Murfreesboro in Rutherford County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Waging War by Rail
Fortress Rosecans
Photographed By Craig Swain, August 28, 2010
1. Waging War by Rail Marker
Locomotive and train arrived from Nashville today... The shrill whistle evoked hearted cheers from all quarters of our camps. It conveyed to us... that we are linked again with home and friends by an iron roadway over which may come plentiful rations, letters, newspapers, tobacco, whiskey, and numerous so-called luxuries which Soldiers love so well and miss so much when the wagons are overtaxed in carrying only the necessities of life.
Lyman S. Widney, sergeant major
14th Illinois Volunteer Infantry
Wagons pulled over the unpaved roads of the 1860s could not hope to compete with either the speed or volume available by railroad.
Redoubt Brannan was built within rifle-shot of both the Nashville Pike and - more importantly - the railroad that joined Nashville to Chattanooga and points south. For the United States Army to be able to operate hundreds of miles inside hostile territory, these arteries of transportation had to be safe-guarded at all costs. The warehouses of Fortress Rosecrans kept the Union army supplied as it drove south through the Confederate heartland to Atlanta.
Erected by Stones River National Battlefield - National Park Service - U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles
this page online
Location. 35° 51.528′ N, 86° 24.589′ W. Marker is in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in Rutherford County. Marker can be reached from West College Street, on the right when traveling south. Located in the Redoubt Brannan section of the Stones River National Battlefield. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Murfreesboro TN 37129, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Bum Proof Stockade (within shouting distance of this marker); Redoubt Brannan (within shouting distance of this marker); Battle at Stones River (within shouting distance of this marker); They Passed This Way (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Battle at Stones River (approx. 0.2 miles away); A Vast Depot (approx. 0.4 miles away); Lunette Palmer (approx. 0.4 miles away); Fields of Fire (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Murfreesboro.
Also see . . . Stones River National Battlefield. National Park Service website entry (Submitted on November 7, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Photographed By Shane Oliver, January 16, 2021
2. Waging War by Rail Marker
Photographed By Craig Swain, August 28, 2010
3. Waging War by Rail Marker
Photographed By Craig Swain, August 28, 2010
4. Railroad Bridge
Looking from the College Street bridge over Stones River toward the modern CSX Transportation Railroad Bridge. The modern bridges are at the approximate locations, respectively, for the Old Nashville Pike and the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad bridges.
Photographed By Craig Swain, August 28, 2010
5. West Face of Redoubt Brannan
Looking from the College Street Bridge.
Photographed By Shane Oliver, January 16, 2021
6. View of Redoubt Brannan Earthworks near the marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 18, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 7, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 671 times since then and 20 times this year. Last updated on April 21, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. Photos: 1. submitted on November 7, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 2. submitted on March 13, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. 3, 4, 5. submitted on November 7, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 6. submitted on March 13, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
