Tales from Tennessee and Beyond: The Battle of Stones River

I want to apologize to all of my readers for not posting in a while. I have been swamped with school work. I will try to post more frequently.

The Battle of Stones River took place in Murfreesboro, Tennessee from December 31, 1862- January 2, 1863. The battle was part of the Stones River Campaign. The two leading generals were Braxton Bragg for the Confederacy, and William Rosecrans for the Union. They had come to Tennessee from Kentucky, after the invasion into Kentucky had failed. The Confederate army had retreated all the way through the Cumberland Gap, settling at Murfreesboro. Rosecrans and his army were stationed in Nashville. When he and his army got word that Bragg had set up a position at Murfreesboro they marched to meet the threat. Bragg meanwhile had sent John Hunt Morgan to break up Rosecrans' supply lines. When Rosecrans reached Stones River he set up a position on the other side of the river away from Bragg (as you can see above and below). At 6 a.m. on December 31st fighting began. William Hardee of the Confederate army attacked first. The attack happened so early and fast that the Union troops were still having breakfast. Hardee was able to drive the Union back three miles to the railroad. The first day of fighting was a success for the Confederates. Bragg was sure he had won the battle. Bragg's goal now was to take the Nashville Turnpike and Rosecrans and his troops would be forced to surrender. The next three days would be a different story however as Rosecrans was able to gain the momentum. Bragg had lost a number of men, and this played into the hands of Rosecrans. Rosecrans also was able to continue fighting since Bragg decided to sit back and wait for him to retreat. In other words Rosecrans went on the offensive. On January 3rd a supply train led by James Spears reached Rosecrans. This proved fatal for the Confederate army, as they were now outnumbered. Bragg knew he was beat and decided to retreat to Tullahoma, Tennessee. This battle further solidified the hold that the Union had on Tennessee, and would ruin the career of Braxton Bragg. For more information on the Battle of Stones River, I highly recommend that you check out the article on the Civil War Trust's website (see the link below).