Home of the New York Times bestseller The Widow of the South, Carnton was witness to one of the bloodiest battles of the entire Civil War, the November 30, 1864 Battle of Franklin. During and after the battle, Carnton served as the largest field hospital, sheltering hundreds of wounded and dying Confederates, including four Confederate generals whose bodies were laid out on the porch as their men paid their final respects. Eighteen months later, Carrie and John McGavock established a cemetery as a final resting place for 1,491 Confederate soldiers.
Today the house is open daily for tours. Visitors see an elegantly restored home with floors still stained with the blood of fallen soldiers.
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