National Battlefield Stones River U.S. Department of the Interior

R i v e r s a n d R a i l r o a d s I can never forget . . . that about the end of last year and the The Plan to Win—Union Strategy in the West: The Union strategy Key Commanders Control Railroads, Rivers, and Ports MAR YLAND was three-pronged: beginning of this, you gave us a hard earned victory. Washington gain control of the Mis­sis­sippi River, drive – to Major General William Rosecrans, August 1863 VIR GINIA (1863) a wedge through the Richmond Con­­fed­eracy along Lincoln was worried as 1862 came to a close. Confederate the armies ravaged each other. Each side lost nearly rivers and railroads attacks in Maryland and had shaken Northern one-third of its men. The Confederates limped away Cairo across Tennessee and Georgia, and block­ confidence. Generals McClellan and Buell wasted victories from the battlefield. Rosecrans marched his battered Nashville at Antietam and Perryville by refusing to advance on the into Murfreesboro and declared victory. Murfreesboro ade major ports.­ ARK ANSAS TEN NESSE E Confederates. The Emancipation Proclamation was to take Chattanooga Memphis SOU TH CA ROLIN A Wilmington Victory at Stones effect on January 1, but military success to enforce it seemed Union forces held Murfreesboro and much of middle Corinth River opened the p i Atlanta , Con­ William Rosecrans,

s impossible. The Union war effort was stalled. Tennessee in an iron grip. Soon the earthen walls of For­ i Charleston way into the Con­ federate Commander, Union Commander, tress Rosecrans protecting a vast supply base loomed over ALA BAMA h federate heartland. was “a puzzling mix­ left the Army to work MIS SISSI PPI E Union advances to ture of com­­petence as an architect, mining Lincoln needed a victory soon, and he pushed his generals the town. Murfreesboro became a launching point for D Vicksburg Savannah A Chattanooga, Atlan­ an­d ineptness.” He engineer, and inven­ K

to strike a blow. In December General ’s campaigns that slashed through the heart of the south C ta, and Savannah gained distinction in tor. He rejoined at the O

Army of the Potomac met with disaster at Fredericksburg, and dealt a deathblow to the Confederacy. L crippled the South’s the US-Mexi­can War. outbreak of the war. B . Grant’s Army of the Tennessee proved unable to Mobile ability to supply its Bragg stayed in com­ Rosecrans was popular

Pensacola FLO RIDA N mand despite his sub­ with his troops who

O I armies and sapped crack defenses north of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Lincoln’s only Stones River’s success bolstered northern spirits. Victory— LOU ISIAN A ordinates’ criticism of called him Old Rosy.

New Orleans N civilian support for

hope lay with General William S. Rosecrans’s Army of the and the Emancipation Proclamation—crushed Confederate U his withdrawal from His “im­pulsive excit­ the war. Cumberland. hopes for international assistance and shifted the war’s Murfreesboro. He de­ able personality” UNION BLO CKA feated Rose­crans at served him well at aims from restoring the Union to remaking the nation. DE Chicka­mau­ga but was Murfreesboro but On December 26, 1862, Rosecrans led his army out of Nash­ routed at Chattanooga, caused problems that ville to seek the victory Lincoln demanded. Their target— A relieved and grateful Lincoln thanked Rosecrans and his a loss that cost him his led to his defeat at command. Chickamauga. Murfreesboro and General Braxton Bragg’s Army of Ten­ men for a “hard earned victory, which had there been a Planned Union advance nessee. From December 31, 1862 through January 2, 1863, defeat instead, the country scarcely could have lived over.” North 0 200 Kilometers Confederate States Selected major of American railroads 0 200 Miles Highlights of the Civil War Era 1860–1877 Lincoln elected; South Confederate Win Confederate Win Union Win Union Win Confederate Win Union Win Union Win Union Win Sherman begins Lee surrenders 13th Amendment zens the right to vote, re­ secedes, Fort Sumter, First battle of Manas­ Union defeated at Union takes Fort Don­ Union retakes Second , MD., war’s Battle at Stones River; Gettysburg, PA. and March to the Sea; at Appomat­ ends slavery; 14th gardless of race or color. SC., bombarded; Civil sas (Bull Run), VA.; Wilson’s Creek, MO., elson, TN., and state New Orleans, LA., Manassas (Bull bloodiest single day: Emancipation Procla­ Vicksburg, MS.; New Union troops tox; Lincoln defines citizenship, US Army ends Tennesse War begins. shows war won’t end first major battle in capital Nashville. a strategic victory. Run), VA. 23,000 casualties. mation issued. Decem- York City rioters pro­ destroy Atlanta. assassinated. protects civil rights; occupation. December November 1860–April 1861 quickly. July 1861 the West. August 1861 February–March 1862 April 1862 August 1862 September 1862 ber 1862–January 1863 test draft. July 1863 May–November 1864 April 1865 15th allows male citi­ 1865–January 1877 December 31, 1862 ROSECRANS January 2, 1863 ROSECRANS Rosecrans Rosecrans We were building fires and making coffee, the Confed­er­ates, inflicting heavy cas­u­alties. Headquarters There was a hill . . . on the left flank of the Captain Mendenhall, supporting Union troops Headquarters for such permission had been granted just Bragg tried to re­vive his offensive by striking Federal army, which, could it be taken and across the river, had 57 guns aimed at the Mendenhall’s McFadden’s before daylight. . . . Suddenly a succession the Union left in the Round Forest. Soldiers held by Confederate forces, would necessitate Confederates’­ approach. Artillery Ford of long lines of Gray were swarming over from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio the evacuation of the Federal position. the Confederate breastworks and sweeping stood their ground and left hundreds of Con­ –Major Pickett, Asst. Inspector General, CSA, 1863 Union gunners fired as enemy soldiers came toward us . . . federates lying dead or wounded on Hell’s Half into range, wounding or killing 1,800 within –Sergeant Major Widney, 34th Illinois, USA, 1862 Acre. Overall Bragg, confident that Rosecrans would with­ minutes. Confederates withdrew as Union Overall Creek Creek McFadden’s draw, was surprised to find Union troops on a troops crossed the river to reclaim the heights. Bragg 2nd Lane Confederates struck first, assaulting the Wounded began to fill field hospitals behind Bragg 1st hill east of Stones River, threatening his right Menden­ hall’s­ artillery turned a dashing charge Headquarters son P Headquarters nson P Union right wing at dawn. By 10 am they Union lines near Murfreesboro. A soldier Wilkin ike flank. Bragg ordered­ 4,500 men to seize the into a deadly retreat. Wilki ike had driven the Union through the cedar from Ohio saw surgeons amputate limbs Nas Na high ground and drive the enemy across the Nas Na sh sh h v h v woods to the Wilkinson Pike. Only stubborn ”then throw the quivering flesh into a pile.” vil ille river. The ­ cost 13,249 Union vil ille l l e Pik e Pik fighting in the Slaughter Pen prevented a & Cha & Cha e casualties and 10,266 Confederate. Bragg left e

Union rout. The battle ended at dusk, but few felt like t The assault began in late afternoon, the Murfreesboro and Rosecrans claimed victory, t tanoo tanoo celebrating New Year’s Eve. On January 1 Confederates gaining the crest. Union soldiers boosting northern morale.­ Presi­ dent­­ Lincoln g g both armies rested and prepared for the a a Rose­crans rushed his troops into position R retreated down the back slope to a river thanked Rosecrans­ and his soldiers for their R Franklin Road R Franklin Road R along the Nashville Pike and the Nash­ville next onslaught. crossing at McFad­den’s Ford. There pursuing “skill, endur­ ance,­ and dauntless courage.” NES RIVER NES RIVER (8 am) TO TO & Chattanooga Railroad. Ordered to “con­ S Confederates encountered a deadly surprise. S test every­ inch of ground,” they beat back BRAGG BRAGG January 2, 1863 Red indicates Confederate positions Blue indicates Federal positions Life in Murfreesboro and on the Battlefield Murfreesboro—Tennessee’s state capital from 1818 to 1826—was­­ a proud town. Early legisla­ Fighting Amid Cotton Women Do Their Part tors included Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, and future presidents Andrew Jackson and James The noise of battle was A few hundred wom­ Veterans’ groups for Polk. By the 1850s Murfreesboro boasted terrible, Southern boys en served as soldiers. both armies formed schools, stores, churches, a railroad, nearby advancing through a Thousands worked in New photo/s after the war. The estates, and over 2,000 white residents. Many cotton field stuffed their factories, hospitals, Woman’s Relief Corp owned enslaved workers. ears with the white and schools. They and design of was an auxiliary of struggled to hold their the Union’s Grand fibers as ear protection. Spirits were high in December 1862. Local sol­ New photo to come families together this section to Army of the Republic. diers reunited with their families. Confederate while husbands and . . . cannon fire, sons fought and died. come. President visited Murfreesboro shells bursting, men with the hopeful, but incorrect, news that the yelling, horses neighing Union army was starving in Nashville. Residents Women also affected and soldiers celebrated the holidays with par­ and wounded scream- the course of the war ties and dances, not realizing that the hard ing made an awful through organizations hand of war was about to strike their town. Murfreesboro’s rich agricultural district was crescendo. like the the breadbasket­ of . Turn­ Oscar Pinney, 5th Wisconsin Sanitary Commission. Union forces occupied Murfreesboro after the pikes and a railroad branching out from the Light Artillery, USA, 1863 Women took food, battle. Soldiers tore down houses for lumber, town carried goods to far-reaching markets. clothing, medicine, destroyed churches, desecrated cemeteries, Family farms worked by whites and enslaved and other supplies to and confiscated supplies. Slaves flocked to blacks produced hogs, horses, corn, cotton, the front lines. They Union camps to seize their freedom, leaving and wheat. improved cleanliness in the camps and hos­ hundreds of farms untended. The Union occu­ CREDITS FOR IMAGES WILL GO HERE. pation lasted beyond the war’s end into 1866. (Scenes of downtown Murfreesboro and the pitals, saving thou­ courthouse in the 1860s, left.) sands of lives. Touring Stones River National Battlefield Stones River National Battlefield­ preserves a small part of the original battlefield. You can reach points of interest on the self-guiding auto tour (below and right). Numbered markers identify stops. Events are explained along short trails and on exhibits.­ Please use caution when crossing highways. Cell phone tour: 585-797-0076.

Go out the back door of the visitor center. Look across the field where Union and Confeder­ ­ate soldiers fought. Imagine opposing­ armies total- ing 81,000 men battling to control Middle Tennessee in one of the Civil War’s bloodiest encounters.

Union troops made their final stand here, def­­ending Nashville Pike and the railroad—both vital lines of supply. Today’s scene differs little from 1862. The railroad and pike are in the same place, and fields are now planted with native grasses between cedar thickets.

1 Eve of Battle On December 30, after Rose- 4 Defending Nashville Pike Thousands of crans’s Union army arrived at Murfrees­­­ boro,­ retreating Union troops burst from the cedars­ troops occupied this area along McFad­ den’s­ Lane. in front of these cannon, followed by Confeder- Soldiers struggled to sleep in the freezing mud ates. The Chicago Board of Trade Battery sprang without campfires knowing a major battle was to action as the poured volley imminent. For thousands, that night would be after volley into the gray ranks. Canister charges their last. forced the Confederates­ back to the cedars.

2 Slaughter Pen Union soldiers fiercely defend- 5 Round Forest This was the only Union position ed their position here. Confederates launched that held throughout the first day. Artillery and attack after failed attack, causing heavy losses to infantry halted the first attack at 10 am and beat both sides. Bodies piled up in the rocks, and blood back three more as the day wore on. By dusk soaked the ground. The Union retreated, but the the fields of Hell’s Half Acre were covered with delay gave their army time to form a new line Confederate dead and wounded. along the Nashville Pike. 6 McFadden Farm Union soldiers hid behind 3 Cotton Field On December 31 Union troops stone and rail breastworks as men fled across the established­ a defensive line along the Nashville river chased by Confederates. Union cannon Pike. Pursuing Confederates­ entering the cotton firing from above McFadden’s Ford halted the field were greeted by cannon fire. A Texan Confederates with shot, shell, and canister, kill- recalled, “the artillery opened up on us . . . and ing and wounding over 1,800 men in less than it seemed that the heavens and the earth were an hour. This was the battle’s final action. coming together.” At dark both sides dug in for ✩GPO:20xx—xxx-xxx/xxxxx Reprint 20xx the night. Rosecrans’s army had been pushed Printed on recycled paper. back three miles, but the Confeder­ ates­ had failed to capture the pike.

Planning Your Visit

Visitor Center The visitor center has informa- Safety and Regulations Please be careful. tion, museum exhibits, a film, and bookstore. Remember, your safety is your responsibility. It is open daily except Thanksgiving Day and • Stay on marked trails. Watch for exposed December 25. For details about activities, roots, uneven ground, poison ivy, ticks, and special events, and hours, contact park staff slippery rocks. • Pets must be attended and or visit www.nps.gov/stri. leashed. • Do not climb or sit on cannon. • Relic hunting and climbing on earthworks There’s a Lot to See Here You can see part are strictly prohibited. • All natural and cultur- of Fortress Rosecrans in Old Fort Park on High- al features are protected by federal law. • For way 96. Redoubt Brannan is on West College firearms and other regulations check the park Street. Paved trails lead to the earthworks. website or ask a ranger. Stones River and Lytle Creek greenways­ offer Emergencies: call 911. places for activities and the chance to see important battle sites. More Information Stones River National Battle­field Don’t miss the Hazen Brigade and Artillery 3501 Old Nashville Highway monuments, the National Cemetery (Union) Murfreesboro, TN 37129-3094 or Evergreen Cemetery (Confederate). Ask 615-893-9501 at the visitor center about historic sites and www.nps.gov/stri places to see in Murfreesboro (see map). Stones River National Battlefield is one of over Accessibility The visitor center and restrooms 390 parks in the National Park System. To learn are wheelchair-accessible.­ Some park trails more about national parks visit www.nps.gov. are paved. Service animals are welcome. vvw A Fortress Like No Other Fortress Rosecrans Black Men in Blue Uniforms In 1863 Rosecrans’s army and hundreds of Fortress Rosecrans Once let the black man get upon his formerly enslaved men built a depot and fort person the brass letters U-S, let him at Murfreesboro to distribute weapons, food, get an eagle on his button . . . and and supplies. Fortress Rosecrans had three there is no power on earth which can miles of earthworks enclosing storehouses, deny that he has earned the right to Redoubt Brannan powder magazines, and four interior redoubts Lunette Palmer citizenship in the United States. (small forts), including Redoubt Brannan. –

The 200-acre fort could shelter 15,000 troops, By war’s end United States Colored and its stores could supply an army of 65,000 Troops made up 10 percent of the men for months. Its strategic location allowed Union Army. Over 20,000 formerly the Union army to attack the Confed­erate rail Lunette Thomas enslaved men from Tennessee chose to center in Chatta­nooga and split the Confed­e­r­ fight for their freedom. Several units acy along transportation routes in Tennessee. formed or served at Murfreesboro. This fort was the largest, enclosed earthen fortification built during the war.

ILLUSTRATION / © Steven Patricia Keeping Memories Alive Stones River National Cemetery Evergreen Cemetery The Community of Cemetery Touring by Rail Artillery Monument William Hazen’s men were the only After the battle most Union and Confederate About 2,000 Confederates are buried in After the war, 111th US Colored Infantry Battle sites became tourist attractions after Artillery Monument marks the battle’s final Union soldiers who didn’t retreat during dead were quickly buried on the field. In 1865 Confederate Circle at Evergreen Cemetery in soldiers, including William Holland (tomb- the war. Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis attack on January 2. Here 57 Union cannon the fighting on December 31. They repelled soldiers of the 111th US Colored Infantry Murfreesboro. For many, first buried on the stone below) and other formerly enslaved Railway excursions to Stones River brought fired upon the approaching Confederates, attacks so horrible that soldiers named the began the grim job of reburying Union dead battlefield, this was their third resting place. people started a new life in the area around tourists—and much needed dollars—to­ killing or wounding 1,800 men in a short place Hell’s Half-Acre. Over 400 of Hazen’s in the new Stones River National Cemetery. the national cemetery (residents below). They Murfreesboro. Signs along the tracks helped time. In 1906 the railway built this 34-foot tall troops fell in the battle, and the survivors Each mound in the 1866 photo (below) is the In 1867 their remains were moved to a ceme- built homes, a school, churches, and a store. passengers imagine the bloody actions. In monument (below) so that passengers could didn’t want the world to forget. Hazen’s grave of a newly buried soldier. Over 6,100 tery south of Murfreesboro. In the 1890s they Their community, named Cemetery, endured 1890 the railway published Southern Battle- see it from their train windows—and­ offered men built this monument in 1863. It is the Union soldiers are buried here, 2,500 of them were moved again, this time to Evergreen until 1927 when creation of the national bat- fields with battle accounts and maps showing special fares for Confederate veterans. oldest intact Civil War memorial (below). unknown. Cemetery (monument below right). tlefield park uprooted many residents, begin- rail lines near battlefields (below right). ning a period of decline.

CEMETERY / NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND BOOKLET / Middle Tenn. State univ. (LEFT); RECORDS ADM. (BELOW). NPS / MELINDA SCHMITT (BELOW). All OTHER images NPS, except as credited.