Battle of Stone's River

The Battle of Stone’s River, also known as the Battle of Murfreesboro, was fought in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and was the eighth costliest battle of the Civil War. The battle took place on December 26th, 1862 through January 5th, 1863; the Union declared victory on January 5th, but the bloodiest parts of the battle took place on December 31st through January 2nd. Although the Confederate Army seemed to have the upper hand in the beginning of the battle because they attacked first, inflicting heavy casualties on the Union side, the Union Army ultimately won the Battle of Stone’s River after forcing the Confederate troops back at Stone’s River, compelling them to retreat from Murfreesboro, and allowing the Union to gain control over Tennessee for the Union army, which boosted morale for the Emancipation Proclamation as well as the Union soldiers; proving the importance of each side’s disposition throughout the war. The Confederate army was led by General Braxton Bragg, and was also called the Army of Tennessee. Under Bragg were Lieutenant General Leonidas Polk, Lieutenant General William J. Hardee, and Lieutenant General Joseph Wheeler. The Union army was led by General William S. Rosecrans, and was also called the Army of the Cumberland. Under Rosecrans were Major Generals Alexander M. McCook, George H. Thomas, and Thomas L. Crittenden. Similar to the battle of Shiloh, at the beginning of the battle, the Confederates had the upper hand, and killed thousands of Union troops, but a few days later, the Union prevailed. On the Confederate side, approximately 37,000 troops fought and on the Union side, there were 44,000. The battle was fought in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. When General Braxton Bragg had been defeated at Perryville in Kentucky, his army retreated to Murfreesboro, TN for the winter; his army was renamed the Tennessee Army. On December 26th, General William Rosecrans moved his army from Nashville towards Bragg’s army at Murfreesboro in three