“The Lotz Family in the Battle of Franklin” at November Round Table

On Sunday, November 13th at 3 P.M., the Franklin Civil War Round Table will present Robert Blythe, who will speak on “The Lotz Family and the Battle of Franklin.”

In 1858, when German emigrants Johann and Margaretha Lotz arrived in Franklin and built their family home, there was no imagining what would transpire six years later.  As Federal forces flowed into Franklin on November 30th 1864 having escaped Confederate General John Bell Hood’s forces at Spring Hill, the family found their home just yards north of the Union lines.   Since no one anticipated a Confederate attack across two miles of open ground, the family elected to stay at their home, mere yards away from the soon-to-be more famousCarter House farm. Their decision put them squarely into harm’s way and the history books.

Robert Blythe is a guide and historian at the beautifully preserved Lotz House He is a sixth generation Williamson County resident, whose interest in history began as a child when he observed a relic hunter find a Civil War bullet in his yard.  Blythe graduated from Battle Ground Academy and later earned his degree in history for the University of Mississippi. He is an officer in the Franklin Elks Lodge and an accomplished pianist.

The event is free to the public. The Franklin Civil War Round Table is an educational program of Franklin’s Charge, and meets each month at Carnton Plantation's Fleming Center, 1345 Eastern Flank Circle. For more information, email fcwrt@yahoo.com, or visit http://www.franklinscharge.org/the-round-table.