Battle of Stones River

Posted on 04 May 2017 by Larry J. Daniel

Three days of savage and bloody fighting between Confederate and Union troops at Stones River in Middle Tennessee ended with nearly 25,000 casualties but no clear victor The staggering number of killed or wounded equaled the losses suffered in the well known Battle of Shiloh Using previously neglected sources, Larry J Daniel rescues this important campaign from obscurity The Battle of Stones River, fought between December 31, 1862, and January 2, 1863, was a tactical draw but proved to be a strategic northern victory According to Daniel, Union defeats in late 1862 both at Chickasaw Bayou in Mississippi and at Fredericksburg, Virginia transformed the clash in Tennessee into a much needed morale booster for the North Daniel s study of the battle s two antagonists, William S Rosecrans for the Union Army of the Cumberland and Braxton Bragg for the Confederate Army of Tennessee, presents contrasts in leadership and a series of missteps Union soldiers liked Rosecrans s personable nature, whereas Bragg acquired a reputation as antisocial and suspicious Rosecrans had won his previous battle at Corinth, and Bragg had failed at the recent Kentucky Campaign But despite Rosecrans s apparent advantage, both commanders made serious mistakes With only a few hundred yards separating the lines, Rosecrans allowed Confederates to surprise and route his right ring Eventually, Union pressure forced Bragg to launch a division size attack, a disastrous move Neither side could claim victory on the battlefield In the aftermath of the bloody conflict, Union commanders and northern newspapers portrayed the stalemate as a victory, bolstering confidence in the Lincoln administration and dimming the prospects for the peace wing of the northern Democratic Party In the South, the deadlock led to continued bickering in the Confederate western high command and scorn for Braxton Bragg. Read Battle of Stones River – kino-fada.fr I set out to read this back to back with Peter Cozzens No Better Place to Die The Battle Of Stones River which has been THE book on this battle since its release Alas, it did not work out that way and I finished this book off several months later and cannot compare much of the specifics.Length of the two books is not substantially different nor are the maps the latter being the source at ...I ordered this book as part of my prepapration for a road trip to visit the Stones River National Battlefield as well as the Perryville Battlefield The book really gave me an insight into the battle and enhanced the whole experience for me Stones River is not a particularly well known battle and it s commanders Bragg Rosecrans certainly did not go down in history as other Civil War generals did However, the battle was certainly significant and bloody for both sides and this book does I ordered this book as part of my prepapration for a road trip to visit the Stones River National Battlefield as well as the Perryville Battlefield The book really gave me an insight into the battle and enhanced the whole experience for me Stones River is not a particularly well known battle and it s commanders Bragg Rosecrans certainly did not go down in history as other Civil War generals did However, the battle was certainly significant and bloody for both sides and this book does a fine job of explaining the course of this 3 day battl...So far this is the best account of this battle It has Daniel s usual touch, including fine primary source material and his thorough description of events before the fighting Analysis is fair, and the Bragg syndrome wh...Interesting read, but too many details of a dynamic battle for the reader to comprehend without accompanying maps showing movements rather than occasional static positions.signed by the author

English
04 May 2017

Larry J. Daniel