The Regular Brigade of the Fourteenth Army Corps, the Army of the Cumberland, in the Battle of Stone River, or Murfreesboro', Tennessee

In Short

This book serves as a formal, historical record of the Regular Brigade of the Army of the Cumberland during the pivotal Battle of Stone River in late 1862. It meticulously chronicles the brigade’s formation, its tactical positioning, and its grueling combat experience during the fight’s most desperate hours. By eschewing romanticized prose in favor of direct, factual documentation—including casualty rosters and official reports—the work preserves the specific contributions and sacrifices of the professional soldiers who, by necessity, functioned as the "forlorn hope" of the army.

The Story

The narrative begins in late 1862, when General Rosecrans reorganizes the Army of the Cumberland. He consolidates five battalions of regular infantry—the 15th, 16th, 18th, and 19th U.S. Infantry—along with Battery H of the 5th U.S. Artillery, into a unified Regular Brigade under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel O. L. Shepherd. The brigade marches from Nashville toward Murfreesboro, Tennessee, arriving as the Union army prepares to engage Confederate forces.

The conflict reaches a crisis on the morning of December 31. The Union right wing, commanded by General McCook, collapses under a massive Confederate assault. As the right wing is flanked and driven back, the retreat threatens to sweep the entire army from the field. General Rousseau orders the Regular Brigade into the dense cedar forests near the Nashville Turnpike. The brigade advances into a chaotic scene where Union forces are already in full retreat. Guenther’s Battery takes a crucial position, shelling the advancing enemy and repelling repeated desperate charges.

The brigade’s most significant action occurs around noon. As the Union centre and left flank begin to crumble, General Thomas gives the order for the brigade to march into the heart of the cedar brake to "stop the rebels." The Regulars enter the forest, forming a line of battle under heavy fire. They wait, forced to endure the enemy’s volleys while holding their fire until their own retreating comrades have cleared the front. Once the path is open, they engage with ferocity, halting the Confederate advance and holding the vital ground—the "key of the battlefield"—despite suffering catastrophic casualties.

As the battle settles into a stalemate over the following days, the brigade remains in position. They endure harsh winter conditions, mud, and frozen ground, eventually intrenching their lines. When the enemy finally retreats on the morning of January 4, the brigade fulfills its final grim duty: collecting and burying their dead. The book concludes with a comprehensive roster of the officers involved, acknowledging those who fell and those who survived. It emphasizes that this was not merely a military maneuver but a survival of the fittest, where professional discipline and the sheer tenacity of the men prevented a total defeat. The brigade’s legacy is ultimately cemented by the erection of a monument to the fallen, serving as a permanent testament to the cost of their service during that brutal winter at Murfreesboro.

How It Unfolds

The formation of the unit The brigade is assembled at Nashville by bringing together scattered battalions of the 15th, 16th, 18th, and 19th Infantry, supplemented by professional artillery. This reorganization is driven by a tactical need to create a reliable reserve unit capable of handling the most difficult assignments.

The advance to contact The brigade moves out from Nashville, marching toward the objective of Murfreesboro through a series of bivouacs. The pace is steady, reflecting the professional discipline required to move across difficult terrain toward the impending collision with the enemy.

The crisis in the cedars As the right wing of the army disintegrates, the brigade is pushed into the dense cedar woods to plug the gap. The infantry and artillery operate in tandem, forcing back the Confederate pursuit and stabilizing the crumbling line at a heavy price in lives lost.

The final stand and conclusion The unit holds its ground against overwhelming odds, acting as the "forlorn hope" of the army until the front is stabilized. Following the enemy’s withdrawal, the book shifts to the somber business of casualty accounting, memorializing the fallen through precise records and the eventual dedication of a monument.

The People

Lieutenant-Colonel O. L. Shepherd serves as the commanding officer, responsible for the tactical deployment of the brigade. He is the steady hand required to manage the movement of the battalions into the dense cedars, ensuring they remain cohesive even when surrounded by retreating troops.

Major-General Lovell H. Rousseau acts as the primary authority directing the brigade’s movements. His decisions, particularly the order to commit the brigade into the "holocaust" of the cedars, determine the fate of the men. He demonstrates a deep trust in the Regulars, relying on them to hold the centre when other parts of the line have failed.

Major-General George H. Thomas is the overarching strategic figure who recognizes the necessity of the brigade’s sacrifice. His direct order to Shepherd to "stop the rebels" serves as the pivot point for the entire battle, placing the burden of the army’s survival on the shoulders of the Regulars.

The officers of the battalions—men like Major John H. King, Major A. J. Slemmer, and Major S. D. Carpenter—are the front-line leaders who bear the brunt of the tactical command. Their personal fates are inextricably linked to their men; many are wounded or killed, illustrating that leadership within this brigade meant being at the absolute point of contact. Their resilience keeps the morale of the rank-and-file intact, even as they face what one observer calls "a tornado of artillery fire."

In Its Own Voice

The brigade, without the battery, for which there was no suitable position in this movement, was at once put in march, advancing to the front (south) along the railroad and turnpike.

This describes the moment the brigade received the order to enter the cedar forest to halt the Confederate breakthrough.

This waiting for our men to retire, and, meanwhile, receiving the enemy's fire without being able to reply, was the most trying time of all.

This passage captures the intense psychological pressure placed on the soldiers as they stood in line, forbidden to fire until their comrades had safely withdrawn.

Capt. Douglass, of the 18th, described the rebel artillery fire in the open field, as if a blacksmith shop full of rotten iron was being thrown at the command.

The author uses this account to convey the sensory experience of the intense, enfilading artillery fire the brigade endured while in the open.

What It's Really About

The central argument of the work is that the professional character and discipline of the "Regular" soldier were the decisive factors in preventing a catastrophic Union defeat. The book is not interested in the grand political narratives of the Civil War; rather, it focuses on the internal mechanics of a combat unit under extreme duress. It raises the question of what a nation owes to the professional military class that acts as a human bulwark when volunteer forces are overwhelmed. By providing such exhaustive casualty figures and comparing them to the army-wide average, the text argues that the Regular Brigade bore a disproportionate share of the suffering, serving as the essential, if tragic, anchor for the survival of the Army of the Cumberland.

Why Read It Today

Readers with an interest in military history or the mechanics of 19th-century combat will find this book invaluable. It is not a broad narrative of the war, but a granular, precise investigation into how a specific group of men performed under the worst possible conditions. The writing is intentionally devoid of "rhetorical allusions," offering instead a straightforward, almost clinical account of maneuvers and losses.

Because it was written in 1883 by a participant, the tone is one of sober commemoration. The reader must be prepared for the cold reality of raw data; the book is heavily populated with rosters, casualty percentages, and official reports. It does not attempt to explain the "why" of the war through a political lens, but rather the "how" of the soldiers’ survival. Those who appreciate primary accounts that prioritize truth over drama will find the book’s restraint deeply powerful. It is a dense, factual, and somber read, intended to serve as a permanent record for survivors. The inclusion of the "notes" and the post-war history of the monument adds a layer of poignancy that resonates with anyone interested in how veterans chose to remember their fallen comrades long after the guns had gone silent.