Fortress Rosecrans

After the Battle of Stones River, Union soldiers and newly freed slaves began building the earthen walls of Fortress Rosecrans. Named for Union Gen. William S. Rosecrans, it was the largest earthen fortress ever built in North America, covering about 225 acres. Union Gen. James St. Clair Morton, chief engineer for the Army of the Cumberland, supervised its construction between January and June 1863. The fort protected the junction of Stones River and the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, as well as the intersection of the Wilkinson Turnpike and the Old Nashville Turnpike. Fortress Rosecrans provided logistical support for Union advances on Chattanooga and Atlanta and for Union Gen. William T. Sherman's March to the Sea. The fort also cast a shadow over the lives of Murfreesboro's citizens, as Union soldiers scoured the surrounding land for timber, fences, and food to support the garrison. Murfreesboro's residents resented the Federal occupation, which lasted three years. Because of local resentment, Rosecrans issued orders to "shell the town and burn it up" if the residents rebelled, and regular patrols and artillery practice constantly reminded the townspeople about the dangers of causing trouble. The army abandoned the fort in 1866, and citizens then worked to erase memories of the occupation by removing as much of the fort as they could and returning the land to agricultural uses.

Murfreesboro, Tennessee · United States