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The City of Murfreesboro has grown up quite a bit in the 160 years since Union and Confederate troops waged one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War between Dec. 31, 1862 and Jan. 2, 1863. Today, the nearly 600-acre Stones River National Battlefield preserves not only a portion of the historic battlefield, but also artifacts and the stories of those who fought and died there.

“The Battle of Stones River is in fact one of the biggest battles of the American Civil war, although it is perhaps among those big battles one of the least known,” Visitor Services and Cultural Resources Manager Jim Lewis said.

Located at 3501 Old Nashville Highway in Murfreesboro, visitors to the battlefield can begin their day at the visitor center and museum, which details the events leading up to the battle and its aftermath. The museum also houses a collection of artifacts ranging from artillery shells and rifles to personal items belonging to the soldiers who fought there.

One such item is the militia coat belonging to Henry Hall of the 4th Kentucky Infantry Regiment. The coat is displayed in a darkened display case for preservation, along with a letter to Hall’s mother describing his manner of death on the battlefield Jan. 2 1863.

Lewis said the visitor center will help first time visitors orient themselves with the details of the battle and why it was fought in Murfreesboro in the first place.

“The Confederates chose the site of Murfreesboro because they are trying to still control the rich agricultural farmland of Middle Tennessee and keep the enemy away from Chattanooga,” he said.

“The fight begins on Dec. 31st, it starts out looking like it is going to be a confederate victory, they have good early success, but as the day wears on the Union Army finally holds its ground along the Nashville Pike here that runs through the park, it is called the Old Nashville Highway today.” Lewis said.

Of the nearly 81,000 people fighting during the three-day battle, 23,525 soldiers were either killed, wounded or captured. While the Union Army lost 13,259 men to 10,266 Confederates, the battle was declared in favor of the Union.

“The battle was precipitated, at least timing wise, because it was part of a push by President Abraham Lincoln to get a victory before Jan. 1, 1863 to support the Emancipation Proclamation,” Lewis said. “So this ultimately ends up as the victory that supports the emancipation proclamation.”

While guided battlefield tours are available on select days, Lewis said most visitors take a self-guided tour of the designated points of interest. The National Park Service App provides additional information for those interested in a more detailed self-guided tour.

“It is almost like you have a little ranger in your pocket,” Lewis said.

Visitors to the Stones River National Battlefield will see a Murfreesboro vastly different from the one encountered by Civil War troops 160 years ago. Now the sixth largest city in Tennessee with a population of nearly 160,000, urban growth has presented its share of challenges when it comes to battlefield preservation.

Lewis said that with nearly 600-protected acres of land, the park is only about 15% of the 4,000 acres utilized during the battle.

“When I got here 27 years ago when you sat on the edges of the park…Thompson Lane, there was almost nothing there,” Lewis said. “You could look to the east and the south of the park and across the street still see farm fields.”

Lewis said it can be challenging to think back in time while surrounded by large buildings, something her calls a “modern impediment.”

No matter how much or how little time someone might have to spend during their visit to Stones River National Battlefield, Lewis recommends they take the time to see a few specific sites on the battlefield.

Lewis said one area he always recommends visitors spend some time is known as the Slaughter Pen.

“When you are in the wooded section you see these big limestone outcroppings that were used by soldiers during the battle essentially for protection,” he said. “For a while it worked and then they found themselves surrounded that the rocks….how the heck do we get out of here because you can’t obviously run through there and it turned into a bloodbath.”

Today, visitors to the Slaughter Pen can walk amongst the limestone outcroppings, imagining the sights and sounds that took place there during the battle.

“It is one of the deadliest places on the battlefield,” Lewis said. “Weirdly enough, it is also one of the most beautiful now. It is a great place, we think, for people to really think how the landscape itself influences the battle.”

Located just down the road from the park’s visitor center at tour stop five, the Hazen Brigade Monument is another site Lewis highly recommends.

Built in 1863, the stone monument pays tribute to the men who fought under Colonel William Hazen during the battle.

“William Hazen held that position against four successive Confederate attacks on Dec. 31 and they are largely responsible for allowing General William S. Rosecrans to create the defensive position here along the Nashville Pike that finally stops the Confederates,” Lewis said.

More than 400 of Hazen’s men fell during the battle, and the land the monument sits on was named “Hell’s Half-acre” by the soldiers. In an effort to preserve the history of the attack and commemorate their fellow comrades who died in battle, surviving soldiers built the monument in 1863.

“That is the oldest intact Civil War Battlefield Monument in the country, built by the soldiers themselves,” Lewis said. “I don’t people to leave here and not have a chance to see that.”

Before leaving the park, visitors can spend a few moments at the Stones River National Cemetery, where more than 6,100 Union soldiers are buried. Located just across from the park’s visitor center, the cemetery was established in 1865 to provide a fitting final resting place for those who died during the battle.

“It was a site of memory of the Civil War and this battle well before they were even creating legislation to save parks,” Lewis said.

Lewis said there are a few things he hopes visitors to Stones River National Battlefield walk away with when they leave the park.

“One, that war is a horrifying thing,” he said. “You start one day with 81,000 men and then three days later a third of them are either being buried in the ground or are suffering in a hospital or they are on their way to a prison, which is no picnic either.”

Lewis said Civil War battles are about more than just red and blue lines on a map or who had better military tactics, but represent a reshaping of our national identity.

“The reason I think the Civil War in some ways still remains so high in the people’s minds and gets argued about a lot and creates some high emotions is it is one of the seminal moments in our nation’s history,” Lewis said. “It defined us as a nation in many respects more so than the Revolutionary War.”