Remembering the Battle of Franklin

Every day I drive through the American Civil War battlefield in Franklin. At the time of the battle in 1864, it was just as much a town as it was a field. As one of the bloodiest battles, thousands of lives were lost as the South continued to push the North all the way back into Nashville.

Image via Wikipedia

Even though I make the drive regularly, only on occasion do I reflect about the significance of what took place nearly 150 years ago. I imagine I'm not the only one. In fact, it's not uncommon at all to meet Franklin residents who have never stopped to learn the first thing about the Battle of Franklin.

How can that be changed? I have one idea that might get some attention. Even though much of the hand-to-hand combat took place just south of the square and main street, keep in mind that today, Franklin's downtown area is full of visitors and foot traffic. Imagine if for the month of November leading up to the anniversary of the battle on the 30th, those pedestrians saw chalk outlines of hundreds of fallen soldiers who gave their life for our country.

Even then, it couldn't possibly compare to the site a small number of locals beheld when they stepped out of their homes on the morning of December 1, 1864 and laid eyes on the aftermath of over 9,000 casualties.