Fortress Rosecrans

Fortress Rosecrans. . The mounds in front of you are the remains of the largest earthen fortification built during the Civil War., Constructed in 1863 after the Battle of Stones River, Fortress Rosecrans protected the huge Union supply depot at Murfreesboro. It included nearly three miles of earthworks enclosing about 200 acres of storehouses, blockhouses, and powder magazines., Union engineers designed Rosecrans to shelter an army of 50,000 and to store enough provisions to feed that army for up to 90 days. The works here were a powerful deterrent. The fortress never came under attack., Fortress Rosecrans in addition to 15,600 feet of exterior defenses - ten lunettes linked by curtain walls and other obstructions - Rosecrans included four interior fortifications, called redoubts., Only two sections of the fortress complex survive on public lands: Curtain Wall #2 and Lunettes Palmer and Thomas here in Old Fort Park and Redoubt Brannan along the Old Nashville Pike., Fortress Rosecrans was named in honor of Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans, commander of the Union Army of the Cumberland., The Fort Trail A 0.6-mile interpretive trail winds through the remains of Fortress Rosecrans. Interpretive exhibits along the way describe the purpose of the fortifications's key features and the toilsome life of the thousands of soldiers and civilians who worked here. The walk is wheelchair accessible and takes about 30 minutes., Please help preserve Fortress Rosecrans by staying on the marked paths and boardwalk.