Many years ago I read a biography on Andrew Jackson titled American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by John Meacham. The book was a great read and helped me work through some of my issues with President Jackson. Rachel Jackson, his wife, has a very interesting story and after touring the Hermitage, I decided, like I did with Mary Todd Lincoln, I wanted to know more. So my search for a biography on Rachel began (I took note of 2 that were offered in the gift shop). I decided on A Being So Gentle: The Frontier Love Story of Rachel and Andrew Jackson by Patricia Brady that arrived from Thriftbooks this week.
The Hermitage was built between 1819 and 1821 but underwent an extensive remodeling in 1831. A fire all but destroyed the home in 1834. The rebuilding of The Hermitage completed in 1837.
Photography is not allowed inside the mansion so I do not have any photos but rest assured that the inside is breathtakingly beautiful. Within the house, 90% of the artifacts are original to the family. With that being said, the doorways to each room have some type of plexiglass blocking the entrance to the rooms. The rooms are climate controlled and visitors are not allowed inside any of the room. The reason behind this is to preserve the original artifacts since there are so many. The main floor contains 4 parlors, a dining room, library, office, pantry, and store room. The second floor contains 4 bedrooms. There is a detached kitchen behind the house.
Located beside the Hermitage are beautiful gardens that cover an acre of the property.
Within the garden area are the gravesites of members of the Jackson family including President Andrew Jackson and Mrs. Rachel Jackson.
After leaving the Hermitage, we headed to Franklin to visit Carnton Plantation. My parents had recently visited Carnton Plantation and after hearing my Dad talk about it, I knew that (1) I needed to read about the Battle of Franklin and (2) I needed to see Carnton Plantation. My Dad recommended that I read For Cause & For Country: A Study of the Affair at Spring Hill & the Battle of Franklin by Eric Jacobson. I read a chapter a night and yes, there were daily phone calls to my Dad (aka my in-house historian) to discuss the battle. There are very few books that affect me the way this book did and the way I view things after reading books like this is never the same (like A Carnival of Destruction: Sherman's Invasion of South Carolina by Tom Elmore, I no longer drive down Main St./Lady St. in Columbia without seeing cotton flying in the wind like snow and utter destruction).
The Battle of Franklin took place in 1864 and Carnton Plantation became a hospital for the wounded/dying soldiers. I am very proud to have 14 direct line ancestors who fought for the Confederacy and one of them fought in the Battle of Franklin, which made my visit to Carnton even more special.
The first house was built in 1815 for the McGavock family. Due to family growth, the house was enlarged in 1826, making the original section of the house the new kitchen wing. The kitchen wing was damaged by a tornado in 1909. Instead of repairing the damaged section, the kitchen wing was removed. However, the original site outline can still be seen. Another enlargement of the house took place when John McGavock (son of the original owner Randal McGavock) married Carrie Winder (this lady is amazing...keep reading) in 1848. John and Carrie McGavock had 5 children. However, only 2 of the 5 children survive to adulthood.
Fast forward to 1864. The Battle of Franklin took place on November 30, 1864. The battle took place all around the McGavock's Carnton Planation. At which time Carnton Plantation grounds became part of the battlefield and the house became a hospital. There were 30+ wounded soldiers packed into each room of the house, now hospital. There were an estimated 300 wounded soldiers in the house, now hospital, at one time. Carrie and her children helped the doctors with the wounded soldiers. Carrie was shredding tablecloths, undergarments, and anything else that could be used as bandages. She worked through the night and into the morning hours helping with whatever was needed. A couple of the upstairs rooms were used as surgery rooms and to this day the blood stains can still be seen on the hardwood floors. Many soldiers(8,500 to be exact), both Confederates and Union, lost their lives during the Battle of Franklin..."death was everywhere." A soldier noted that "he could have walked on the dead by stepping from one body to another." The dead soldiers were buried throughout the battlefield with poorly marked graves. The bodies of 4 Confederate Generals (Patrick Cleburne, Hiram B. Granbury, Otho F. Strahl, and John Adams) were lined up on the back porch of the house.
In 1866, the McGavock family donated a plot to bury the soldiers. The dead soldiers were moved from the battlefield to the McGavock Confederate Cemetery located within walking distance of the house. The cemetery contains an estimated 1,500 burials all of which are buried per state. A book containing the list of names of the soldiers buried at the cemetery is on display inside the house. Today the cemetery is maintained by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Happy travels,
Amber
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