Stones River National Battlefield
Encyclopedia
Stones River National Battlefield, a 570 acres (2.3 km²) park along the Stones River
in Rutherford County, Tennessee
, three miles (5 km) northwest of Murfreesboro
and twenty-eight miles southeast of
Nashville
, memorializes a key battle of the American Civil War
that took place on December 31, 1862 and January 2, 1863, which resulted in a strategic Union
victory.
(in 2011, part of CSX Transportation
), and by a 1927 act of Congress authorizing a national military park under the jurisdiction of the War Department.
During the early years of the twentieth century, the railroad used the battlefield to increase passenger traffic. It promoted veteran reunions and acquired parts of the battlefield as points of historical interest. In 1906, the company erected a 31 feet (9.4 m) obelisk to commemorate the January 2, 1863, position of massed Union artillery used to repel a Confederate assault on Union troops across the river.
The Stones River Battlefield and Park Association was chartered on April 28, 1896, after the establishment of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
increased interest in preserving significant Civil War battlefields. The association secured options on property connected with the battle, reportedly 3400 acres (13.8 km²) by June 1897. Association members erected wooden signs to mark and interpret battlefield locations. In 1912, the Association lobbied to have Congress “establish an accurate system of markers," but the measure failed, in part because of the testimony of former congressman and Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Park Commissioner Charles H. Grosvenor
, who believed the landmarks had been "entirely obliterated."
Land acquisition began in 1928 and was completed in 1934. In 1992, the park accepted a donation from the City of Murfreesboro of an intact segment of Fortress Rosecrans, the largest enclosed earthwork built during the Civil War. The park preserves less than a fifth of the more than three thousand acres (12 km2) over which the battle was fought.
The site was established as Stones River National Military Park on March 3, 1927. It was transferred from the War Department
to the National Park Service
on August 10, 1933, and redesignated a national battlefield
on April 22, 1960. As with all historic areas administered by the National Park Service, the battlefield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
(October 15, 1966).
On April 10, 2009, the Good Friday tornado
damaged the battlefield park.
at Cave Hill National Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky
is a year older. An even earlier monument was erected after the First Battle of Manassas in Virginia but is no longer extant.
The cemetery was established on March 29, 1864 by the order of Major General George H. Thomas. Under the supervision of Chaplain William Earnshaw, the 111th Regiment United States Colored Troops
disinterred bodies from the battlefields of Stones River, Murfreesboro, Franklin
, Shelbyville
, Tullahoma
and Cowan
.
Reburials began in 1865 and were completed by 1867. The cemetery was transferred from the War Department to the National Park Service on August 10, 1933. Most of the Confederate dead were taken to their towns or to the nearest southern community. Some, however, were buried in a mass grave south of town and later reinterred in another mass grave, Confederate Circle in Evergreen Cemetery in Murfreesboro.
In November 1867, 1,360 bodies were removed from Rose Hill Cemetery in Columbia, Tennessee
, where a national cemetery had earlier been planned.
Stones River
The Stones River is a major stream of the eastern portion of Tennessee's Nashville Basin region.-Geography and hydrography:The Stones River is composed of three major forks: the West, Middle, and East forks. The West Fork, long, rises in southernmost Rutherford County near the Bedford County...
in Rutherford County, Tennessee
Rutherford County, Tennessee
Rutherford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, it is the state's fifth-largest county by population with 262,604 people, an increase of 44.3 percent over the 2000 population of 182,023. Its county seat is Murfreesboro, which is also the geographic...
, three miles (5 km) northwest of Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...
and twenty-eight miles southeast of
Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, memorializes a key battle of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
that took place on December 31, 1862 and January 2, 1863, which resulted in a strategic Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
victory.
Creation of the National Battlefield
The national battlefield was established through the efforts of both private individuals, the Stones River Battlefield and Park Association, the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis RailwayNashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway
The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway was a railway company operating in the southern United States in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia...
(in 2011, part of CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
), and by a 1927 act of Congress authorizing a national military park under the jurisdiction of the War Department.
During the early years of the twentieth century, the railroad used the battlefield to increase passenger traffic. It promoted veteran reunions and acquired parts of the battlefield as points of historical interest. In 1906, the company erected a 31 feet (9.4 m) obelisk to commemorate the January 2, 1863, position of massed Union artillery used to repel a Confederate assault on Union troops across the river.
The Stones River Battlefield and Park Association was chartered on April 28, 1896, after the establishment of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, located in northern Georgia and eastern Tennessee, preserves the sites of two major battles of the American Civil War: the Battle of Chickamauga and the Chattanooga Campaign.-History:...
increased interest in preserving significant Civil War battlefields. The association secured options on property connected with the battle, reportedly 3400 acres (13.8 km²) by June 1897. Association members erected wooden signs to mark and interpret battlefield locations. In 1912, the Association lobbied to have Congress “establish an accurate system of markers," but the measure failed, in part because of the testimony of former congressman and Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Park Commissioner Charles H. Grosvenor
Charles H. Grosvenor
Charles Henry Grosvenor was a multiple-term U.S. Representative from Ohio, as well as a brigade commander in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
, who believed the landmarks had been "entirely obliterated."
Land acquisition began in 1928 and was completed in 1934. In 1992, the park accepted a donation from the City of Murfreesboro of an intact segment of Fortress Rosecrans, the largest enclosed earthwork built during the Civil War. The park preserves less than a fifth of the more than three thousand acres (12 km2) over which the battle was fought.
The site was established as Stones River National Military Park on March 3, 1927. It was transferred from the War Department
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
to the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
on August 10, 1933, and redesignated a national battlefield
National Military Park
National Military Park, National Battlefield, National Battlefield Park, and National Battlefield Site are four designations for 24 battle sites preserved by the United States federal government because of their national importance...
on April 22, 1960. As with all historic areas administered by the National Park Service, the battlefield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(October 15, 1966).
On April 10, 2009, the Good Friday tornado
April 2009 tornado outbreak
-April 9 event:-April 10 event:-Mena tornado:At 7:24 pm CDT on April 9, a tornado warning was issued for areas north of Mena in Polk County, Arkansas and at 8:01 pm CDT the warning extended into Mena. Nine minutes later, a tornado struck the city and killed three people...
damaged the battlefield park.
Cemetery
Within park boundaries is Stones River National Cemetery, 20.09 acres (81,300 m2) with 6,850 interments (2562 unidentified). Just outside the cemetery proper is the Hazen Brigade Monument (1863), the oldest surviving American Civil War monument standing in its original location. The 32nd Indiana Monument32nd Indiana Monument
The 32nd Indiana Monument, also known as the August Bloedner Monument, is located in Cave Hill National Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky. It honors the fallen soldiers of the 32nd Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment, also known as the "1st German," at the Battle of Rowlett's Station, near...
at Cave Hill National Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
is a year older. An even earlier monument was erected after the First Battle of Manassas in Virginia but is no longer extant.
The cemetery was established on March 29, 1864 by the order of Major General George H. Thomas. Under the supervision of Chaplain William Earnshaw, the 111th Regiment United States Colored Troops
United States Colored Troops
The United States Colored Troops were regiments of the United States Army during the American Civil War that were composed of African American soldiers. First recruited in 1863, by the end of the Civil War, the men of the 175 regiments of the USCT constituted approximately one-tenth of the Union...
disinterred bodies from the battlefields of Stones River, Murfreesboro, Franklin
Battle of Franklin
Battle of Franklin may refer to three battles of the American Civil War:* Battle of Franklin , a major battle fought November 30, 1864, at Franklin, Tennessee as part of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign...
, Shelbyville
Shelbyville, Tennessee
Shelbyville is a city in Bedford County, Tennessee, United States. It had a local population of 16,105 residents at the 2000 census. Shelbyville, the county seat of Bedford County, was laid out in 1810 and incorporated in 1819...
, Tullahoma
Battle of Hoover's Gap
The Battle of Hoover's Gap was the principal battle fought in the Tullahoma Campaign of the American Civil War.-Background:...
and Cowan
Cowan, Tennessee
Cowan is a city in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,737 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Tullahoma, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
.
Reburials began in 1865 and were completed by 1867. The cemetery was transferred from the War Department to the National Park Service on August 10, 1933. Most of the Confederate dead were taken to their towns or to the nearest southern community. Some, however, were buried in a mass grave south of town and later reinterred in another mass grave, Confederate Circle in Evergreen Cemetery in Murfreesboro.
In November 1867, 1,360 bodies were removed from Rose Hill Cemetery in Columbia, Tennessee
Columbia, Tennessee
Columbia is a city in Maury County, Tennessee, United States. The 2008 population was 34,402 according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. It is the county seat of Maury County....
, where a national cemetery had earlier been planned.
See also
- U.S. Department of the InteriorUnited States Department of the InteriorThe United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
, The National Parks: Index 2001-2003
External links
- Stones River National Battlefield
- The Battle of Stones River: The Soldiers' Story, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan
- Stones River National Cemetery
- McGavock Confederate Cemetery
- Civil War Trails
- Tornado Strikes Stones River National Battlefield Park - A photo article illustrating damage to the park from the 2009 tornado.