Murfreesboro in the Civil War by Michael R. Bradley

Author:Michael R. Bradley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
Published: 2012-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

THE STORM BREAKS

The indications were obvious; a battle was imminent. William Starke Rosecrans was named to command the U.S. forces returning to Tennessee, and the new commander gave his army a new name: the Army of the Cumberland. From now on, the Yankees intended to stay. Rosecrans had his men ensconced in Nashville, only a few hours’ march away. By mid-November, General Braxton Bragg had his army concentrated in Middle Tennessee in the vicinity of Murfreesboro and gave his force a new name: the Army of Tennessee. They were determined to defend their homes. Sharp clashes between cavalry forces became a daily occurrence, and infantry outposts had to remain on the alert constantly.

In mid-December, Forrest disappeared from the scene; when next heard of, he would be west of the Tennessee River, raiding and destroying the Memphis & Ohio Railroad, the lifeline of the army commanded by Ulysses Grant that was operating in Mississippi. Just a few days after the wedding, Morgan quietly rode out of town bound for the village of Alexandria. From there, he would launch his “Christmas Raid” into Kentucky to sever Rosecrans’s supply line, the L&N Railroad. Wheeler would keep his cavalry corps on the move covering the roads south out of Nashville and, on December 26, would report that those roads were full of blue infantry coming toward Murfreesboro. The storm of battle was about to break over the town.

Preparations were made. Soldiers who were sick were evacuated from the established hospitals at Union University and Soule College to make room for wounded, and the sick were sent to hospitals in Shelbyville, Tullahoma and Winchester. Public buildings, including churches, were cleared of furnishings, and straw was put on the floor to receive casualties. Troop positions were chosen, and fields of fire were cleared. This meant that some families found themselves living on the anticipated battlefield, and they had to evacuate while their outbuildings were burned or torn down. In at least one case, the fire spread to the dwelling of the Cowan family, and their large brick house was destroyed. Each day, the reports from the army told of skirmishing between Wheeler and the advance guard of the Army of the Cumberland, and each day the fighting was closer to town.

In the pre-dawn hours of December 31, 1862, the first shots were fired. The Army of Tennessee struck first, hitting and rolling back the right wing of Rosecrans’s force. The initial success slowed as the day went on, but by the end of the day it appeared that a victory was within grasp of the Confederates. A local observer said:

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