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We set foot on the Civil War battlefield known as Stones River. Union and Confederate lines, three miles long, engaged in one of the bloodiest battles of the war in these woods and fields.

There is a gravity here, in the rocky earth known as the Slaughter Pen. It’s believed the location was named by men from Chicago. Men who worked in the slaughterhouses drew a parallel between those places and the blood of hundreds of men that formed rivers among the rocks. Trying to imagine assaulting such a position, or retreating over such volatile terrain, is nothing but the stuff of nightmares.

This angle shows the channels where men hid in natural trenches. Some of them are deep enough to stand upright in and be almost completely concealed.

McFadden’s Ford was home to the last action of the battle. Confederates were cut down by 57 cannons mounted on a rise above the river. Shot, shell, and canister took a vicious toll.

One of the people that made our visit to Stones River so informative and entertaining was Jim Lewis, a ranger and historian. His knowledge of the battlefield is astounding, and I would highly recommend joining his tour group if you have the chance to visit Stones River.

In the end, the battle cost 19,000 dead and wounded. A horrific price by any standard.