Park rangers and volunteers will present programs to commemorate the 149th anniversary of the Battle of Stones River beginning Dec. 26, 2011 through Jan. 2, 2012.The Battle of Stones River was one of the bloodiest and most significant battles in the Western theater of the Civil War. After three days of intense fighting, nearly one-third of the 81,000 men who fought here became casualties. It was the first step in a campaign that saw the capture of Chattanooga and Atlanta ending with Sherman’s “March to the Sea.”
From Monday through Friday, park rangers will present a guided walk at 10 a.m. followed by a daily program detailing the events of each day of the 1862 campaign at 1 p.m.
Daily programs will conclude with a guided caravan tour of the battlefield at 2 p.m.
On Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, 2012, living history programs featuring demonstrations by Union and Confederate infantry and artillery will tell the stories of the most pivotal battle actions through the stories of soldiers. Programs will be presented at 10 and 11 a.m., and 1, 2, and 3 p.m. daily.
Union artillery will take center stage on Jan. 2, 2012 with firings at 11 a.m., 1, 2, and 3 p.m. Between firings Union cannoneers will share their perspectives on the battle’s bloody climax of January 2, 1863.
A detailed schedule of these programs is available at www.nps.gov/stri/planyourvisit/anniversary.
These programs are part of a series of interpretive programs offered at the battlefield during the year. Stones River National Battlefield is located on the Old Nashville
Highway, northwest of Murfreesboro. Additional information is available at the visitor center, by calling 615-893-9501 or at the park website at www.nps.gov/stri.
