Fortress Rosecrans

Fortress Rosecrans. Stones River National Battlefield. Constructed in 1863 after the Battle of Stones River, Fortress Rosecrans protected the huge Union supply depot at Murfreesboro. The nearly three miles of earthworks enclosed about 200 acres of storehouses, blockhouses, and powder magazines. Union engineers designed the fortress to shelter an army of 50,000 troops and to store enough provisions to feed that army for up to 90 days. The works here were a powerful deterrent and never came under attack. The defenses include four interior fortifications called redoubts. Only fragments of the fortress survive on public and private land. Curtain Wall #1 may be viewed on the Lytle Creek Greenway and Redoubt Brannan on West College Street., (sidebar) , The earthen walls in front of you are the remains of the largest earthen fortification built during the Civil War. The National Park Service has planted native grasses with deep root systems to prevent erosion and stabilize the works. Please help preserve Fortress Rosecrans by staying on the one-mile paved trail and boardwalks., (caption) , Fortress Rosecrans was named for Major General William S. Rosecrans, commander of the Union Army of the Cumberland.