The Third Battle of Murfreesboro, also known as Wilkinson Pike or the Cedars, was fought December 5–7, 1864, in

Rutherford County, Tennessee Rutherford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in Middle Tennessee. As of the 2021 census, the population was 352,182, making it the fifth-most populous county in Tennessee. A study conducted by the Univers ...

, as part of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Background

In a last, desperate attempt to force

Maj. Gen. Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

William T. Sherman's

Union army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

out of Georgia,

Gen. The Book of Genesis (from Greek language, Greek ; Hebrew language, Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית ''Bəreʾšīt'', "In hebeginning") is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its i ...

John Bell Hood led the Army of Tennessee north toward

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

in November 1864. After suffering terrible losses at

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

, he continued toward Nashville. Hood recognized that Federal forces at Murfreesboro posed a significant threat to his right flank, his supply line and his possible retreat route. On December 4, 1864 he sent Maj. Gen.

Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was a prominent Confederate Army general during the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1867 to 1869. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealt ...

with two

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

divisions and Maj. Gen.

William B. Bate William Brimage Bate (October 7, 1826March 9, 1905) was a planter and slaveholder, Confederate officer, and politician in Tennessee. After the Reconstruction era, he served as the 23rd governor of Tennessee from 1883 to 1887. He was elected to th ...

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

division to

Murfreesboro, Tennessee Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...

Opposing forces

Union

District of Tennessee – Maj. Gen. Lovell H. Rousseau *Defenses of the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad – Maj. Gen.

Robert H. Milroy Robert Huston Milroy (June 11, 1816 – March 29, 1890) was a lawyer, judge, and a Union Army general in the American Civil War, most noted for his defeat at the Second Battle of Winchester in 1863. Early life Milroy was born on a farm near ...

**1st Provisional Brigade – Col. Minor T. Thomas *** 8th Minnesota Infantry: Col. Minor T. Thomas, Ltc Henry C. Rogers *** 61st Illinois Infantry: Lt. Col. Daniel Grass ***

174th Ohio Infantry The 174th Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 174th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 174th OVI) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 174th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio Augus ...

: Col. John S. Jones ***

181st Ohio Infantry The 181st Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 181st Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 181st OVI) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 181st Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Dennison near Cincinnati, Ohi ...

: Col. John O'Dowd *** 13th New York Light Artillery: Cpt. Henry Bundy **2nd Provisional Brigade (Post of Tullahoma) – Col. Edward Anderson ***

177th Ohio Infantry The 177th Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 177th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 177th OVI) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 177th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Cleveland in Cleveland, Ohio, ...

: Col. Arthur T. Wilcox ***

178th Ohio Infantry The 178th Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 178th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 178th OVI) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 178th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio, and ...

: Col. Joab A. Stafford ***12th Indiana Cavalry: Col. Edward Anderson *** 5th Tennessee Cavalry: Col.

William Brickly Stokes William Brickly Stokes (September 9, 1814 – March 14, 1897) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee. He also served as colonel of the 5th Regiment Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry duri ...

Confederate

Forrest's Cavalry Corps Forrest's Cavalry Corps was part of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and commanded by Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Formed during the summer of 1862, it took part in the various battles in the Western Theate ...

: Maj. Gen.

Nathan B. Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was a prominent Confederate Army general during the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1867 to 1869. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealth ...

Buford's Division: Brig. Gen.

Abraham Buford Abraham Buford (July 21, 1747 – June 30, 1833) was an American soldier. He was a Continental Army officer during the American Revolutionary War, best known as the commanding officer of the American forces at the Battle of Waxhaws. After the ...

Bell's Brigade: Col. Tyree H. Bell

2nd/22nd Tennessee Cavalry (Barteau's) The 2nd Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, also known as the 22nd Tennessee Cavalry after it was consolidated with the 21st Tennessee Cavalry (Wilson’s), was a cavalry unit of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War, organized ...

19th Tennessee Cavalry 20th Tennessee Cavalry: Col Robert M. Russell 21st Tennessee Cavalry Nixon's (22nd) Tennessee Cavalry Crossland's Brigade: Col. Edward Crossland 3rd Kentucky Mounted Infantry 7th Kentucky Mounted Infantry 8th Kentucky Mounted Infantry 12th Kentucky Cavalry Huey's Kentucky Battalion Jackson's Division: Brig. Gen. William Hicks Jackson Armstrong's Brigade: Brig. Gen. Frank C. Armstrong 1st Mississippi Cavalry 2nd Mississippi Cavalry 28th Mississippi Cavalry 2nd Mississippi Partisan Rangers Ross's Brigade: Brig. Gen. Lawrence S. Ross 3rd Texas Cavalry 6th Texas Cavalry 9th Texas Cavalry (1st Texas Legion) 27th Texas Cavalry Attached Infantry: (From Cheatham's Corps) Bate's Division: MG

Tyler's/Smith’s Brigade: BG Thomas Benton Smith 37th Georgia 4th Georgia Sharpshooters Battalion 2nd Tennessee 10th Tennessee 20th Tennessee 37th Tennessee Finley's/Bullock’s Brigade: BG

Robert Bullock Robert Bullock (December 8, 1828 – July 27, 1905) was an American state legislator and a United States representative from Florida. He was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Early life and caree ...

(w); Major Jacob A. Lash 1st-3rd Florida 4th Florida & 1st Florida Cavalry (dismounted): Major Jacob A. Lash 6th Florida 7th Florida Jackson's Brigade: BG

Henry R. Jackson Henry Rootes Jackson (June 24, 1820 – May 23, 1898) was a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Biography Jackson was born in Athens, Georgia. He graduated with honors from Yale University, where he wa ...

(36th Georgia) 1st Georgia Confederate 25th Georgia 29th Georgia 30th Georgia 66th Georgia 1st Georgia Sharpshooters Battalion (From Lee’s Corps) Stevenson's Division: BG

Joseph B. Palmer Joseph Benjamin Palmer (November 1, 1825 – November 4, 1890) was an American lawyer, legislator, and soldier. He served as a Confederate general in the American Civil War, during which he was wounded four times. After the conflict he resum ...

Brown's & Reynolds' Brigade: BG

58th North Carolina 60th North Carolina 54th Virginia 63rd Virginia 3rd-18th Tennessee 23rd-26th-45th Tennessee: Col Anderson Searcy 32nd Tennessee: Col John P. McGuire (From Stewart’s Corps) French's Division: BG

Claudius W. Sears Claudius Wistar Sears (November 8, 1817 – February 15, 1891) was a United States Army officer, an educator, and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. During the war, Sears was part of the Confederate garrison that was captured ...

Sears' Brigade: BG

4th Mississippi 35th Mississippi 36th Mississippi 39th Mississippi 46th Mississippi 7th Mississippi Battalion Artillery: Slocomb's Louisiana Battery: Lt. Joseph E. Chalaron

Battle

On December 2, Hood had ordered Bate to destroy the railroad and blockhouses between Murfreesboro and Nashville and join Forrest for further operations. On December 4, Bate's division attacked Blockhouse No. 7 protecting the railroad crossing at Overall's Creek, but Union forces fought it off. On the morning of December 5, Forrest marched toward Murfreesboro in two columns, one to attack the fort on the hill and the other to take Blockhouse No. 4, both at La Vergne. Forrest demanded the garrisons at both locations surrender, which they did. Outside La Vergne, Forrest joined Bate's division and the command advanced on to Murfreesboro along two roads, driving the Union forces into their Fortress Rosecrans fortifications, then encamped in the city outskirts for the night. The next morning, on December 6, fighting flared for a couple of hours, but the Union troops ceased firing and both sides glared at each other for the rest of the day. Brig. Gen.

's and Brig. Gen.

's infantry brigades joined Forrest's command in the evening, further increasing his numbers. On the morning of December 7, Maj. Gen.

Lovell Rousseau Lovell Harrison Rousseau (August 4, 1818 – January 7, 1869) was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, as well as a lawyer and politician in Kentucky and Indiana. Early life and career Born near Stanford, Kentucky, on August ...

, commanding all of the forces at Murfreesboro, sent two brigades out under Brig. Gen.

on the Salem Pike to feel out the enemy. These brigades were led by Col. Minor T. Thomas, a veteran of the

Dakota War The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, the Dakota Uprising, the Sioux Outbreak of 1862, the Dakota Conflict, the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, or Little Crow's War, was an armed conflict between the United States and several ban ...

, and Col. Edward Anderson. With Thomas' brigade forming the first line of battle and Anderson forming the second, Milroy engaged the Confederates and fighting continued. At one point some of Bate's troops broke and ran. Forrest "seized the colors of the retreating troops and endeavored to rally them". Bate was equally unsuccessful. The rest of Forrest's command conducted an orderly retreat from the field and encamped for the night outside Murfreesboro. Forrest had destroyed railroad track, blockhouses, and some homes and generally disrupted Union operations in the area. More importantly, he succeeded in keeping Rousseau confined to Murfreesboro and kept the important supply line and retreat route open.Stephen M. Hood, John Bell Hood: The Rise, Fall and Resurrection of a Confederate General, El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie LLC, 2013, pp. 185–186.

References

Sources

* Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. .
National Park Service battle description
{{authority control Murfreesboro III Murfreesboro III Murfreesboro III Murfreesboro III Rutherford County, Tennessee

Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...

1864 in Tennessee December 1864 events