I just finished reading Drew Gilpin Faust’s book, “This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War.” It was a wonderful book, one of which I will have a review posted soon.
The latter part of the book dealt with how we counted and identified the soldiers killed in action. By the late 1860’s, the Federal government had started their National Cemetery program, to bring all soldiers, known and unknown, to a final place of rest, commensurate with their sacrifice. The best know National Cemetery is Arlington National – but there are many, many others. The problem confronting the South, was that there was no specific program to fund the re-interment of Confederate soldiers. Most of this was accomplished by private groups.
One particular Confederate burial ground is a fabulous tribute. It is Colonel 
John McGavock’s Confederate Cemetery, and is located on ground he donated from his adjacent plantation – Carnton. The two acre cemetery has the graves distributed by state affiliation – very proper, as the south fought for their individual state’s rights. Visiting the McGavock Confederate Cemetery was a very moving experience for me. The McGavock home, on Carnton Plantation is readily visible – and the back porch – facing the cemetery, is where five dead Confederate generals, from the battle of Franklin, were placed. The home was a field hospital during the battle. I have included a picture, taken late in the evening, on a spring night, that shows the beauty of the McGavock Cemetery. It truly is a fitting honor for those buried there – of which 780, of 1,500 have been identified. The rest are part of the battle’s “Unknowns.” If you are ever in the vicinity of Franklin, make sure to check out the Carnton Plantation and McGavock’s Confederate Cemetery.
For more information, on the Battle of Franklin, please visit my website: Battlefield Portraits.
