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This modestly sized city park in Franklin just off US 31 is an appropriate blend of history lessons coupled with maintained tracks or trails for walking or jogging. At the main entrance to the park you’ll note the monuments and large visual displays retelling the story of Civil War battles that took place on these very grounds. You’ll also quickly see another set of maps and descriptions of the land where the scenic trail winds through the park. Rest Room facilities are available. Limited picnic area. There are a few benches spaced out along the pathway for resting and reflection. There is no entrance fee at this park. …
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Date of experience: July 2020
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The park was General Hood's HQ for the Battle of Franklin so the historical significance is important on its own merit. There are several monuments and what I believe to be a nice walking path - althought it was way to cold, wet, and wind for me to do that on my visit. There is parking on site and a restroom. It is worth seeing if you are a Civil War buff or just want to take in a nice walk.…
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Date of experience: January 2020
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This is the site of Confederate General Hood's headquarters during the day of the Battle of Franklin. An excellent cast-bronze relief map just a short walk up the hill from the parking area presents the location and movement of troops from both sides during the conflict across the landscape stretching out to the horizon in front of you. From this site, it's pretty easy to grasp how the battle unfolded and why one-fifth of the soldiers became casualties in the fighting that stretched from here across two to three miles of open land leading into Franklin (at the time of the battle there were very few trees to be found on the farming lands in view here). While battlefields such as Gettysburg feature memorials to various units spread widely across the landscape, those monuments for the army units engaged in this battle are for the most part gathered right here, to be easily absorbed in a visit to a single location. In just a short time you can see the scope of the battle, see the memorials to those Confederate units that fought here, and gain an understanding of the significance of this distinctly bloody brief fight. There is a large parking area as well as a quality park-style restroom facility.…
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Date of experience: December 2019
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We didn't have time to walk the 3/4 mile paved trail through the battlefield so we may have missed some interpretive signs that would have made this park more interesting. When you climb the steps to the observation post you will get some kind of idea of what the Confederate generals were seeing during the second Battle of Franklin. Then you can take short walk (The Brigadier's Walk) to where they honor 5 brigadier generals. A real Civil War buff would probably have gotten more out of this park than I did. But if you are looking for a place to pull off and just take a walk, I think the paved trail would be a good place to go.…
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Date of experience: March 2019
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The Battle of Franklin, Tennessee, fought on November 30, 1864, was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. In five hours, the Confederates suffered about 7,500 casualties while the Federals lost about 2,500. You can understand why there was such a large disparity when you visit Winstead Hill Park. Located south of Mack Hatcher Parkway on Columbia Avenue, two miles south of Franklin on U.S. Highway 31, Winstead Hill stands 810 feet above sea level with a sweeping view of the Harpeth Valley as it spread out north of the hill and overlooks the town of Franklin. On November 30, 1864, it served as the command post for Confederate General John Bell Hood and was the launching point of the battle for his 33,000 troops. Before them was two miles of open ground and 30,000 Union troops blocking their way to Nashville. Today, Winstead Hill is a 61-acre historic battle site with a 3/4-mile walking trail and restrooms. Walk up several steps and across a rock-laced path to an observation post at the top of the hill. Your view is exactly what Hood would have seen at the time of the battle. Under the covered post, you will find a detailed map that provides of good layout of the Harpeth Valley and where the Confederates were deployed. Near the post you'll find a monument to Confederate General Patrick Cleburne, perhaps the finest division commander in the Confederate Army, who was killed during the battle. At about 4 p.m., Hood ordered his troops to march down the slope of the hill and attack the Union Army, similar to Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863. In point of fact, Hood suffered more casualties at Franklin than Pickett did in the more celebrated charge at Gettysburg. Winstead Hill was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.…
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Date of experience: September 2019
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