Murfreesboro in Rutherford County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Fortress Rosecrans

Life Under the Guns

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 28, 2020

1. Fortress Rosecrans Marker

Inscription. After the Battle of Stones River, Union soldiers and newly freed slaves began building the earthen walls of Fortress Rosecrans in front of you. Named for Union Gen. William S. Rosecrans, it was the largest earthen fortress ever built in North America, covering about 225 acres. Union Gen. James St. Clair Morton, chief engineer for the Army of the Cumberland, supervised its construction between January and June 1863. The fort protected the junction of Stones River and the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, as well as the intersection of the Wilkinson Turnpike and the Old Nashville Turnpike. Fortress Rosecrans provided logistical support for the Union advances on Chattanooga andAtlanta and Union Gen. William T. Sherman's March to the Sea.

The fort also cast a shadow over the lives of Murfreesboro's citizens. Union soldiers scoured the surrounding land for timber, fences, and food to support the garrison. Murfreesboro's residents resented the Federal occupation, which lasted three years. Because of local resentment, Rosecrans issued orders to “shell the town and burn it up” if the residents rebelled, and regular

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patrols and artillery practice constantly reminded the townspeople about the dangers of causing trouble. The army abandoned the fort in 1866. The citizens worked to erase the memories of the occupation by removing as much of the fort as they could and returning the land to agricultural uses.

(Captions)
Bottom left corner: Battery Mitchell – Courtesy Stones River National Battlefield
Bottom left: Plan of Fortress Rosecrans, Atlas to Accompany the Official Records
Center: Gen. William S. Rosecrans Courtesy Library of Congress
Right: Rosecrans in front of the massive walls of Fortress Rosecrans, painting by Albert Metzner Courtesy Patricia Perry Gadbois

Erected by Tennessee Civil War Trails.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Tennessee Civil War Trails series list.

Location. 35° 51.014′ N, 86° 24.424′ W. Marker is in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in Rutherford County. It is on Overall Street 0.2 miles east of Golf Lane, on the left when traveling east.

Fortress Rosecrans Marker Detail image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 28, 2020

2. Fortress Rosecrans Marker Detail

Battery Mitchell Courtesy Stones River National Battlefield

Marker is located at Overall Street Trailhead in Old Fort Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Murfreesboro TN 37129, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee

and in Greater Nashville.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Defense of Fortress Rosecrans (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Living Under the Guns (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named Fortress Rosecrans (about 400 feet away); Lunette Thomas (about 500 feet away); New Citizen Soldiers (about 700 feet away); I Never Saw Anything Like Them Before (about 700 feet away); Covered by Cross Fires (approx. 0.2 miles away); Toil and Mud (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 28, 2020

3. Fortress Rosecrans Marker Detail

Plan of Fortress Rosecrans Atlas to Accompany the Official Records

markers in Murfreesboro.

Photographed by Brady's National Photographic Portrait Galleries, circa 1865

4. Fortress Rosecrans Marker Detail

Gen. William S. Rosecrans Courtesy Library of Congress

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 28, 2020

5. Fortress Rosecrans Marker Detail

Rosecrans in front of the massive walls of Fortress Rosecrans, painting by Albert Metzner Courtesy Patricia Perry Gadbois

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 28, 2020

6. Fortress Rosecrans Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 29, 2020. It was originally submitted on June 29, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 517 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 29, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.