Sheridan Saves the Day

By the middle of the night before the battle, General Sheridan saw signs that the Confederates might attack near here. By 4 a.m., he had visited all three of his brigade commanders and ordered his men to be fed an early breakfast and made ready to fight, while other Federal divisions farther south did little to prepare for the onslaught. At dawn the Confederates struck, and whole regiments in blue dissolved as thousands turned and ran. Sheridan kept his men under tight control as they pulled back one regiment at a time, and here he held the line for two hours, fighting until his men had no more bullets. His skill and will to fight bought General Rosecrans enough time to put the rattled, retreating units into a strong new battle line near Nashville Pike.

Murfreesboro, Tennessee · United States