Stones River

Stones River

Richard J. LeFevre (1931 - 2000)

1992

watercolor and mixed media on paper

The Battle of Stones River, or the Second Battle of Murfreesboro as it was called in the South, was fought on December 31, 1862, through January 2, 1863, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This geographic portion of the war was known as the Western Theater. The general leading the Union Army of the Cumberland was Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans (shown on the left) and the commander of the Army of the Tennessee was Confederate General Braxton Bragg (shown on the right). The two armies lined up opposite each other on the evening of December 30, and prepared for battle. While waiting the bands on both sides began to play old familiar songs, and they could hear each other. The soldiers began to sing along, and the evening ended with the two sides singing together the song, “Home! O Home!” (written in 1822 by John Howard Payne and Sir Henry Bishop) which ends with the line, “Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.” The next day on December 31, they proceeded to slaughter one another.

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