Stones River (Murfreesboro)

Western ACW Books

After Perryville and Corinth, Buell was sacked and Rosecrans was placed in charge of the Army of the Ohio, now being called the XIV Corps, with a Right Wing, Center, and Left Wing. This was the beginning of Rosecrans Army of the Cumberland, but he seemed reluctant to use it, just like McClellan. He moved southeast from Nashville, Tennessee and eventually came to a point near Murfreesboro on Stones River, where Bragg and his Army had made a stand. Bragg launched a fierce morning flank attack on the Union Right and nearly drove the entire right flank back onto the rest of the army before being stopped. Frustrated, Bragg waited a day and then launced a poorly designed assault on the Union left, getting beat back with terrible losses to the "Orphan" Brigade. I really feel sorry for the western Confederate soldiers. Everyone but Jefferson Davis wanted Bragg gone, but he managed to continue bungling as leader until the disaster at Missionary Ridge almost an entire year later.

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Author
Comments

Stones River: Bloody Winter In Tennessee

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James Lee McDonough
This is another of McDonough's books, which means I didn't like it much. His style just doesn't give me enough information, he has few maps, and the ones present don't tell me anything in any detail. The only way I can recommend this is if you're not interested in the tactical battle, but only in the strategic aspects of a battle. Even then the maps don't help you there. I'd buy Cozzens book long before this one. 271 pp., 7 maps

No Better Place To Die: The Battle of Stones River

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Peter Cozzens

This is how to write Civil War battle history. Cozzens gives good detail while still making the story interesting. Many authors can do one or the other, but only the really good ones can do both, and Cozzens is one of the really good ones. There are plenty of maps which focus on the tactical details of the battle, which go down to the regimental level. This is the book to buy on Stones River, and probably will be for a long time to come. 281 pp., 11 maps