Murfreesboro in Rutherford County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Boys, you must get out of here! You are surrounded!
December 13, 1862 - Mid-morning
Photographed By Craig Swain, December 29, 2012
1. Boys, you must get out of here! You are surrounded! Marker
-James Negley, brigadier general, commanding 2nd Division, Center WingThe jumbled rocks you see here sheltered the four Union regiments of Miller's brigade during a hard two-hour-long fight. Rebel bullets whined and ricocheted, wounding many. Men in blue from Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania grimly held on tight inside this limestone labyrinth.
Then General Sheridan's troops, who had been fighting on your right, ran out of bullets, broke ranks, and ran. General Negley called for a retreat as waves of gray-clad soldiers threatened to overwhelm his men on three sides. This stone stronghold turned into an ankle-twisting deathtrap.
Many of the men who fought here had seen the huge slaughter pens of Chicago's meatpackers. When they saw so many dead and wounded men stacked here, the soldiers called this place "the Slaughter Pen."
Erected by Stones River National Battlefield - National Park Service - Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil.
Location. 35° 52.105′
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Sheridan's Stand (here, next to this marker); Michigan (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Sheridan Saves the Day (about 300 feet away); Why Fight Here? (approx. 0.2 miles away); Battle at Stones River (approx. 0.2 miles away); Donelson’s Brigade at Murfreesboro (approx. half a mile away); Chalmers’ Brigade at Murfreesboro (approx. half a mile away); This Far, But No Farther (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Murfreesboro.
Additional keywords. Boys, you must get out of here! You are surrounded!
Photographed By Shane Oliver, January 16, 2021
2. Boys, you must get out of here! You are surrounded! Marker
Photographed By Craig Swain, December 29, 2012
3. Boys, you must get out of here! You are surrounded! Marker
Photographed By Craig Swain, December 29, 2012
4. The Slaughter Pen
Metal silhouettes stand in the rocky outcropping of the Slaughter Pen.
Photographed By Shane Oliver, January 16, 2021
5. Remounted 6-pdr Wiard Rifle at Auto Tour Stop 2
Credits. This page was last revised on March 15, 2021. It was originally submitted on February 6, 2013, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 878 times since then and 42 times this year. Last updated on March 13, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1. submitted on February 6, 2013, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 2. submitted on March 13, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. 3, 4. submitted on February 6, 2013, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 5. submitted on March 13, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
