Recently Mary Jacque told me about this book, a historical novel about the battle of Franklin. Franklin is about 10 or 15 miles south of Nashville and is now a charming town with brick streets, antique stores, art galleries and good restaurants. There are signs referring to historical sites but I had never bothered to seek them out when I was there. But I WILL do so the next time I go there. '

Mary Jacques book recommendations are always good, so I got the book right away, and then, in spite of the subject matter, could barelly put it down. Much of it is true. The widow (Carrie McGavock) actually did do the things described in the book.

More lives were lost that day, November 30, 1864, in five hours, "than in the 19 hours of D-Day -- and more than twice as many casualties as at Pearl Harbor." 9,200 men died that day on a field by the McGavock house in Franklin Tennessee. Six generals were killed that day, and four of them were laid out on Carrie McGavock's porch, right after she had been told her home would be used as a field hospital.