Franklin Pays Tribute For An Unknown Soldier’s Burial
FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Crowds estimated to be at least 3,000 people lined Franklin’s streets to witness the funeral procession and ceremony honoring an unknown soldier unearthed during construction in what had been a battlefield area of this small town. The remains, found in the spring when an equipment operator first noted what appeared to be human bones in his machine bucket, were in the possession of the state until the soldier’s final resting place was determined. “It’s a process to comply with all the legalities concerning the treatment of human remains and we did it by the book,” noted Franklin Alderman Mike Skinner, a member of the city’s Battlefield Task Force. However, Carter House Interim Director David Fraley points out that later in the war uniform parts were sometimes “interchanged” and Confederate soldiers often wore Union accessories. Because of the soldier’s location along Columbia Pike, local experts believe he could have been killed in the retreat after the Battle of Nashville as Confederates fought their way back through Franklin in mid-December 1864. As a result of the uncertainty of his allegiance, the soldier’s coffin was draped with flags of the United States and the Confederate States. The coffin lay in state at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church for two days before the Oct. 10 interment at Rest Haven Cemetery. St. Paul’s was a Union barracks and hospital during the war and was heavily damaged during that period. Bobby Hargrove, one of the event organizers, said “There are Confederate and Union soldiers in that cemetery and it makes sense to honor him there, all Americans.” After the church services conducted by participants in period attire, reenactors escorted the funeral procession from the church to the cemetery. Soil collected from the 18 states that had troops in the Battle of Franklin was collected and placed on the coffin as it lay in the open grave. Included in the “dust to dust” ceremony were samples from Gettysburg’s Devil’s Den and Confederate Memorial Hall in New Orleans. Tennessee, Missouri and Kentucky had soldiers on both sides who fought at Franklin. Full military honors were given including a three volley salute. The unknown soldier’s gravesite is marked with an original limestone column from the Tennessee State Capitol, which was renovated in 1956. The partial hand-carved column, about 10 feet high, makes an imposing grave marker. Also on hand were two sons of Civil War soldiers (see separate story). Michigan’s Harold Becker, 91, is the son of Charles Conrad Becker, a survivor of the Battle of Franklin. Becker served with Indiana troops and his brigade fought along the Union left flank. He survived the fighting but was hospitalized for three weeks with the measles after the battle. He lived until 1934. His son Harold has passed through Franklin but this was the first time he actually saw some of the battle sites. James Brown Sr., 97, of Tellico, Tenn., represented the Confederate side as a Real Son. The men were given places of honor during the church funeral service and escorted the remains by horse and buggy to the cemetery. “This was a magnificent tribute,” said Fraley who spoke at the gravesite service, “now this soldier can rest for eternity.” |
