Battle of Stones River
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
What happened
The Union Army of the Cumberland under William Rosecrans fought the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Braxton Bragg. Both generals planned to attack, but Bragg struck first at dawn on the last day of 1862 and drove back the Union right. Rosecrans rode along the line to rally his men, and the Union army held along the Nashville Pike. On 2 January Union artillery stopped a final Confederate attack, and Bragg withdrew.
Why it matters
Why it matters: The win lifted Union spirits after the defeat at Fredericksburg. It secured Middle Tennessee for the Union.
What came next
Rosecrans fortified Murfreesboro and did not chase Bragg until the Tullahoma Campaign that summer.
Did you know?
The Hazen Brigade Monument, put up in May 1863, is the oldest Civil War monument in the US still intact.
Timeline
- 31 December 1862Bragg attacks the Union right.
- 2 January 1863The final Confederate attack is stopped.
- 3 January 1863Bragg withdraws to Tullahoma.
- May 1863The Hazen Brigade Monument is put up.