Franklin: The Valley of Death
“(Franklin) is the blackest page in the history of the War of the Lost Cause. It was the bloodiest battle of modern times in any war. It was the finishing stroke to the Independence of the Southern Confederacy. I was there. I saw it.”
–Sam Watkins, 1st Tennessee Infantry
Looking toward the north across the killing fields, south of the town of Franklin
Called “The Gettysburg of the West,” Franklin was one of the few night battles in the Civil War. It was also one of the smallest battlefields of the war (only 2 miles long and 1 1/2 miles wide). The main battle began around 4:00 pm and wound down around 9:00 pm.
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January 27, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Richard Andes
Thank God people are finally doing something to save this Battlefield. Such a small place and yet so many lives lost. We can not let them be forgotten.