Murfreesboro in Rutherford County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
The Federals' Final Rally Turns the Tide
| | December 31, 1862 - Afternoon | |
Photographed by Craig Swain, August 28, 2010
1. The Federal's Rally Turns the Tide Marker
James Williamson, lieutenant colonel, 2nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles
Imagine the narrow belt of land between the Nashville Pike you see ahead and the railroad tracks just behind it jammed with 30,000 soldiers, dozens of cannon, and endless wagons. The Confederates who charged out of the center into this field would have seen what seemed to them an endless wall of blue coats, rallied and reinforced along the road ahead. For the Federals, the long hours of chaos and retreat at last came to an end here at the edge of this cotton field. This western army of the United States ended the year 1862 badly battered, but still full of fight.
Erected by Stones River National Battlefield - National Park Service - U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1862.
Location. 35° 52.656′ N, 86°
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee and in Greater Nashville. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Parsons' Batteries Heavily Engaged (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Exploring the Promise of Freedom (about 800 feet away); Waiting Anxiously for Tomorrow's Fate (approx. 0.2 miles away); This Far, But No Farther (approx. 0.2 miles away); In Battle, Good Men Die (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Fight for the Cedars (approx. 0.2 miles away); This "Precious Dust" (approx. 0.2 miles away); God has granted us a Happy New Year! (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Murfreesboro.
Other markers no longer nearby. Parson's Battery (was about 700 feet away but has been reported to have been replaced with another marker now near it); Cotton Field "No Man's Land" (was about 800 feet away but has been permanently removed); Stones River National Cemetery (was approx. Ό mile away but has been permanently removed).
Also see . . . Stones River National Battlefield. National Park Service web site. (Submitted on October 31, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Photographed by Shane Oliver, January 16, 2021
2. Soldier Silhouette near the marker
Photographed by Shane Oliver, January 16, 2021
3. Artillery Battery near the marker
Photographed by Craig Swain, August 28, 2010
4. The Federal's Rally Turns the Tide Marker
Photographed by Craig Swain, August 28, 2010
5. The Cotton Field
Looking from the other side of the Park Road loop, near stop three of the driving tour. The park service is restoring the cotton field boundaries to the approximate size of the wartime field.
Photographed by Craig Swain, August 28, 2010
6. Federal Rear
Looking along the tour road. The marker is located near the pair of trees to the left of the road as it turns to the right. Federal troops rallied in this area in the afternoon phases of the battle.
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 1,051 times since then and 31 times this year. Last updated on April 21, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1. submitted on October 31, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 2, 3. submitted on March 13, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. 4, 5, 6. submitted on October 31, 2010, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
