One of the fiercest battles of the Civil War took place at Stones River, just northwest of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, from Dec. 31, 1862 to Jan. 2, 1863. The Confederate forces of Gen. Braxton Bragg withdrew after the battle, allowing Union forces, commanded by Gen. William Rosecrans, to occupy much of Middle Tennessee. Although the Battle of Stones River was tactically indecisive, it provided a much-needed morale boost for the North. An important early phase of the battle took place in “The Slaughter Pen.” In this area, Union forces under the command of Gen Sheridan warded off several furious Confederate assaults. In an attempt to crack the Union lines at this point and possibly initiate a route, the Confederate forces pushed up their artillery to within 200 yards of Sheridan’s forces, but repeated attacks failed, with costly losses on both sides. Although Sheridan eventually had to withdraw from this position, his resistance gave the Union forces time to form a new line of resistance along the Nashville Pike.