Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Franklin - Cotton Gin

Some of the heaviest fighting at Franklin occurred where the Columbia Pike intersected the Union entrenchments. The landmark to the west of the road was the Carter House and to the east it was the Cotton Gin. Cleburne's Division mostly made its attacks against the Cotton Gin position. Of course the cotton gin doesn't exist anymore, the battle practically destroyed it and even if it had survived intact it would have likely been town down anyway once its usefulness was over. But the ground has been built on since, because hardly anything on the battlefield resembles 1863. The house in the picture below is roughly where the cotton gin was.

Cleburne's division lost heavily in men and officers. Cleburne and Granbury, a brigade commander, were killed. In all 14 regimental and brigade commanders were casualties. The cream of the Confederate army had been destroyed.



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