Battle of Stones River, Tennessee


srtn001P5290939 For Memorial Day weekend (2006) Kate and I went to her sister's place in Tennessee to see her nephew graduate from high school. On May 29, 2006, a group of us headed on a short trip to Stones River National Battlefield near the town of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. srtn001P5290939
srtn002P5290940 The first stop was to the visitor's center. srtn002P5290940
srtn003P5290941 Here, Kate's nephew (Drew), Kate, and her sister Laurie pose next to the sign. srtn003P5290941
srtn004P5290950 The Battle of Stones River (aka Battle of Murfreesboro) began on December 31, 1862. Stop 1 on the walking tour was where Lt. Charles Parsons' Union artillery set up their positions for the coming battle. srtn004P5290950
srtn005P5290953 Stop 2 on the tour was a short walk in the woods to where the Slaughter Pen was located. A new marker was erected just before the wooded area for the Michigan units from the battle, and... srtn005P5290953
srtn006P5290955 ...the back side of the marker depicting the Michigan units involved, and their casualty numbers. srtn006P5290955
srtn007P5290957 Upon entering the woods, before the Slaughter Pen, there are the remains of some abandoned artillery within the rocks. This sign describes the abandoned artillery, and... srtn007P5290957
srtn008P5290958 ...the artillery nearby. srtn008P5290958
srtn009P5290961 After walking further into the woods, we came to a clearing, which is where the Slaughter Pen is located. The fighting here was mainly on the first day (December 31, 1862). srtn009P5290961
srtn010P5290944 At Stop 4, the Chicago Board of Trade Battery of Union artillery was set up to defend the Nashville Pike from the attacking Confederate troops on December 31, 1862. srtn010P5290944
srtn011P5290965 After the walking tour, we headed over to the Stones River National Cemetery. The sign, here, describes the cemetery, while the following photos show some of the grave markers. srtn011P5290965
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srtn014P5290968 Kate's brother-in-law, Jim, reads the information on the Army of the Cumberland memorial statue. srtn014P5290968
srtn015P5290969 The side of the Army of the Cumberland memorial statue that Jim was reading, and... srtn015P5290969
srtn016P5290970 ...the other side. srtn016P5290970
srtn017P5290971 The flag at half-mast for Memorial Day. srtn017P5290971
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srtn019P5290974 This cannon barrel was emblazoned with information about the soldiers buried in the cemetery... srtn019P5290974
srtn020P5290976 ...6,139 bodies. srtn020P5290976
srtn021P5290977 More photos of the grave markers. srtn021P5290977
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srtn024P5290982 Once we finished paying our respects to the soldiers at the cemetery, we headed over to the Round Forest where the earliest fighting began on December 31, 1862. Col. William Hazen's Union Battery was located here. srtn024P5290982
srtn025P5290987 The Round Forest is also the location of the Hazen Brigade Monument. It was dedicated by the survivors of the Brigade for their dead comrads. It is the nation's oldest intact Civil War Memorial. Natural weathering processes have eaten away at the inscribed messages on all four sides. srtn025P5290987
srtn026P5290988 This is how the inscription from the previous photo reads. srtn026P5290988
srtn027P5290993 Some of the grave markers of the Hazen Brigade. srtn027P5290993
srtn028P5290999 Our last stop of the day was to McFadden's Ford along Stones River. Fighting in this location took place on January 2, 1863. No fighting took place on January 1, 1863. Capt. John Mendenhall's Union artillery fired on Confederate troops attempting to cross Stones River from the east. 1,800 Confederate troops were killed or wounded in less than an hour. srtn028P5290999
srtn029P5291003 Here, we are all checking out Stones River from the western bank. srtn029P5291003
srtn030P5291004 The downstream part of the river, where most of the Confederate troops likely attempted to cross, and... srtn030P5291004
srtn031P5291005 ...the upstream portion. srtn031P5291005
srtn032P5291006 The final photo is of the Artillery Monument on the hill near McFadden's Ford. This is the area the Confederate troops were trying to take. srtn032P5291006

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