Widow of the South

[New Mama]

A fictionalized true story of Carrie McGavock, of Franklin, Tennessee.

The story is a result of one of the bloodiest civil war battle which took place on November 30, 1864 in Franklin, TN. Nine thousand men lost their lives that day. She and her husband John eventually re-buried on their own land 1,481 Confederate soldiers killed at Franklin, when the family that owned the land. She became the self appointed caretaker of this cemetery that still exists today. It’s a love story too.

It’s written in three books. I found the first book difficult due to the graphic battle scene written. However, the rest of the book is terrific. I’d recommend you read the author notes at the end of the book before you read the book.

[♥ COVID-19♥]

hedodiva said:

I’d recommend you read the author notes at the end of the book before you read the book.

A good approach if you try to tackle the immense Dr. Seuss oeuvre, too.

[Christinko]

Anita! That book was interesting...I recommend it too if you like Civil War tales and fictionalized history. I bought the book after visiting the Carnton plantation in Franklin last February. I hear a movie may be made of it. I'd go see it.

Excellent tours in that area that make the ungodly and bloody battle come alive. Apparently, the Confederate troops died in such droves (4 bodies deep in some places) that some men died standing up because they were supported by the dead bodies of their shot comrades.

A side building at a farm house (the Carter house if I remember correctly) in Franklin holds the distinction of having the most bullet holes of any building in the USA.

This century research done on the doors of the Carnton Plantation shows that blood seeped all the way through them (they were all used as litters for the fallen soldiers).

Four Conferate generals' bodies were laid out on the Carnton Plantation porch. That battle was also unique because it started nearly at nightfall, which was unusual for battles then.

Many towns such as Franklin, Tenn., and Gettysburg, Pa., are gearing up for lots of big Civil War reenactments in the coming years to commemorate the 150-year anniversary of the war, according to NPR the other day. The Civil War even reached as far west as Arizona!

[Tex]

There has been an ongoing archaeological dig at Palmetto Hill (aka Palmetto Ranch) in far south Texas. This was the site of the last (but otherwise insignificant) battle of the war. The battle took place weeks after Lee's surrender but the Confederate Postal and Telegraph was in shambles by this time and they didn't hear the news.

The battle was a terrible waste. Palmetto Hill is near Brownsville, almost to Mexico. For a couple of months, the union encampment and the Confederate encampment had a gentleman's agreement. The two commanders met informally over a few drinks and decided that the war was not going to be settled there and that the soldiers didn't need to die for nothing so they just stayed out of each other's hair. Then a new Union commander came in that was gung ho and decided to clean house. The battle was a Confederate victory, if you want to call needless slaughter for no objective victory. The Confederate commander could read the handwriting on the wall and went easy on the Union prisoners and waited out word of the end of the war and sent everyone home.

[Tex]

General Hood's Texas Brigade is known by every Texas seventh grader. It did its duty but was cut to shreds in Gettysburg and other battles. Of the 4400 men in the brigade at its peak, only about 600 made it back to Texas.

Texas was in a unenviable situation when war was inevitable. Slavery was not that widespread here but Texas chafed at many of the other Federal dictates. Texas didn't want to be at war with Louisiana, with whom it had good relations. It didn't want to be at war with the US either. The Mexicans still had a hard on about San Jacinto, so they were another headache. The secession referendum passed statewide but wasn't decisive and lost in Austin and some some influential areas. Sam Houston had tried to defeat the referendum. After the referendum passed, he put forth another idea (in retrospect maybe the best idea) to secede under the terms of the statehood treaty but stay neutral and not join the Confederacy. England had a lot of capital invested in Texas and had hinted that they might be willing to once again provide Texas with some military backing as they had for the the Texas Republic. This proposal would probably have been followed if Sam Houston had pushed it first before the referendum passed and had the Feds not sent word that they would consider any secession an act of war at this point, treaty be damned. The Texans were trying to gauge whether there would be support in the US for fighting a war with Texas (seceding under its treaty and attempting neutrality) while simultaneously fighting a war with other southern states seceding with no treaty. Then things started happening fast in South Carolina, a deal hadn't been firmed up with England, and the Texans had to make a decision quickly so they cast their lot with the Confederate States.