Video
The Union Battle Plan
Transcript
For Rosecrans, that will mean sending about a third of his men across the Stones River about a mile and a half to our north in McFadden's Ford. The bulk of Crittenden's left wing is slated to cross the river at dawn. Then get into their battle lines on the east bank of the Stones River, then move along the banks of the Stones River and eastward towards Murfreesboro. And so Bragg will find him, essentially, firmly fixed inside of a vise.
Not only that, but his army will have the swollen Stones River between him and Murfreesboro as well, with only a few points that he can cross his army in order to get back to Murfreesboro and towards the Shelbyville Pike to retreat. So in point of fact, Rosecrans comes up with a pretty sexy battle plan. Because the only problem for Rosecrans's plan is it will take time to develop.
He's got to wait for daylight to cross the river at the ford. You don't want to be doing that at dark, especially when it's running about waist to chest deep. Then once the men get across and get their clothes back on-- they'll actually will cross the river that morning, stripping down to their underwear, and then put their uniforms back on. Oh, that must have been lovely. But at least then you'll have dry clothing on top.
Then they're going to have to get them into line of battle, and then the attack will progress. So best case scenario, 7:00, 7:30 AM is when the Union is looking for the bullets to start flying there north or east of the Stones River. He will tell his corps commander down on the right wing, Alexander McDowell McCook, a member of the fighting McCooks, but perhaps not the fightingest of the fighting McCooks.
In fact, he's known to most of his underlings as officers and men affectionately as "Old Chucklehead". So you can kind of see where this story is going. He tells McCook, Rosecrans does, that I need you to make preparations to hold your lines for about four hours. If the enemy attacks you, I want you to hold them there, or give ground very slowly so that those boys have time to cross the river, sweep down the east bank, get into Murfreesboro. Once Bragg realizes he got a third of my army up his tailpipe, the pressure will probably ease off. And then I'll give you further orders as what I want you to do after that. So that's the plan for the Union Army.
Description
Ranger Jim Lewis describes the Union plan at the Battle of Stones River.
Duration
2 minutes, 29 seconds
Date Created
12/28/2012
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