the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame. He served as the Constable of Tatum, Tx for a few years.

My Vise family came to Rusk County in 1857 from Wayne County, Tennessee. (My g-g-Uncle, Capt. J H. Culp, was a Company Commander in the 19th Tennessee Cav. serving under Nathan Bedford Forrest....he's buried in Crim's Chapel) WP Bassett (the Franklin guy) brought his family to Rusk Co. in 1870. He is buried in Hillview Baptist Cemetery in New Prospect on HWY 43 going towards Tatum. Last time I was there was in 2006. We had a Confederate Marker laid on his grave. Had Re-Enactors, I met plenty of my distant kinfolk for the first time.

Interesting story. Around 1915, the Former Confederate States started issuing pensions to widows. WP's widow (she died in 1930) applied for one. I have a copy of it. You had to have a war record or a witness to his service. An local resident one R.G. Young attested that he served in the 34th with WP and that he did not desert his unit. Sure enough, I found R.G. Young's grave(he died in 1917) ..in Crim's Chapel, buried right near my grandparents.
Alt of history there.

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Very interesting. I suspect we are distant cousins as well. My gggrandfather moved to Panola County in 1860s and died in 1882. His wife and 6 children then moved to Rusk County, eventually settling in Millville. Tommy Bassett was a Sunday School teacher for awhile. A Culp was my Jr. High music teacher. And didn't they own a Dr. Pepper bottling plant at one time? I used to go to Vacation Bible School at Crim's Chapel. And I was at Hillview when we changed the name from New Hope. Fred Smith was a 2nd cousin of my grandfather, Charles Ballow.

spud1910 said:

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rackmonster said:

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spud1910 said:

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Do you still have family in Rusk County? Mine came here in the 1880s. I wonder if they knew each other.

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My mother's maiden name was Vise. My grandfather had a small farm on the Old Longview Highway. I had kinfolk all up and down that road. Bassetts....Smith.... My grandparents, and most of my kin, are buried in Crim's Chapel Cemetery. My first cousin, the late Paul Smith, is in the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame. He served as the Constable of Tatum, Tx for a few years.

My Vise family came to Rusk County in 1857 from Wayne County, Tennessee. (My g-g-Uncle, Capt. J H. Culp, was a Company Commander in the 19th Tennessee Cav. serving under Nathan Bedford Forrest....he's buried in Crim's Chapel) WP Bassett (the Franklin guy) brought his family to Rusk Co. in 1870. He is buried in Hillview Baptist Cemetery in New Prospect on HWY 43 going towards Tatum. Last time I was there was in 2006. We had a Confederate Marker laid on his grave. Had Re-Enactors, I met plenty of my distant kinfolk for the first time.

Interesting story. Around 1915, the Former Confederate States started issuing pensions to widows. WP's widow (she died in 1930) applied for one. I have a copy of it. You had to have a war record or a witness to his service. An local resident one R.G. Young attested that he served in the 34th with WP and that he did not desert his unit. Sure enough, I found R.G. Young's grave(he died in 1917) ..in Crim's Chapel, buried right near my grandparents.
Alt of history there.

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Very interesting. I suspect we are distant cousins as well. My gggrandfather moved to Panola County in 1860s and died in 1882. His wife and 6 children then moved to Rusk County, eventually settling in Millville. Tommy Bassett was a Sunday School teacher for awhile. A Culp was my Jr. High music teacher. And didn't they own a Dr. Pepper bottling plant at one time? I used to go to Vacation Bible School at Crim's Chapel. And I was at Hillview when we changed the name from New Hope. Fred Smith was a 2nd cousin of my grandfather, Charles Ballow.

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rackmonster said:

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spud1910 said:

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rackmonster said:

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spud1910 said:

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Do you still have family in Rusk County? Mine came here in the 1880s. I wonder if they knew each other.

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My mother's maiden name was Vise. My grandfather had a small farm on the Old Longview Highway. I had kinfolk all up and down that road. Bassetts....Smith.... My grandparents, and most of my kin, are buried in Crim's Chapel Cemetery. My first cousin, the late Paul Smith, is in the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame. He served as the Constable of Tatum, Tx for a few years.

My Vise family came to Rusk County in 1857 from Wayne County, Tennessee. (My g-g-Uncle, Capt. J H. Culp, was a Company Commander in the 19th Tennessee Cav. serving under Nathan Bedford Forrest....he's buried in Crim's Chapel) WP Bassett (the Franklin guy) brought his family to Rusk Co. in 1870. He is buried in Hillview Baptist Cemetery in New Prospect on HWY 43 going towards Tatum. Last time I was there was in 2006. We had a Confederate Marker laid on his grave. Had Re-Enactors, I met plenty of my distant kinfolk for the first time.

Interesting story. Around 1915, the Former Confederate States started issuing pensions to widows. WP's widow (she died in 1930) applied for one. I have a copy of it. You had to have a war record or a witness to his service. An local resident one R.G. Young attested that he served in the 34th with WP and that he did not desert his unit. Sure enough, I found R.G. Young's grave(he died in 1917) ..in Crim's Chapel, buried right near my grandparents.
Alt of history there.

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Very interesting. I suspect we are distant cousins as well. My gggrandfather moved to Panola County in 1860s and died in 1882. His wife and 6 children then moved to Rusk County, eventually settling in Millville. Tommy Bassett was a Sunday School teacher for awhile. A Culp was my Jr. High music teacher. And didn't they own a Dr. Pepper bottling plant at one time? I used to go to Vacation Bible School at Crim's Chapel. And I was at Hillview when we changed the name from New Hope. Fred Smith was a 2nd cousin of my grandfather, Charles Ballow.

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That music teacher was probably Jimmy Culp. Jimmy is still in Henderson. We still keep in touch.
More than anybody else, Jimmy helped me with my Family Research...and yes..His family owned the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. in Henderson. Don't know of Tommy Bassett, or any of the others you mentioned.

And....I didn't know they changed the name of the Church in New Prospect. I had it in my notes as "New Hope".
My granfather told me that when WP Bassett first came to Texas, he built a cabin in Penola County. Then serttled next door in Rusk Co.

rackmonster said:

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rackmonster said:

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spud1910 said:

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rackmonster said:

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spud1910 said:

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Do you still have family in Rusk County? Mine came here in the 1880s. I wonder if they knew each other.

---

My mother's maiden name was Vise. My grandfather had a small farm on the Old Longview Highway. I had kinfolk all up and down that road. Bassetts....Smith.... My grandparents, and most of my kin, are buried in Crim's Chapel Cemetery. My first cousin, the late Paul Smith, is in the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame. He served as the Constable of Tatum, Tx for a few years.

My Vise family came to Rusk County in 1857 from Wayne County, Tennessee. (My g-g-Uncle, Capt. J H. Culp, was a Company Commander in the 19th Tennessee Cav. serving under Nathan Bedford Forrest....he's buried in Crim's Chapel) WP Bassett (the Franklin guy) brought his family to Rusk Co. in 1870. He is buried in Hillview Baptist Cemetery in New Prospect on HWY 43 going towards Tatum. Last time I was there was in 2006. We had a Confederate Marker laid on his grave. Had Re-Enactors, I met plenty of my distant kinfolk for the first time.

Interesting story. Around 1915, the Former Confederate States started issuing pensions to widows. WP's widow (she died in 1930) applied for one. I have a copy of it. You had to have a war record or a witness to his service. An local resident one R.G. Young attested that he served in the 34th with WP and that he did not desert his unit. Sure enough, I found R.G. Young's grave(he died in 1917) ..in Crim's Chapel, buried right near my grandparents.
Alt of history there.

---

Very interesting. I suspect we are distant cousins as well. My gggrandfather moved to Panola County in 1860s and died in 1882. His wife and 6 children then moved to Rusk County, eventually settling in Millville. Tommy Bassett was a Sunday School teacher for awhile. A Culp was my Jr. High music teacher. And didn't they own a Dr. Pepper bottling plant at one time? I used to go to Vacation Bible School at Crim's Chapel. And I was at Hillview when we changed the name from New Hope. Fred Smith was a 2nd cousin of my grandfather, Charles Ballow.

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That music teacher was probably Jimmy Culp. Jimmy is still in Henderson. We still keep in touch.
More than anybody else, Jimmy helped me with my Family Research...and yes..His family owned the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. in Henderson. Don't know of Tommy Bassett, or any of the others you mentioned.

And....I didn't know they changed the name of the Church in New Prospect. I had it in my notes as "New Hope".
My granfather told me that when WP Bassett first came to Texas, he built a cabin in Penola County. Then serttled next door in Rusk Co.

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Yeah, it was Jimmy. I always remember he introduced us toTchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. As a 13 year old boy, I thought the cannon were the coolest thing ever.

And it was Tommie (she, my bad on typo). Harold and Melanie were her children.

But yeah, our ancestors were probably connected back then. Ballows and Petersons were my grandfather and grandmother.

Question for more knowledgeable Civil War people on skirmishes in this area.

My father grew up on a farm on the West side of Murfreesboro on the road to Franklin. It backs up to Stewarts Creek and next to Bill Rice Ranch(now). He grew up finding mini balls and other ordnance in his fields routinely. I know about Battle of Franklin and I know about Stones Creek but nothing about anything in between.

How could I find out what happened there or who camped there? Thanks in advance.

All sort of small skirmishes occurred in that area. Forrest's cavalry also attacked the area multiple times since Murfreesboro became a major Federal supply depot after the Battle of Murfreesboro. In fact, his last venture into that area included Ross's Texas Brigade during the Battle of Nashville.

I had a g-g-g grandfather with the 8th Minnesota at 3rd Murfreesboro. One of Forrest's defeats.

My great great uncle probably shot at him riding with Ross.

One of John Bell Hood's line of idiotic command decisions.

nortex97 said:

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One of John Bell Hood's line of idiotic command decisions.

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I had a whole thing typed out but deleted it, maybe get around to refuting the article later this weekend, but dumb article is dumb.

Hood was objectively a terrible corps and army commander.

Yes. I agree that he seemed to be in over his head above division level, but blaming Hood for Gettysburg? The insubordination bit about Antietam and Gen Evan's being a dick about some ambulances that Hood captured but he wanted? Atlanta was gonna fall regardless of who led the AoT. Johnston wasn't doing anything, they put Hood in command knowing full well what Hood was going to do. I'll revert back to something I've said on defending Hood that I've made several times on this site, and that's the point that despite his reputation after commanding his brigade, there's a reason the veterans chose Hoods name to be associated with it during the post war veterans association than any of the other brigade commanders who led it during the war.

Feel free. I mainly just found the article funny when looking at something else and wanted to pull up something about Gen. Hood. I never found him based on reading to be a particularly competent/good commander, but don't really have a strong opinion. Fun fact; he had 11 kids after the war, sold insurance and cotton in New Orleans.

Wife and I toured Franklin battlefield a couple of years ago. Looking south from the Carter house and visualizing the confederate forces roping the hill on the horizon. Must have been a remarkable site.