TENNESSEE: Battle of Franklin Trust to mark Civil War anniversaries
Three Williamson County battlefields are set to mark the 161st anniversaries of two pivotal Civil War conflicts on Saturday and Sunday.
The Battle of Franklin Trust will host abbreviated after-hours tours at Rippa Villa in Spring Hill on Saturday and at Carter House and Carnton in Franklin on Sunday. All of the tours will run from 5 to 7 p.m.
All three sites will also be open for regular tours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
The Battle of Franklin took place on Nov. 30, 1864, with the Battle of Spring Hill preceding it the previous day. The Battle of Franklin was one of the bloodiest of the Civil War, with 10,000 Union and Confederate soldiers killed, wounded, or taken prisoner in one day.
The Battle of Spring Hill was less intense, with 850 casualties between Union Gen. John M. Schofield’s and Confederate Gen. John B. Hood’s troops as the former marched toward Franklin.
The Battle of Franklin was a Union victory and a catastrophic Confederate defeat during the Franklin-Nashville Campaign.
Eric Jacobson, chief executive officer of Battle of Franklin Trust, said the tours will serve as a reminder to the public of why local history is worth revisiting and placing in the context of a larger national struggle.
“Where we’re going is we’re talking to people about why the Civil War is still important today,” he said. “We’re talking to people about the scope of a four-year war that changed the shape of the nation.”
While this year’s commemoration will be more scaled-back from last year’s 160th anniversary, it will be a preview of the story the nonprofit plans to tell through Carter House’s new visitor center, which is set to open in May 2026.
“Our first exhibit will be ‘All Men Are Created Equal,'” Jacobson said. “It will take people from our founding to the cusp of the Civil War. We should be open in time for America’s 250th anniversary.”
For more information about the anniversary tours, visit www.boft.org.
–williamsonherald.org
