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It has been 160 years since the Battle of Franklin brought the chaos and bloodshed of the Civil War to what was once a small community of about 750 people. Today, the history of that battle is preserved throughout the community, but perhaps one of the most poignant is The Carter House.

Built in 1830 by Fountain Branch Carter, the red brick Federal style home still wears the scars inflicted on it during the battle.

“All these buildings are right where they were on the day of the Battle,” guide Randy Purcell said of the home and its outbuildings. “And folks, these are the most bullet-riddled buildings still Standing from the entire Civil War.”

Occurring on Nov. 30, 1864, The Battle of Franklin would put the Carter House directly in the line of fire as Federal troops occupied the home during the roughly five hour battle.

Visitors to the home will begin their tour in the bedroom of its builder, Fountain Branch Carter. The father of 12 children, Carter is a businessman and owner of a shoe and boot store in Franklin, as well as the Carter Cotton Gin and is also a farmer.

At the time the house was built, Carter owned 19-acres of land and five enslaved people.

“By 1860 he will have 28 salves and 288 acres,” Purcell said. “In 1860 Fountain Branch Carter is worth $62,000, today’s equivalent would be over a million and half so I think he is doing pretty well for himself.”

The bedroom features several pieces of furniture that were in the home on the day of the battle, including a bullet damaged bed and chair.

“So the battle is going on, we have Federal troops in this room and they will be shooting out these windows at the Confederates who are attacking from the area of the Carter Cotton Gin,” Purcell said. “We know they are in here shooting out, we know the Confederates are shooting back.”

To make matters even worse, Fountain Branch carter’s son Tod Carter is a Captain in the 20th Tennessee Infantry, which is attacking his family home.

“Tod Carter is in the Army of Tennessee,” Purcell said. “During the Battle of Franklin the Army of Tennessee is attacking this house. In this house will be Tod Carter’s big brother, his father, his sister, nieces and nephews.”

During the battle the family waited out the fighting in the home’s cellar. Surrounded by nothing except four stone walls, 24-28 people await for the rifle and artillery fire to cease. The family, joined by their neighbors, would remain in the cellar for about eight hours.

“A quote from one of the women that was in the room, she said, “the noise was so loud in the cellar I could not hear myself scream,” which tells me she was screaming,” Purcell said.

While the battle would only last five hours, it would result in 10,000 casualties – 7,500 Confederate and 2,500 Federal.

“In this battle six Confederate generals were killed, seven Confederate generals were wounded and 53 regimental commanders were killed or wounded in only five hours,” Purcell said.

“I always tell folks, in my opinion it will be the five bloodiest hours of the entire Civil War but you don’t need to believe me, believe the numbers.”

The family would learn that Tod Carter was among the wounded. Shot nine times, he was found only 175 yards southeast of his home. He is brought home seriously wounded and the regimental surgeon is called, who removes a bullet from above Carter’s left eye.

“He is moved over to the parlor, never regains consciousness,” Purcell said.

Tod Carter will die Dec. 2 1864 in the parlor of the Carter Home, just across the hall from the room he was born in 24 years earlier.

“We always tell folks it’s not a happy ending story,” Purcell said. “Tod Carter dies, the Confederate Army of Tennessee dies at Franklin.”

Purcell said that while it is a sad story, the Carter family is able to have closure regarding Tod Carter’s death, something denied to many during the Civil War.

“They have a service for Tod, Tod is buried in the family plot, so they have an end to their story,” he said. “While it may not be much, at least the Carters had the finality of at least knowing what happened to Tod.”

Following the war, the extensive bullet damage to the property was never repaired, and those bullet holes still mark the Carter House and its outbuildings. A lasting example of the intensity of the fighting of the Civil War.

Before making their way back down to the home’s visitor center, visitors can see the damage to the farm office, which remains peppered with .58 caliber bullet holes. Guests are invited to have their picture taken through one of the bullet holes for a unique souvenir of their visit.

For more information about the Carter House, its hours and tours, visit the Battle of Franklin Trust website at www.boft.org./carter-house.