McGavock Confederate Cemetery (Franklin, Tennessee)

 cemetery, confederate, American Civil War 1861-1865

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Here is where the bodies of most of the men killed during the Batle of Franklin were reburied in 1866 by the McGavock family. The morning following the battle the Confederates found that the Union troops had pulled out and marched on to Nashville leaving them in control of the battlefield and thus care for the wounded and dead of both sides. The Union dead were dragged into the ditch in front of their earthworks were so many Confederates died, and were buried under a few inches of dirt. The thousands of southern dead were gathered and those not too mangled were ID'd and buried near were they fell with wooden planks with their names, state, and unit wrote in pencil. Many of the officers, and some of the mens bodies were taken home, or removed later and reburied there.
Following the Confederate defeat and retreat from Nashville, the Union army again took over the town of Frankiln and with them came many former slaves who had no problem robbing the C.S. headboards to use for firewood and destroying many mens IDs.The McGavock's decided to donate 2 acres of their land at their home " Carnton" for a cemetery.
The bodies were removed and buried by state, they are :
Alabama- 129
Arkansas- 104
Florida- 4
Georgia- 69
Kentucky- 6
Louisiana- 18
Mississippi- 424
Missouri- 130
North Carolina- 2
Tennessee- 230
Texas- 89
South Carolina- 57
Unknown- 225
for a total of 1,487. Most of these men were killed outright and were not removed from the battlefield. There were a thousand or more who died of wounds in the days, weeks,and even years following the battle. The Battle of Franklin still was the cause of their death even though they were not listed in the reports with the 2500+ killed in Action. Some undiscovered bodies yet lay buried on the battlefield which can be proven by the fact that even today teeth and parts of jawbones are still being found around the Carter House and is on display in the museum.