The Story of Tod Carter and the Civil War Battle of Franklin

we're standing in the front yard of the Carter House in Franklin Tennessee and the Carter house had the misfortune of being caught in the center the vortex of the bloodiest five hours of American Civil War in fact the inner Federal trench line ran just to the left of the red farm office the battle Franklin was brutal and vicious hand-to-hand fighting as the Confederates burst to the center to around the middle of the House area and of course the Carter farm office in fact this is the most bullet riddled bill in all of America still standing from the war but the scars only tell part of the story one of the most poignant stories of the Battle of Franklin is the Carter Family that was hiding in the basement during these horrendous hours and their son captain Broderick Todd Carter who had been away for three and a half years and all those major campaigns now deployed in line of battle viewing us home in the distance except home was on the other side of the federal trench lines Todd Carter was born here March 24 1840 on the farm enlist at May 18th 1861 and company H 20th Tennessee infantry served in the battles from Shiloh to Chattanooga where he's captured November 25th of 63 went to prison Johnson island escape from a prison train made his way back to the army adult in Georgia in time for the battles around Atlanta and now in November of 1864 he's back home in middle tennessee and around 355 p.m. on november 30th about a mile and a half south west of us captain Carter pulls out his field-glasses views the enemy's positions in the distance pointing to a man named JJ Smith and said that if Kent the color bear falls to you my brave man carry these colors forward the man said yes I will captain Carter drew his sword he said follow me boys I'm almost home therefore PM 20,000 southerners 18 Confederate brigades hundred Confederate regiments bands plan flags Flynn open fill they march down the slopes right into immortality of course Confederates coming through the center brutal hand-to-hand fighting went from 150 yards north of us Emerson Updike's Federal Brigade 2,000 strong and they met on the run like waves crashing together it's a scene out of the bowels of hell and meanwhile the family was taken refuge down in this basement as the battle was raging just on the other side of that wall the heavy fighting dies down about nine o'clock was skirmishing by eleven o'clock leaving a scene of indescribable horror finally around 3:30 a.m. the family emerges from the basement after the Federal Army had withdrawn to Nashville shortly thereafter General Thomas Benton Smith rise up to the back steps and forms the family that captain Carter is wounded around 175 yards southwest of the home and in time the two sisters and father and a small african-american board by the name of Oscar who held the lantern moved to that southwest area through that carnage and there they met two alabama soldiers carrying captain Carter on overcoat the sisters start to well and scream and the Alabama soldiers brought captain Carter into the parlor where dr. Darian Roberts 20th Tennessee regimental surgeon performed surgery on his head wound one of nine wounds he suffered and after the surgery is brought into this room the sickroom where he went in and out of consciousness but at the last I gained consciousness and looked up them up Ewan ladies and he said I know you but I cannot speak to you now and on December 2nd his last words in this room were appropriately enough home home home Oh

Channel: Tennessee Home and Farm

Views: 15,821

Rating: 4.9389315 out of 5

Keywords: tennessee, civil war, battle of franklin, tod carter, williamson county, history, travel

Id: zRvy30D6ngA

Length: 5min 48sec (348 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 16 2010