Murfreesboro in Rutherford County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
God has granted us a Happy New Year!
Photographed By Shane Oliver, January 16, 2021
1. God has granted us a Happy New Year! Marker
God has granted us a Happy New Year!
Braxton Bragg, general commanding the Army of the Tennessee, in a telegram to Confederate President Jefferson Davis
On New Year's Eve the fighting had raged from dawn to dusk. Here on the edges of this broad, open field the two exhausted armies stopped shooting. The Confederates formed a line in the trees you see in the distance. The Union army stretched for two miles along the Nashville Pike.
On New Year's Day 1863, 21,000 men did not answer their unit roll calls. The numbers of dead and wounded stunned battle-hardened veterans in both armies. Friend and foe spent that day mingled in the torn fields and shattered cedar woods, helping the wounded, looking for comrades lost in the swirl of battle, and burying the dead. Both sides dug hasty defenses for whenever the truce ended. The Confederates had pushed the Federals back over three miles, taking 3,000 prisoners. General Bragg started his new year sure that he had won a great - if costly - victory.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1863.
Location. 35° 52.828′ N, 86° 26.077′ W. Marker is in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in Rutherford County. Marker is on Old Nashville Highway, on the right when traveling south. Located behind the Visitor Center of Stones River National Battlefield. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Murfreesboro TN 37129, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Charge Kept Coming, Coming Like the Sea (a few steps from this marker); Passing Through Murfreesboro (a few steps from this marker); Their Longest, Coldest New Year’s Eve (a few steps from this marker); Why Fight Here? (within shouting distance of this marker); Battle at Stones River (within shouting distance of this marker); Stand Fast! (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); This "Precious Dust" (about 400 feet away); U.S. Regulars Memorial (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Murfreesboro.
Also see . . . Stones River National Battlefield. National Park Service site. (Submitted on October 31, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Photographed By Craig Swain, August 28, 2010
2. Marker and Cannon Overlooking the Battlefield
Photographed By Craig Swain, August 28, 2010
3. Artillery Saves the Day
Marker on the side of the Visitor Center.
"The roar of cannon, the crashing of shot through the trees, the whizzing and bursting of shell, the uninterrupted rattle of thirty thousand muskets, all mingled in one prolonged and tremendous volume of sound, as though all the thunders of heaven had been rolled together."
Captain William M. Haigh, 36th Illinois Infantry, 1876.
"The roar of cannon, the crashing of shot through the trees, the whizzing and bursting of shell, the uninterrupted rattle of thirty thousand muskets, all mingled in one prolonged and tremendous volume of sound, as though all the thunders of heaven had been rolled together."
Captain William M. Haigh, 36th Illinois Infantry, 1876.
Photographed By Craig Swain, August 28, 2010
4. 12-pdr Napoleon Gun
This 12-pdr Field Gun, Model 1857, commonly known as the "Napoleon," was cast by H.N. Hooper of Massachusetts in 1863. It carries the registry number 229 and weighs 1222 pounds.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 15, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 31, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,079 times since then and 49 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week December 30, 2012. Photos: 1. submitted on March 13, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 31, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.
