Overview
The Stones River Campaign was a short Union offensive in Middle Tennessee from December 26, 1862, to January 3, 1863. General William S. Rosecrans commanded about 44,000 soldiers in the Fourteenth Army Corps, informally known as the Army of the Cumberland. General Braxton Bragg commanded about 38,000 soldiers in the Confederate Army of Tennessee.
Rosecrans left Nashville on December 26 and advanced toward Bragg’s defensive position near Murfreesboro. The Union army approached along the Nashville Turnpike and the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad. Rosecrans located Bragg’s army on December 29, and both armies formed parallel battle lines the next day.
Bragg attacked Rosecrans’ right flank on December 31, opening the Battle of Stones River. Confederate forces initially drove the Union troops backward, but Rosecrans transferred reinforcements from his left flank and formed a stronger line. After neither army launched a major attack on January 1, 1863, Bragg renewed his assault on January 2. Union artillery and infantry stopped the attack and drove the Confederates back.
Rosecrans received reinforcements and ammunition on January 3. Bragg decided that additional attacks would fail and withdrew about 36 miles south to the Duck River near Tullahoma. The Union victory ended Confederate control of Middle Tennessee and forced Bragg to establish a new defensive position protecting Chattanooga.
Essential Facts
- Date: December 26, 1862–January 3, 1863.
- Location: Middle Tennessee.
- Participants: The United States of America (USA) and the Confederate States of America (CSA).
- USA Commanders: William S. Rosecrans.
- CSA Commanders: Braxton Bragg.
- Who Won: The United States won the Stones River Campaign.
- Era:
Significance
The Stones River Campaign is important to American History because it ended Confederate control of Middle Tennessee and forced General Braxton Bragg’s army to withdraw toward Chattanooga. The victory provided hope to the Northern public after Union defeats at Fredericksburg and Chickasaw Bayou had caused discouragement in late 1862. It also represented the only successful part of the three-part offensive planned by President Abraham Lincoln and General-in-Chief Henry W. Halleck. The victory strengthened the effect of the Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, while Union and Confederate forces were still fighting at Stones River.
History
The autumn of 1862, as the Civil War dragged late into its second year, was a season of Confederate invasions into the border states. In the east, General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia invaded Maryland to take the war onto Northern soil and to encourage Marylanders to join the South. In the west, General Braxton Bragg’s Army of the Mississippi and General Edmund Kirby Smith’s Army of Kentucky moved into the Bluegrass State to recruit and support Confederate sympathizers there. Three weeks following Lee’s retreat after the Battle of Antietam, Bragg’s Heartland Campaign in Kentucky ended in failure at the Battle of Perryville on October 8, 1862.
Lincoln and Halleck Strategize
Meanwhile, in the North, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and General-in-Chief Henry W. Halleck made plans to end the bloody conflict as the Confederates reeled from their defeats. They sought to take advantage of Northern matériel and manpower superiority over the South by launching three offensives that would overwhelm the Confederacy’s ability to shift reinforcements along its interior lines.
- Major General Ambrose E. Burnside‘s Army of the Potomac would advance south toward the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia.
- Major General Ulysses S. Grant‘s Army of the Tennessee would move down the Mississippi River toward the Confederate stronghold at Vicksburg, Mississippi.
- In between, Major General William S. Rosecrans‘ Army of the Cumberland would advance against Confederate General Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee, encamped near Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Federal Forces
Frustrated because Major General Don Carlos Buell did not pursue Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee as it retreated from Kentucky after the Union victory at the Battle of Perryville (October 8, 1862), President Lincoln reorganized Union forces in central Tennessee.
On October 24, 1862, the U.S. War Department issued General Orders, No. 168, announcing the creation of the Department of the Cumberland, “by direction of the President.” The order also placed Major General William S. Rosecrans in command of the new department and its troops, designated the Fourteenth Army Corps. Rosecrans had captured the attention of Washington authorities following his recent Union victories at the Battle of Iuka (September 19, 1862) and the Second Battle of Corinth (October 3–4, 1862).
On the same day that Rosecrans was promoted, Halleck ordered Buell to relinquish his command and report to Indianapolis, Indiana, to await further orders.
On October 30, 1862, Rosecrans issued General Orders No. 1, Department of the Cumberland, announcing that he had taken command of the newly created department. To the dismay of Lincoln and Halleck, Rosecrans spent nearly two months reorganizing his forces and preparing to move against Bragg at Murfreesboro. By December 4, Lincoln and Halleck were losing patience with Rosecrans’ procrastination. In a message dated that day, Halleck cautioned Rosecrans that “The President is very impatient at your long stay in Nashville.” Halleck went on to warn the dilatory general that “As I wrote you when you took the command, the Government demands action, and if you cannot respond to that demand some one else will be tried.”
Despite Halleck’s appeals, Rosecrans did not begin his campaign until three weeks later. On December 26, Rosecrans left Nashville with roughly 44,000 men, prepared to engage Bragg’s Army of Tennessee encamped at Murfreesboro.
Confederate Forces
Short on supplies, and with winter approaching, Bragg had abandoned Kentucky and retreated to central Tennessee following the Battle of Perryville. He halted near the town of Murfreesboro on November 20, where he deployed his forces in a defensive line along Stones River and began reorganizing his army. On December 16, Confederate President Jefferson Davis visited Bragg and ordered him to send a division of 7,500 men to assist in the defense of Vicksburg. Davis’ order left Bragg with about 38,000 soldiers to confront Rosecrans’ approaching forces.
December 29–30, 1862: Rosecrans Approaches Murfreesboro
The Army of the Cumberland approached Murfreesboro along the Nashville Turnpike and Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad. Rosecrans found Bragg’s army on December 29, and his men moved into line the next day. On December 30, the two armies were facing each other in parallel lines about four miles long.
December 31, 1862–January 2, 1863: The Battle of Stones River
On December 31, Bragg launched an attack upon Rosecrans’ right flank, opening the Battle of Stones River. The Confederates drove the Federals back initially, but the Union lines eventually held when Rosecrans sent reinforcements from his left flank. By the end of the day, Bragg was certain he had secured a victory, but the Federals established a new and stronger line. Neither side engaged on New Year’s Day, but on January 2, Bragg renewed his assault. Aided by artillery support, the Federals repulsed the Confederates and forced them back to their original position. The next day, Rosecrans received reinforcements and new supplies of ammunition. Convinced that further strikes would be fruitless, Bragg withdrew his army to the Duck River near Tullahoma, Tennessee, thirty-six miles to the south.
Aftermath
Upon reaching the Duck River, Bragg established a new line, intent on protecting Chattanooga, the last Confederate stronghold in the Volunteer State.
Choosing not to pursue the retreating Confederates, Rosecrans established winter quarters at Murfreesboro, where his army remained relatively inactive for the next five and one-half months. During that time, Rosecrans resisted pressure from his superiors to move against Bragg. Lincoln, Halleck, and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton feared that Rosecrans’ inactivity would enable Confederate leaders to detach soldiers from Bragg’s army to relieve Union General Ulysses S. Grant’s operations against Vicksburg. Finally, under threat of being relieved of his command, Rosecrans moved into action on June 23, 1863, launching his Tullahoma Campaign.
Timeline
- 1862, September 19 — Union forces won the Battle of Iuka.
- 1862, October 3–4 — Union forces won the Second Battle of Corinth.
- 1862, October 8 — Union forces won the Battle of Perryville.
- 1862, October 24 — The U.S. War Department created the Department of the Cumberland and placed William S. Rosecrans in command.
- 1862, October 24 — Henry W. Halleck ordered Don Carlos Buell to relinquish his command.
- 1862, October 30 — Rosecrans announced that he had taken command of the Department of the Cumberland.
- 1862, November 20 — Bragg stopped near Murfreesboro and established a defensive line along Stones River.
- 1862, December 4 — Halleck warned Rosecrans that President Lincoln expected him to take action.
- 1862, December 16 — Confederate President Jefferson Davis ordered Bragg to send 7,500 soldiers to help defend Vicksburg.
- 1862, December 26 — Rosecrans left Nashville with about 44,000 soldiers.
- 1862, December 29 — Rosecrans located Bragg’s army near Murfreesboro.
- 1862, December 30 — The opposing armies formed parallel battle lines about 4 miles long.
- 1862, December 31 — Bragg attacked the Union right flank and opened the Battle of Stones River.
- 1863, January 1 — Neither army launched a major attack.
- 1863, January 2 — Bragg renewed his assault, but Union forces stopped the attack with artillery support.
- 1863, January 3
- Rosecrans received reinforcements and additional ammunition.
- Bragg withdrew toward the Duck River near Tullahoma.
- 1863, June 23 — Rosecrans launched the Tullahoma Campaign after more than five months of inactivity.
AP US History
Definition
Stones River Campaign (1862–1863) — The Stones River Campaign was a Union offensive in Middle Tennessee from December 26, 1862, to January 3, 1863. General William S. Rosecrans advanced from Nashville with about 44,000 soldiers and confronted General Braxton Bragg near Murfreesboro. Bragg attacked the Union right flank at the Battle of Stones River, but Union reinforcements and artillery stopped the Confederate assaults. Bragg then withdrew to Tullahoma, giving the Union control of Middle Tennessee.
Alignment
The Stones River Campaign is part of the following AP US History sections:
