Stones River National Battlefield
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| Stones River National Battlefield | |
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| IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape) | |
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| Location: | Tennessee, USA |
| Nearest city: | Murfreesboro, TN |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | 728.41 acres (2.95 km²) |
| Established: | March 3, 1927 |
| Total Visitation: | 206,425 (in 2005) |
| Governing body: | National Park Service |
Stones River National Battlefield, at 3501 Old Nashville Highway in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, along the Stones River, preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Stones River. The fierce midwinter battle took place here from December 31, 1862 to January 2, 1863. The Confederates withdrew after the battle and ceded control of Middle Tennessee to the Union.
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[edit] Battlefield
The site was established as Stones River National Military Park on March 3, 1927. It was transferred from the War Department to the National Park Service on August 10, 1933 and redesignated a national battlefield on April 22, 1960. As with all historical areas administered by the National Park Service, the battlefield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. Included within the battlefield boundaries is a portion of Fortress Rosecrans, an earthenwork fortress built under the orders of Union General William Rosecrans. Of the battlefield's 708.32 acres (2.87 km²) 494.19 acres are federally owned.
[edit] Cemetery
Stones River National Cemetery — 6,850 interments, 2562 unidentified — is within the park; grave space is not available. The cemetery contains the Hazen Brigade Monument, probably the oldest US Civil War monument still standing in its original location.
The cemetery was established on March 29, 1864 by the order of Major General George H. Thomas. Under the supervision of Chaplain William Earnshaw, the 111th Regiment United States Colored Troops disinterred bodies from the battlefields of Stones River, Murfreesboro, Franklin, Shelbyville, Tullahoma, and Cowan [1]. Burials began in 1865 and were completed by 1867. The cemetery was transferred from the War Department to the National Park Service on August 10, 1933. The cemetery is 20.09 acres (81,300 m²) all federally owned.
[edit] Reference
- U.S. Department of the Interior, The National Parks: Index 2001-2003.
[edit] External links
- Official NPS website: Stones River National Battlefield
