James Edwards Rains

James Edwards Rains. April 10, 1833 - December 31, 1862. Rains is buried about 30 feet back, with a flat granite marker. Rains graduated from Yale Law School in 1854 and began a practice in Nashville. In 1858 he married Ida Yeatman, and they had one child, Laura. Rains also served as city attorney and as a newspaper editor. Rains was killed during the War for Confederate Independence. He was first buried at City Cemetery, and as late as 2004 there was still a marker for him there., Rains was elected colonel of the 11th Tennessee Infantry Regiment on May 10, 1861. Women of Nashville sewed a flag for the 11th, which was presented at a ceremony on the public square. Rains accepted it saying, “I feel conscious of the high and sacred trust I assume in receiving this holy emblem of freedom and human rights.” To the regiment he said, “To you then, brave men I commit this banner. To your keeping is confided the sacred badge of an oppressed people's rights. Take it and defend it; defend it with your valor and your lives.” Rains warned, “You may sleep the silent sleep of death upon some far off plain, and mingle undistinguished with the dust of thousands more, your names will live and linger among the people for whom you died. Your memories will be forever enshrined in the great heart of that country upon whose altars and in defense of whose rights you shed your blood.” He concluded, “We'll come back in glory or we'll not come again.”, Rains was primarily at Cumberland Gap early in the war and was promoted to brigadier. In December the Army of Tennessee was in position north of Murfreesborough with hopes of liberating occupied Nashville. The U.S. Army advanced with plans to attack on the morning of December 31st. At twilight (about 6:22 a.m.) U.S. troops were cooking their breakfast. Through the fog pickets could see a C.S. division coming toward them. Rains' Brigade was on the far left end of that division. As Rains hit the end of the U.S. line and slipped around their rear, two other brigades hit head on. Though outnumbered the surging line of angry Confederates routed the U.S. division. One brigade was taken out in only five minutes and their general killed. Another brigade quickly fell back with its general captured. In less than an hour the U.S. division had over 1,000 men captured and lost eight cannon. When the battle ended the U.S. Army had suffered their highest casualty rate of any battle in the war. Yet before it ended they had fallen back on a line of artillery. As Rains led his brigade forward, he yelled his last words, “Forward my brave boys, forward!” Suddenly a bullet to the heart killed Nashville's General Rains.