History fans, students, and educators will flock to Franklin from across the U.S. and several countries to experience “The Last Campaign in Tennessee” 2014 Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial Signature Event Nov. 13-14 at various locations and historic sites in Franklin.
The Battle of Franklin, one of the bloodiest encounters of the Civil War with 10,000 casualties in five hours, will be re-enacted and recounted through educational symposiums, workshops and living history demonstrations during the two-day event.
As part of the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, a team of professional archivists, curators and conservators from the Tennessee State Library and Archives will be on-hand to digitize privately-owned Civil War manuscripts, artifacts, and photographs from Tennessee citizens and visitors free of charge as part of the “Looking Back: The Civil War in Tennessee” project 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Nov. 13 and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 14 at 611 Main Street in Franklin.
“Examining Tennessee’s Last Campaign” workshop, sponsored by the Middle Tennessee State University Center for Historic Preservation and Tennessee State Library and Archives, is open to K-12 teachers 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 13 at the Eastern Flank Event Center, and offers information about Civil War-related collections and resources available through the Library of Congress website.
The Battlefield Living History Program will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Eastern Flank Battlefield, and features a Civil War medical and field hospital, demonstrating the challenges facing doctors on the battlefield; United States Colored Troops, who will discuss the Freedmen’s transition from slave to soldier; Confederate Cavalry & Tennessee Unionists displaying saddles, weapons and horse trimmings; and “Stories Behind the Stones,” a special program telling the stories of some of the nearly 1,500 Confederate soldiers killed and laid to rest in the McGavock Confederate Cemetery, the largest privately-owned military cemetery in the U.S.; battlefield presentation; “Sam Davis: A Hero Remembered” tells the story of Sam Davis who was captured and found guilty of spying by the Union Army; and Sam Watkins’ story who was wounded several times but remained with his Company H throughout the four-year war.
Hundreds of school children and adult spectators will be in attendance for this year’s Blue and Gray Living History Day 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 14 at Carnton Plantation, sponsored by The Carter House, Carnton Plantation, and the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area. Attendees will see Civil War re-enactors, demonstrations and a look at clothes, trades, and weapons of the past. This is a ticketed event.
The Official Sesquicentennial Commemoration will take place 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. with opening marks by Commissioner Susan Whitaker, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, singing of the National Anthem by the New Hope Youth Choir, special guests, and remarks by Dr. Carroll Van West, O. Jim Lighthizer, president of the Civil War Trust; Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson and City of Franklin Mayor Ken Moore; Eric Jacobson and more.
Historian and author Damian Shiels will present “Patrick Cleburne at the Battle of Franklin” 10:45 a.m. Friday, Nov. 14. Confederate General Patrick Cleburne was an Irishman who fought for the South and died in the fighting in Franklin on Nov. 30, 1864. The event is free and open to the public.
Other notable speakers include Dr. Carroll Van West, Tennessee State Historian; Chris Losson, historian and author; Shanna Jackson, dean of Extended Services at Columbia State University; Eric Jacobson, CEO and historian for the Battle of Franklin Trust; James Lee McDonough, Professor Emeritus of History at Auburn University, historian and author; Nicole Moore, public historian, blogger, and consultant and interpreter of slave life; William C. Radcliffe, Civil War re-enactor; and Wiley Sword, an award-winning author and Pulitzer Prize nominee.
The Tennessee State Museum will host a two-part Sesquicentennial Civil War Exhibit 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Liberty Hall at The Factory in Franklin. The first part will focus on the Battle of Franklin and Nashville with items belonging to Confederate Generals Patrick Cleburne, Otho Strahl, and George Gordon. Items include the kepi hat that covered Cleburne’s face when his body was found on the Franklin battlefield; the uniform coat of Strahl; and sword and scabbard owned by Gordon. A rare framed composite photograph of Nathan Bedford Forrest and his officers will also be on display.
Other priceless items include a medal by Tiffany & Co. fashioned for Union commander Major General George H. Thomas; and photographs, tintypes, and bullets used at Columbia, Franklin, and Nashville. The lives of federal soldiers and Union soldiers, as well as the roles of local women will be told through battle reports, artifacts, illustrations and photos. Panels from the award-winning traveling exhibit, “Hoofbeats in the Heartland: Civil War Cavalry in Tennessee” will also be on display, funded in part by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area.
Civil War experts Dr. Carroll Van West, Wiley Sword, Dr. Shanna Jackson, Dr. Chris Losson, Dr. James McDonough, Nicole Moore, and Bill Radcliffe will present afternoon sessions 1:30-5 p.m. on “The Last Campaign of Tennessee,” including battles, stories of soldiers and civilians. Book signings with the authors will follow.
Other ticketed events include “The Guitar and a Pen Old Time Radio Hour” at The Franklin Theatre; “For the Garden” featuring Alison Brown, Claire Lynch and friends as they perform a benefit event for the acquisition of the Carter House Garden Plot 8 p.m. at The Franklin Theatre; and The 150th Anniversary Battle of Franklin Re-enactment will take place Nov. 15-16 at Carnton Plantation. All three events are sponsored by Franklin150. For more information and tickets, visit www.franklin150.com.
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For more information on Tennessee’s Civil War Sesquicentennial, visit www.tncivilwar150.com or download the free, Addy award-winning Tennessee Civil War 150 iPhone app, available at www.itunes.apple.com/us/app/tennessee-civil-war-150.