BATTLEFIELD ASSESSMENT

Murfreesboro First Battle

July 13, 1862

Rutherford

On July 13, 1862 Confederate cavalry of Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest conducted a surprise attack on the Union garrison at Murfreesboro commanded by Brig. Gen. Thomas Crittenden.  After surprising  the Union pickets on the Woodbury Pike, Forrest overran the Federal hospital, troops at the jail and courthouse as well as the camp of a detachment from the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry.  By late afternoon all of the Union units had surrendered.  Forrest’s raid had the effect of diverting Union forces from an advance on Chattanooga.

HISTORICAL THEMES

This engagement is one of 38 sites evaluated by the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission and not subject to a TCWPA Battlefield Assessment.

PRESERVATION OPPORTUNITY INDEX

N/A

A rating assigned for each battlefield to indicate relative opportunity and potential for successful site preservation.

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SITE DETAILS

County

Rutherford

Date

July 13, 1862

Preservation Opportunity

N/A

Confederate Units

Forrest’s Cavalry Brigade

Union Units

Murfreesboro garrison- Brig. Gen. Thomas Crittenden, 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, 9th Michigan Infantry, 3rd Minnesota Infantry

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Terms Legend

Historical Themes:  Topics and subject matter that characterize the battlefield including Control of Tennessee’s Resources, Crucible for Leadership, Guerilla Warfare, Transformation in Warfare, Enslaved People, and Influence on Campaign.  Sites are identified that exhibit themes at moderate to high levels, and some sites may contain one or more Historical Themes.
 
Preservation Opportunity Index (POI):  A rating assigned for each battlefield to indicate relative opportunity and potential for successful site preservation.  The Index is generated by a model that evaluates ratings assigned for site significance, condition, risk of loss, protection potential, and opportunities for interpretation.  Based upon the POI values for each region in Tennessee (West, Middle, East), sites are indicated as having High, Medium, or Low opportunity.
 
Geo-coordinates: General/central location of the battlefield area per latitude and longitude coordinates utilized in Google Earth