Historians Reflect on Significance of Battle of Stone's River

The Battle of Stone's River took place in cold, icy conditions  on New Year's Eve, 150 years ago. This battle near  Murfreesboro, Tennessee, was significant for military and political reasons. Dr. Glenn LaFantasie of the WKU Institute for Civil War Studies says President Abraham Lincoln needed a Union victory so he could proceed with the Emancipation Proclamation from a position of strength.

WKU Military Historian Dr. Jack Thacker says soldiers from both sides faced some of the most difficult weather conditions encountered during the Civil War, and that fact was reflected in the high casualties suffered by Confederate and Union troops.

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Credit Jim Lewis / National Park Service

Stone's River Battlefield