The disaster inflicted upon the McGavock family was repeated over the entire community of Franklin. The shattered armies moved on, leaving their dead and most of their wounded behind them as they engaged in another terrible conflict at Nashville.

The victorious Union army returned to Franklin and retrieved their dead and arranged for their burial in military cemetaries. The defeated rebel army was in dissaray

For the remainder of her life, Carrie McGavock would labor to have the confederate dead located and moved from their shallow mass graves on the battlefield and brought to this piece of ground near her home where every attempt was made to identify the remains and make contact with their surviving families. For many it was not possible, but for those she identified it was a great comfort to their families. She became known far and wide as "The Widow of the South." Her's is a story worth reading. What you see here in the picture I took today, April 25, is the largest private cemetary for military dead in these United States. It is located on the Carnton Plantation, just a short distance to the north and west of the McGavock home. It is now hallowed and sacred ground, a beautiful and peaceful setting that helps us to have faith that something good can come from something so bad.