During Franklin’s occupation, its citizens suffered, especially the women who were left to defend their homes and families. The Federals gave hope to the enslaved and Unionists, and imposed military rule, making life particularly hard for Whites who refused to sign the Union oath of loyalty.

Those stubborn secessionists could face shortages of food and firewood, travel restrictions and even expulsion from the town. Residents of a hundred other occupied Southern towns experienced about the same. Franklin was occupied for three-and-a-half years, with Federal Fort Granger overlooking the town for most of that time and casting its shadow upon residents.

Many Blacks escaped to freedom in Nashville. Some White women spied and smuggled to assist the Confederacy. It seemed the worst of the war was over, but then came the horrific Battle of Franklin and the unimaginable suffering of the dead and wounded men and animals and, yes, the residents, especially those who cared for the wounded. This non-fiction book tells the stories of some of the residents—women and men, White and Black, loyal and secessionist—and contains maps, pictures and information regarding the structures that are still standing.