Nashville & Franklin:
Civil War in the West Tour

he Franklin and Nashville battlefield sites never cease to imprint on our imaginations feelings of horror and loss. They also demonstrate to us the very essence of heroism and sacrifice that the generation of the 1860s exhibited with unceasing duty.

We begin our tour at Rippavilla, studying real flesh-and-blood people who grew up in families whose women and younger members carried on at home while their men invested their lives for the cause of independence or in seeking to preserve the old Union. The evolution of a plantation house, the lives of people slave and free, are captured in photos, bricks, beds, tables, kitchens, and dolls. The men of Rippavilla fought in the war and survived to continue life four years later, no doubt changed in ways they could not explain. One family of the slaves continued their building and architectural work and passed it on to succeeding generations, some of whom still fulfill that calling in a large firm in Nashville—with their own name on the marquee.

We liked everything. We were grateful to be on the tour with a great group of Christians... Landmark Events provides the perfect balance of well-informed, interesting historians providing enlightening lectures with friendly, well-organized leadership. Great experience!” —Carol M.

Winsted Hill gives us the panoramic vista that General John Bell Hood beheld, as his Army of Tennessee hurled itself against the entrenchments around Franklin. The beautiful memorials on the hill belie the devastation that occurred down below, but then our monuments freeze only names, flags, and dates of those heroes, long dead and buried elsewhere. We ponder the mistakes of Spring Hill and the impetuous, if not petulant, Hood as he questioned the manhood of his army and lined them up in magnificent array to cross two miles of open fields under artillery fire. We briefly examine the lives of some of the Confederate generals who died in the battle, all from different states, all beginning their military careers as company commanders and ending their lives along the Franklin Pike and Harpeth River as brigadier or major generals leading from the front.

Learn More and Register for the Civil War in the West Tour!

The war again becomes personal as we learn of the Carter family and their ordeal of surviving the very vortex of the battle around their house and cotton gin. The tragic but heroic story of their son Tod brings to our memory once again that the boys in gray were fighting to protect and liberate their families and homes. Providence grabs our attention as we learn of the Ohioans of Emerson Opdyke refusing to sacrifice themselves in front of the lines, only to find themselves in position to save the Union army after the breakthrough in the Carter yard.

Our visit to Carnton never disappoints. A real family, caught up in a nightmare situation, rose to the occasion with love and service to the wounded and the dying. Their life was changed forever as the “widow of the South” kept the burial records of the boys who died, for years to come. The family cemetery became a shrine to the Confederate dead—no longer an anonymous resting place of the fallen.

Learn More and Register for the Civil War in the West Tour!

Wednesday evening we’ll gather to enjoy a nice meal, sweet fellowship, and a quiz with neat prizes hosted by Mr. Potter!

Landmark Events made history come alive to our family! Loved the headsets, fellowship, all the venues and appreciated the ability to picnic each day. Thank you!” —Sarah M.

The Battlefield of Nashville is mostly buried under urban sprawl. Shy’s Hill has recently been preserved. Though a small area, it is significant in the Confederate line and quietly austere. You will learn about Col. Shy and his gallant defense and death there. Our next stop includes the well-preserved, though unused in battle, Fort Negley, a powerful example of the art of fortification; the position commanded the approaches to Nashville, a city today no longer in need of defense from external attack. We will discuss the earlier campaign of Fort Donelson and the strategic importance of the Tennessee Capitol, a place whose defensive posture could have resisted an attack by ten times the forces of General Hood.

Our final stop will be at the State Capitol, where we will study the various monuments to Tennessee heroes, including James Polk, Alvin York, Sam Davis and more. After the tour, guests are encouraged to explore the interior of the Capitol as well as the new Tennessee State Museum—both have free admission.

Four New Talks by Mr. Potter!

Following the tour, we will be attending the Teach Them Diligently Homeschool Convention at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel.* Mr. Potter will be debuting four fantastic new talks at the conference.

1. Is It 1984 Yet?
2. Dedicated Minorities Can Change History
3. The Pilgrims at 400: Privileged White Males Bent on Genocide, or Humble Christian Families Seeking Freedom to Worship God?
4. Leadership Lessons For Our Sons from George Washington, Robert E. Lee, and Winston Churchill

Come hear these important and interesting talks and stop by our booth in the Exhibit Hall to say hello. We would love to see you.

* Separate Convention registration required.