Murfreesboro in Rutherford County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Stand Fast!
The Pioneer Brigade
— Stones River National Battlefield —
Photographed By Shane Oliver, January 16, 2021
1. Stand Fast! Marker
On came the sounds of battle...struggling blue-coats...falling back came into view through the trees. They were loading and firing as the retired...they passed over our...line and laid down behind it. The order ‘Battalion, rise up!’ came like an electric shock. The brigade was by some mischance short of ammunition; some companies had not more than 20 rounds...The Confederates were near at hand. Suddenly their line seemed to burst through the thicket just in front. ‘Commence firing!’ and our volleys were fired into them. Men were dropping here and there, and others filled the vacant places.
Henry Freeman, orderly sergeant, 3rd Battalion, Pioneer Brigade
In the Army of the Cumberland, a brigade of pioneers handled all the army’s pick, shovel and ax work for building roads and bridges. Officers picked two men from every company of every regiment in the army for this duty. Many of the men who lined up to fight here on this knoll had been carpenters or miners in civilian life. What they had never done before was train to fight as unit. Their leaders did not know if they would stand and fight—or break and run. This battle line of untried road builders held fast and stopped the massive Confederate assault.
Erected by National Park Service,
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is December 18, 1836.
Location. 35° 52.814′ N, 86° 26.133′ W. Marker is in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in Rutherford County. Marker is on Park Road, 0.1 miles south of Old Nashville Highway, on the left when traveling north. 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. God has granted us a Happy New Year! (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Charge Kept Coming, Coming Like the Sea (about 300 feet away); Passing Through Murfreesboro (about 300 feet away); Their Longest, Coldest New Year’s Eve (about 300 feet away); Why Fight Here? (about 400 feet away); Battle at Stones River (about 400 feet away); Digging In! (about 500 feet away); This "Precious Dust" (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Murfreesboro.
Photographed By Don Morfe, July 26, 2013
2. Stand Fast! Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 15, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 9, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 562 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on March 13, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. 2. submitted on October 9, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
