[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 151 (Tuesday, November 15, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H10168-H10169]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                FRANKLIN NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD STUDY ACT

  Mrs. MUSGRAVE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1972) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 
special resource study to determine the suitability and feasibility of 
including in the National Park System certain sites in Williamson 
County, Tennessee, relating to the Battle of Franklin, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1972

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Franklin National 
     Battlefield Study Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.
       (2) Study area.--The term ``study area'' means the cities 
     of Brentwood, Franklin, Triune, Thompson's Station, and 
     Spring Hill, Tennessee.

     SEC. 3. SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary shall conduct a special 
     resource study of sites in the study area relating to the 
     Battle of Franklin to determine--
       (1) the national significance of the sites; and
       (2) the suitability and feasibility of including the sites 
     in the National Park System.
       (b) Requirements.--The study conducted under subsection (a) 
     shall include the analysis and recommendations of the 
     Secretary on--
       (1) the effect on the study area of including the sites in 
     the National Park System; and
       (2) whether the sites could be included in an existing unit 
     of the National Park System or other federally designated 
     unit in the State of Tennessee.
       (c) Consultation.--In conducting the study under subsection 
     (a), the Secretary shall consult with--

[[Page H10169]]

       (1) appropriate Federal agencies and State and local 
     government entities; and
       (2) interested groups and organizations.
       (d) Applicable Law.--The study required under subsection 
     (a) shall be conducted in accordance with Public Law 91-383 
     (16 U.S.C. 1a-1 et seq.).

     SEC. 4. REPORT.

        Not later than 3 years after the date funds are made 
     available for the study, the Secretary shall submit to the 
     Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives and 
     the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a 
     report that describes--
       (1) the findings of the study; and
       (2) any conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary.

     SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

        There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are 
     necessary to carry out this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Colorado (Mrs. Musgrave) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands 
(Mrs. Christensen) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Musgrave).


                             General Leave

  Mrs. MUSGRAVE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Colorado?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. MUSGRAVE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  H.R. 1972, introduced by Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, would direct 
the Secretary of the Interior to determine the suitability and 
feasibility of including sites related to the Battle of Franklin into 
the National Park System. This study area will include the cities of 
Brentwood, Franklin, Triune, Thompson's Station and Spring Hill, 
Tennessee. The Secretary will determine if the sites within the study 
area have national significance and if they may be included in an 
existing national park or another federally designated unit.
  I urge adoption of the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I want to congratulate both sponsors, including the cosponsor on this 
side, Congressman Lincoln Davis, for their leadership in getting this 
bill to the floor today. The majority has already explained this 
legislation. I would only add that we on this side of the aisle also 
support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. MUSGRAVE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn).
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking my 
colleague, Congressman Davis, for his diligence and his attention to 
this matter. This addresses Williamson County, Tennessee, which he and 
I share the representation of. He and his staff have worked very 
closely with us to address this issue of looking at the Franklin 
battlefield.
  By way of history, Mr. Speaker, on the afternoon of November 30, 
1864, General Hood's Army of Tennessee marched down Winstead Hill in 
Franklin, Tennessee, and charged the Union forces of General Schofield. 
Fighting continued until late in the evening as both sides sustained 
heavy casualties. The following morning revealed the terrible 
consequences of the fighting that took place and how the battle became 
the darkest day of the Civil War. With over 9,000 dead soldiers and six 
dead Confederate generals, the battle would be the bloodiest battle of 
the Civil War and would sound the death knell of the Confederacy. The 
battle is known as the Battle of Franklin.
  Mr. Speaker, the Battle of Franklin was one of the last significant 
battles leading to the Union victory over the Confederacy in the Civil 
War and has tremendous significance not only to our community but to 
American history. Yet there is neither a national cemetery nor a 
national battlefield park commemorating the battle. This bill is a 
first step toward preserving and protecting sites that contributed to 
this important Civil War landscape and achieving a solution to save the 
area as a national heritage through partnerships with the local 
communities.
  It does, as the gentlewoman from Colorado said, direct the Secretary 
of the Interior to study sites in Williamson County, Tennessee, where 
portions of the Battle of Franklin took place or were related to the 
battle. The battlefield will serve as a memorial of the American 
citizens who fought and died for what they believed was right. I urge 
my colleagues' consideration on this bill. Again, I thank the gentleman 
from Tennessee for his support and assistance.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the distinguished gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Davis), the cosponsor 
of the legislation.
  Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of H.R. 1972, the Franklin National Battlefield Study Act. It is 
fitting that we protect this piece of American history by preserving 
this battlefield, home to the Battle of Franklin. As Roberts Hicks and 
Julian Bibb of Franklin's Charge put it best:
  ``What happened on the late afternoon and evening of November 30, 
1864, was an epic display of courage and valor as troops on both sides 
gave their lives for causes they believed worthy and just. But the 
battle was much more. In essence, the Battle of Franklin was one of the 
most significant events in national unity, peace, and the end of 
slavery.''
  The Franklin battlefield might be one of the smallest battlefields in 
the United States, but it is also among the bloodiest. A staggering 
9,000 soldiers were killed or wounded at Franklin, including the 
largest number of generals ever lost in any American battle. It was the 
largest infantry charge ever conducted in North America. In the 5 
tragic hours that make up the Battle of Franklin, more men died in 
those 5 hours than the 19 hours on D-Day. Eleven Congressional Medals 
of Honor were earned at the Battle of Franklin.
  The Civil War Sites Advisory Commission designated Franklin as one of 
just 45 principal battles having a direct, observable impact on the 
direction, duration, conduct, or outcome of the war. Marking the 
beginning of the end for the Western Theater of the Civil War, it is 
now listed among the country's Top 10 Most Endangered Civil War 
Battlefields by the Civil War Preservation Trust. I strongly support 
Representative Blackburn's legislation to correct this injustice. The 
Battle of Franklin is considered the beginning of the defeat of the 
Confederacy.
  I applaud the efforts of Save the Franklin Battlefield, Incorporated; 
Mayor Miller of Franklin; Franklin's Charge; the Williamson County 
Historical Society; interested city and county leaders; and leading 
preservationists and conservation organizations that have sought to 
make this legislation a reality. It has been a delight to work with the 
gentlewoman from Tennessee on this particular issue, which is in her 
home district, a county that we both share.
  I believe it is our duty to preserve this historical battlefield, and 
we are bound by the respect and homage we must pay for those who died 
to preserve the Nation we hold so dear and revere today. But this is 
also for our children and grandchildren who will now be able to 
experience a chapter in our Nation's history in a way that a textbook 
cannot provide.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. MUSGRAVE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Musgrave) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1972, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________