John and Carrie McGavock describe the scene at Carnton after the Battle of Franklin.
‘Every room was filled, every bed had two poor, bleeding fellows, every spare space, niche, and corner under the stairs, in the hall, everywhere. And when the noble old house could hold no more, the yard was appropriated until the wounded and dead filled that.’
‘Our doctors were deficient in bandages and [Carrie McGavock] began by giving her old linen, then her towels and napkins, then her sheets and tableclothes, then her husband’s shirts and her own undergarments. … Unaffrighted by the sight of blood, unawed by horrid wounds, unblanched by ghastly death, she walked from room to room, from man to man, her very skirts stained in blood.’
Carnton is open Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m.
Visit their web site for more info.
The Battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864 
Hey where did you get this? Because i am doing a project on Carrie McGavock and need primary scorces
I was deeply moved at Carnton Plantation, especially by the painting of Carrie McGavock. Being from Wyoming, the Civil War is a portion of American history that occured “a long time ago in a galaxy far far away…” The visit to the plantation and the Carter house in Franklin put a new realistic face on the Civil War. Such a sad time for our nation.
Thank you to everyone that made our visit fun and informative. You are truly the caretakers of an almost forgotten age.
All the Best
Rod Kennedy
Casper WY
The quote given on this page is incorrectly attributed to John and Carrie McGavock. In the Author’s Notes in the book “The Widow of the South”, Robert Hicks includes the quote with the introduction: “Colonel W.D. Gale, from General Stewart’s staff, wrote in a letter to his wife…”