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

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 William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

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 of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

out of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, Gen.

John Bell Hood John Bell Hood (June 1 or June 29, 1831 – August 30, 1879) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Although brave, Hood's impetuosity led to high losses among his troops as he moved up in rank. Bruce Catton wrote that "the de ...

led the

Army of Tennessee The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in ...

north toward Nashville 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 with two cavalry divisions and Maj. Gen. William B. Bate's

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 mar ...

division to Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Opposing forces

Union

District of Tennessee – Maj. Gen.

Lovell H. 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 Augus ...

*Defenses of the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad – Maj. Gen. Robert H. Milroy **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: Col. John S. Jones *** 181st Ohio Infantry: Col. John O'Dowd *** 13th New York Light Artillery: Cpt. Henry Bundy **2nd Provisional Brigade (Post of Tullahoma) – Col. Edward Anderson *** 177th Ohio Infantry: Col. Arthur T. Wilcox *** 178th Ohio Infantry: 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 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 The Confederate States of America ...

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 William Hicks "Red" Jackson (October 1, 1835 – March 30, 1903) was a career United States Army officer who graduated from West Point. After serving briefly in the Southwest and resigning when the American Civil War broke out, he served in th ...

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 William B. Bate Tyler's/Smith’s Brigade: BG

Thomas Benton Smith Thomas Benton Smith (February 24, 1838 – May 21, 1923) was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Early life Smith was born in Mechanicsville, Tennessee. He attended the local schools before enroll ...

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 (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 Brown's & Reynolds' Brigade: BG Joseph B. Palmer 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 Sears' Brigade: BG Claudius W. Sears 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. Claudius W. Sears's and Brig. Gen. Joseph B. Palmer'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. Robert H. Milroy on the Salem Pike to feel out the enemy. These brigades were led by Col. Minor T. Thomas, a veteran of the Dakota War, 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