It was a beautiful day today – April 17th 2010 – for the opening day ceremony for the newly reclaimed and preserved battlefield property that was originally part of the Carter family garden. As Eric Jacobson has stated:
“The significance of the western edge of the Carter garden cannot be overstated. Around 4:30 p.m. on November 30, 1864, elements of Gen. John Brown’s Confederate Division ripped through the main Federal line of defense west of Columbia Pike. Among the units forced to withdraw was the 72nd Illinois Infantry, which held the section of the line which cuts through the garden property. The Illinois troops fell back to a reserve line held by the 44th Missouri Infantry. Only a firm stand by the Missourians prevented Brown’s troops from collapsing more of the Federal defensive position. The garden property was enveloped by a hail of relentless fire for hours and three separate charges made by Federal troops to retake the main line were unsuccessful. The Confederates held the outside of the main line until they started to withdraw around 9 p.m.”
The ceremony today was filled with many sights and sounds, including dignataries, out of town guests, reenactors (both soldiers and civilians, children, residents; fans-all of the Battle of Franklin.
To see all of the videos I took today, go to my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/bloghistorian
To see all of the pictures I took today visit my Flickr photo gallery.
Battle of Franklin Trust chairman Marianne Schroer spoke first.
Civil War Preservation Trust staff person Rob Shenk gave a few opening remarks.
[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edH3ZvC94LY]
Historian and resident-story teller Thomas Cartwright was his usual inspiring self.
[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIJ10kzo3t8]
Historian and Battle of Franklin Trust operations director Eric Jacobson shared appropriate words for the occasion.
[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-qBug7DbJg]
After the ceremony the Rebs and Federals provided a demonstration of the action in the Carter gardens.
[YouTube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcLEcu8HjZg]
The Battle of Franklin, November 30, 1864 