2 ‘Real Sons’ Embrace, Reminisce At Franklin
The unknown soldier’s remains were uncovered at a local construction site last spring. While there were Union eagle buttons with the skeletal remains, evidence was inconclusive whether this lost soldier was Confederate or Union. His discovery set into motion efforts by local officials and historians to honor him as a representative of a united America. Michigan’s Harold Becker, 91, arrived in Franklin as a Federal Real Son. His father, Charles Becker, saw action in the Nov. 30, 1864, Battle of Franklin. In all likelihood, Becker is the last surviving son of a Franklin veteran. Serving with the 128th Indiana Infantry, Charles survived Franklin only to be hospitalized in Nashville with the measles for three weeks after the battle. Harold Becker was born when his father was 71 years old. He has fond memories of stories he heard as the senior Becker smoked cigars on the porch and told of the fighting. “He never talked badly about the Confederate soldiers he faced, they were brave souls,” said Harold Becker. Recounting the horror at Franklin, Becker added, “My father said the Confederates just kept coming and coming. It was a terrible thing to see.” He was especially proud of Union Gen. George Thomas who finished off the crippled Confederate Army of Tennessee at Nashville. “Thomas was a fighter and never really got his due,” said Becker. When Becker met 97-year-old Confederate Real Son James Brown the two embraced and immediately began telling stories of respect and admiration for soldiers of both sides. Brown’s father, James H. H. Brown, was 20 when he joined the 8th Georgia Infantry. He saw action for four years, including bloody battles at Shiloh and Gettysburg and the surrender at Appomattox. Brown recalled his father being a “quiet” man who did not talk much of the war. Recalling the lack of food and supplies faced by the Confederates, Brown became very serious and said, “My father talked mostly how the men [Confederates] suffered under the weather, the cold and the deprivation.” Harold Becker and his wife Dorothy have been married 68 years and participate in many Sons of Union Veteran events. Brown lives in East Tennessee and was twice married and widowed. The two men talked about the many years they have seen and the changes they have witnessed. Both remember World War II and the efforts made by men so like their Civil War fathers. Brown served in World War II while Becker had a medical deferment due to a blind eye. Although Becker had traveled through Franklin often, he had never seen the grounds his father fought across. “We’ve had a great time here in Franklin and I got to see where my dad fought. Next time I will bring my father’s Enfield rifle and show it off,” the spry Becker said with a grin. Franklin Mayor John Schroer presented the two men with certificates of appreciation at a dinner given in their honor the evening before the burial of the unknown soldier. The two escorted the body riding in a horse and buggy to the gravesite with hundreds of period-dressed participants and thousands of spectators lining the procession. |
