Hi, I'm Marta Bastian. I'm standing in Stones River
National Cemetery. Behind me is a large stone monuments with the
brass eagle at the top, surrounded by hundreds of white
headstones. Stones River National Cemetery is one of
the first national cemeteries in the United States. After
the Battle of Stones River, the Union dead were quickly
buried on the battlefield.
In 1864, captain John A means he was an assistant quartermaster
for the US Army, received orders to select the site for the new
National Cemetery as the final resting place for Union soldiers
who died in and around Murfreesboro, TN. The area
between the Nashville Pike and the Nashville and Chattanooga
Railroad was chosen.
This site saw some of the heaviest fighting on the first
day of battle, helping to turn the tide of the battle in favor
of the Union Army. The location also provided easy access for
workers and the visiting public.
In October of 1865, US Army Chaplain William
Earnshaw supervised the locating an the reburial of the remains
of Union soldiers. This grim task fell to the men of the
111th United States Colored Infantry. They searched as far
away as 80 miles.
More than 6100 Union soldiers lie here over 2500 are unknown.
Another 1000 military are buried here from conflicts post Civil
War through the Vietnam War. Two monuments stand in the Cemetery.
the US Regulars Monument was erected in 1882 and recalls the
sacrifices made by that unit during the Battle of Stones
River. A second memorial honors the soldiers of the 43rd
Wisconsin in the 108th Ohio. These men protected the
Nashville and Chattanooga
Railroad. During the Union occupation of middle Tennessee.
In 1866, when the reburial was complete, some of the men of the
111th Colored Infantry remained in the area, working as civilian
employees in the Cemetery.
Some of these men purchased property, forming the core of a
new Freedmen's community called Cemetery aptly named because of
their ties to the National
Cemetery. Today, Stones River National Cemetery hosts services
to remember those who have served in the United States
military. Decoration Day, Memorial Day, and Wreaths Across
America bring hundreds of people to the Cemetery each year.
These events continue to commemorate those who have
served and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice
for their country.