Discover Stones River National Battlefield
Before the Battle: The Tension and Movement Around Murfreesboro
On December 29, 1862, Union troops under General William S. Rosecrans advanced towards Murfreesboro along Wilkinson Pike, aiming to confront Confederate forces that had settled in the area. As the Union troops moved into the region, Confederate cavalry led by Colonel John Hunt Morgan harassed their columns, attacking supply wagons and capturing prisoners in a surprise raid. Skirmishes erupted near the crossroads as Confederate cavalry and infantry sought to slow the Union advance, while the town and surrounding farmland, such as the Blackman community, became tense centerpieces of the impending conflict. The landscape, dotted with limestone outcroppings and dense cedar groves, played a crucial role in the battle’s fierce initial engagements, which set the stage for the brutal days ahead.
The Battle Unfolds: The Bloodiest Days Near Murfreesboro
The full-scale Battle of Stones River ignited on December 31, 1862, when Confederate forces under General William J. Hardee launched a surprise attack against the Union right flank. The Confederates smashed through Union brigades, pushing the battle into the rocky and wooded terrain called "Hell’s Half-Acre." For three days, the sounds of artillery, muskets, and screams filled the air as men fought desperately amid pools of blood and shattered earth. Union defenses, especially in the "Round Forest," stubbornly held against multiple assaults, but the fighting was harrowing. The landscape, with its limestone outcroppings and cedar groves, became a grim battlefield, with some of the bloodiest combat of the war. The fierce fighting resulted in over 23,000 casualties—wounded, wounded, and missing—shattering the illusion of a quick and bloodless campaign for the residents of Murfreesboro. Soldiers’ guns, cannons, and equipment littered the land, and homes, churches, and farms were converted into hospitals or destroyed entirely. The battlefield’s natural landforms and earthworks, including remnants of fortifications like Fortress Rosecrans, still serve as somber memorials to those who sacrificed their lives in this brutal struggle.
The Stones River National Battlefield and Cemetery in Murfreesboro, TN, commemorates the bloody Battle of Stones River (December 31, 1862 – January 2, 1863), a decisive Union victory that boosted Northern morale and secured central Tennessee. The 570-acre park features the Stones River National Cemetery, where over 6,100 Union soldiers are buried, including many unknown. Visitors can explore the battlefield through auto and walking tours, view historical markers like the oldest Civil War monument, and learn more at the park's visitor center and museum.
https://www.nps.gov/stri/index.htm
