ONCE A SOLDIER, TWICE A PIONEER

Chapter Four Emancipation Vidication - The Battle of Stones River In 1860, nearly four million human beings in the United States—one out of eight people—were enslaved. The emancipation of these slaves, after years of intense national debate as well as fervent prayer and sustained pressure from abolitionists, was initiated by the courage, strategy, and political will of President Abraham Lincoln. However, proclaiming freedom and making it a reality are two different things. Freeing these oppressed millions from chains and shackles, forced labor and loss of human dignity, as well as from brutal whippings and rape at the hands of slave masters across the South, was proclaimed on paper, but it was accomplished on the battlefield. The Civil War had been raging for well over a year, and by late 1862 the Union Army had lost its momentum against the Confederacy. President Lincoln was in desperate need of a victory. Success was especially critical as the calendar approached the new year since Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves in the South was set to take effect on January 1st, 1863. If the situation on the battlefield did not back up his bold move to free the slaves, the Emancipation Proclamation would likely be perceived as a hollow gesture. The President also feared that further signs of weakness could prompt foreign armies to enter the war on the side of the Confederacy. The future of the United States and the freedom of millions of enslaved men, women and children was at stake. Just two months after Perryville, the 84th Illinois Regiment would face its first big test on the battlefield, and one of its deadliest. Joshua’s Regiment had been at winter camp near Nashville since November 26th. The day after Christmas they moved out towards Murfreesboro in pursuit of the Confederate Army. The Regiment was still feeling the severe effects of the Kentucky campaign and that deadly snowstorm near Somerset. “When we started on the march from Nashville toward Murfreesboro, there were of the whole Regiment fit for duty, only twenty-five officers and three hundred thirty-seven enlisted men, the remainder being in convalescent camps and hospitals.” Union forces were under the command of Major General William Rosecrans. He had been based at Nashville after Confederate General Braxton Bragg and the Army of the Tennessee exited Kentucky following their retreat from Perryville. Rosecrans had divided his army into three wings. These were under Major Generals McCook, Thomas, and Crittendon, respectively. On December 29th Joshua’s Regiment neared Murfreesboro. As they marched that day, the 84th, along with the 36th Indiana and the 23rd Kentucky, were in the “front line of battle” position. By dusk, they were two miles from Murfreesboro and just a mile from Stones River. So, at this momentous time in American history, the Army of the Cumberland (which included the 84th Illinois Infantry) and the Confederate Army of Tennessee were preparing to engage at Stones River near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The number of soldiers involved was considerable. Over 80,000 men massed for the confrontation. This was Joshua’s first major battle, and it would last from December 30th, 1862 to January 2nd, 1863—precisely at the time the Emancipation Proclamation was to take effect. The Battle of Stones River (or Battle of Murfreesboro, as it was known in the South) would prove to be one of the bloodiest battles of the entire Civil War. On December 30th, skirmishing between the opposing forces was constant. What were then known as “sharpshooters” harassed the 84th’s front line from hidden Confederate positions along the railroad line leading into Murfreesboro. “Many a [musket] ball during the day whistled through the lines of the 84th.” This was just a prelude to what was coming. The men of the 84th “knew a great battle was about to be fought, and the boys were anxious for the ball to open.” Accounts of the battle are as chilling as they are moving: On December 30th, 1862, the “fighting died down by sunset and more than 81,000 soldiers turned their attention toward preparing for the carnage that was sure to come the next day. Generals Bragg and Rosecrans assessed their positions and prepared their attack plans. As the sun sank below the horizon, temperatures plummeted below freezing.” As if the cold was not bad enough, precipitation began to fall. “Darkness enveloped the landscape. Cold rain showers pelted [the] miserable soldiers. The men did what they could to stay warm and dry.” More discomforting than the rain, though, was the prospect of what lay ahead. “Some sat silently contemplating the coming fight. Most thought of their homes and families, and many wrote letters to their loved ones by candlelight knowing those words might be the last they ever wrote. In many places the opposing armies were separated by only a few hundred yards.” If this scene was not remarkable enough, something utterly amazing was about to take place.