History and Music

Yesterday we went to visit Carnton Plantation. It was built in 1826 and was caught in the Civil War Battle of Franklin. The Confederates were at the front of the house, and the Federals were at the back (shown here). After five hours of fierce fighting, the battle was over and over 10,000 men from both sides were either dead or wounded. The Federals pulled back North and the house and grounds became a Confederate hospital. The family, father and mother, two kids and two help, lived in what was the old kitchen (called the first house) and 12 doctors and surgeons took care of 600 men in the house and grounds. The wounded stayed for 6 months. What is most notable is that the family embraced the wounded and cared for them for months day and night and then eventually donated two acres of land for a Confederate graveyard. It is the largest private Confederate graveyard in the South. This made the property the scene of visits and family explorations for the next 20 years as relatives of the dead sought information about the lost. The house still has blood stains soaked into the floor where operations were carried out. I've read about the battle of Franklin and the war in general and it's a remarkable story. But the feeling of actually standing on a spot where it happened and where you can visualize the effects on the civilian population is memorable. It gives a whole new perspective to the story. You just have to be here.

As we were preparing to leave, it started to rain, putting an end to our outdoor activities for a while. We had secured tickets for the Grand Ole Opry for the evening, so we headed back into Nashville. It turns out that even 4:00 on a Tuesday is rush hour in Nashville and we were engulfed in a slow moving traffic pattern for several miles. But we made it through with plenty of time and another tour of Opry Mills mall. We had dinner in the mall at Tony Romas.  The food was great, but they are sure proud of their beverages. Then it was on to the Opry House for the Tuesday night radio show. It was a two hour show with a 15 minute intermission. Since it was a live radio show, it included all of the commercials. Just like watching TV, there was as much commercial time as there was performance. But it was still great and we feel like we've had the ultimate Nashville experience.

Today is a day of R&R. It rained all night and it's still misting out. It's good just to lay back and be lazy for a little bit. I went out with the dog and saw this setup two sites up from us. A whole haunted house setup. It's not like they're going to be here through Halloween because there's a max 14 day stay and they have to be out before then. I have to admire the enthusiasm.