Stones River National Battlefield

Stones River National Battlefield preserves the site of one of the costliest battles of the Civil War, fought from December 31, 1862 to January 2, 1863. The Union Army of the Cumberland under General William Rosecrans and the Confederate Army of Tennessee under General Braxton Bragg fought to a bloody standoff before the Confederates withdrew. The Union victory, though costly, helped prevent Confederate control of middle Tennessee and boosted Northern morale after the disaster at Fredericksburg.

The battlefield covers around 700 acres and includes the Stones River National Cemetery, where over 6,000 Union soldiers are buried. The visitor centre has a good introductory film and museum tracing the course of the battle. A self-guided driving tour covers the major positions, and several walking trails cross the open fields where the fighting was fiercest. The cotton-field ground is largely unchanged from 1862.

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A story
The Battle of Stones River was fought over New Year's 1862–1863, and ended with the Union holding the field — but at enormous cost. Of the 80,000 men engaged, more than 23,000 became casualties. When the battle ended, Union soldiers began building a cemetery on the spot; the Hazen Brigade Monument, erected by survivors in 1863, is the oldest Civil War monument in the country still in its original location.

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