In the waning days of 1864 and the Civil War, Franklin hosted one of the conflict's bloodiest battles. More than 140 years later, that battle is again pitting neighbor against neighbor.

At issue is the effort to reclaim portions of the battlefield, most of which now house commercial ventures. On one side, preservationists and battlefield boosters point out the hard economic advantages of creating a battlefield park, as Civil War buffs pump tourist dollars into the town.