Murfreesboro During the Civil War

Murfreesboro During the Civil War. . During the early months of the Civil War, the citizens of Murfreesboro never imagined that Federal troops would invade their town. Yet on March 10, 1862, local historian John C. Spence wrote, "The ears of the citizens were greeted with the sounds of drum and fife, the rattle of artillery wagons, [and] columns of marching infantry...the army, passing along the pike, was like bedlam loose." After the Union army occupied Murfreesbord, the town's citizens were subjected to periodic house searches, travel restrictions, and confiscation of food and other supplies. But through the duration of the war, Murfreesboro's citizens struggled to maintain a sense of normalcy in their lives., (captions) , On Christmas Eve, 1862, a grand ball was given by the First Louisiana and the Sixth Kentucky regiments in the Murfreesboro courthouse. A large chandelier of bayonets and candles hung from the ceiling. Two letter B's, representing General Braxton Bragg and General John Breckenridge, were displayed intertwined in evergreen along with captured Union flags. Photo courtesy of Library of Congress, On July13, 1862, General Nathan Bedford Forrest made a surprise attack on Union troops camped on the grounds of Dr. Maney's Murfreesboro home (now Oaklands). In one of the mansion's bedchambers Forrest accepted the surrender of the Federal garrison from the severely wounded General Duffield. Sketch courtesy of National Archives, Union University, founded in 1848, was closed soon after the war began. The vacated building served as a military hospital for four years. The women of Murfreesboro organized a "Soldier's Relief" society, sewing linens, bandages, and other supplies for the hospital. Central Middle School now stands on the former site of Union University at East Main Street and University Street. Sketch courtesy of National Archives