Stones River National Battlefield

Stones River National Battlefield Stones River National Battlefield preserves over 600 acres of the historic battlefield and National Cemetery near Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
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A Hard Earned Victory:

The Battle of Stones River began on the last day of 1862 and was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Civil War. The battle produced important military and political gains for the Union, and it changed forever the people who lived and fought here.

Here are some scenes of our dedicated volunteers presenting living history programs last Saturday captured by Volunteer ...
09/14/2026

Here are some scenes of our dedicated volunteers presenting living history programs last Saturday captured by Volunteer Photographers Dan Schafer and David Williams.

🌳We're pleased to report that volunteers from Middle Tennessee Electric and local tree service companies will be helping...
09/14/2026

🌳We're pleased to report that volunteers from Middle Tennessee Electric and local tree service companies will be helping us manage the trees in Stones River National Cemetery and other park sites on Wednesday September 16, 2026, as part of the nationwide Saluting Branches event.🌲

🚧Stones River National Cemetery and the Hazen Brigade Monument area will be closed to the public while our volunteers work with chainsaws, chippers, stump grinders, lifts and trucks.🚧

We hope to have the Hazen Brigade Monument accessible by noon. Work in the national cemetery will run through 3 PM. We will post status updates here.

Junior Rangers are also “artists in the park”! This past Junior Ranger Day, they painted and drew what they saw on the b...
09/13/2026

Junior Rangers are also “artists in the park”! This past Junior Ranger Day, they painted and drew what they saw on the battlefield. Their art can be seen on display in our visitor center!

If you have completed a Junior Ranger Booklet and want your cover art to be featured, send it to us so we can share it!

This morning we shared the 250th Stories of Service and Sacrifice post. But don’t worry, we’re not stopping here! There ...
09/12/2026

This morning we shared the 250th Stories of Service and Sacrifice post. But don’t worry, we’re not stopping here! There are still thousands of Stones River National Cemetery stories for us to share. We plan to post at least two per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

We need your help to keep this project going. We're asking those who have loved ones interred in Stones River National Cemetery to share photos, documents, and stories. You can contact us at [email protected]. We will also be opening a volunteer opportunity to help us research write new stories. Stay tuned for more details.

Thank you for letting us share these stories with you. We hope you will continue to enjoy and learn from them in the future.

The Stories of Service and Sacrifice initiative aims to preserve the personal journeys of these veterans that contribute to America’s shared heritage. This archive of honor holds memories that we will preserve in the years to come!



NPS Image

Stories of Service and SacrificeGrace Truman Eddins was born April 4, 1910, in Davidson County, Tennessee, the second of...
09/12/2026

Stories of Service and Sacrifice

Grace Truman Eddins was born April 4, 1910, in Davidson County, Tennessee, the second of six children. After losing her father and a sibling, Grace, her mother, and two siblings moved to Wilson County to live with her grandfather. By the early 1930s, Grace had finished high school and worked at a rayon mill before pursuing nursing at Nashville General Hospital. She enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps (ANC) in 1936 as a Second Lieutenant.

With the onset of World War II, Grace was sent overseas. She earned a Bronze Star Medal for her meritorious combat care and was promoted to captain in 1946, then honorably discharged. Post-war, she continued her medical career at Scott Field in Illinois, maintaining her connection to the ANC.

During the Korean War, Grace reenlisted in 1951 and provided urgent care on the front lines. She rose to major in 1953. She advanced to lieutenant colonel in 1958, later serving as chief nurse at the U.S. Military Academy, Walter Reed Army Hospital, and Tripler General Hospital in Hawai'i. Her honors included the Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal, and Distinguished Service Medal. She also remained active in the American Legion and Tennessee Nurse Association, retiring in 1963 after 27 years of service.

Grace’s legacy of military service traced back to her great-grandfather, Sgt. Lewis Whitfield Westbrook, killed at Gettysburg, and other ancestors from the Revolutionary War. She died December 25, 1973, at age 63 in Nashville. Though she had no immediate survivors, her story lives on through the Stories of Service and Sacrifice initiative. Grace is honored as one of the few female veterans buried in the cemetery and as one of the highest-ranking officers.

Grace Truman Eddins is laid to rest in Stones River National Cemetery in plot T-7099. You can read more details about Grace's story at go.nps.gov/sacrifice.

Stories of Service and Sacrifice is an initiative remembering at least 250 individuals buried at Stones River National Cemetery and their contributions to our nation’s 250-year story.

Stories of Service and Sacrifice Samuel W. Leap (see also Samuel W. Lear) was born in Saluda, Indiana, in 1843. He was t...
09/11/2026

Stories of Service and Sacrifice

Samuel W. Leap (see also Samuel W. Lear) was born in Saluda, Indiana, in 1843. He was the fifth of John and Esther Leap’s ten children.

On August 15, 1861, Samuel enlisted as a private in Company E of the 22nd Indiana Infantry at Madison, Indiana. The 22nd Indiana mustered into service at Indianapolis, Indiana the same day. Then, Leap and the 22nd Indiana moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where they joined the army of General John C. Fremont.

Samuel and his comrades joined the siege of Corinth Mississippi in May 1862, then moved to Louisville Kentucky as Union forces converged to head off Confederate Braxton Bragg’s invasion of Kentucky. That campaign ended with the Battle of Perryville on October 8, 1862.

In late November, the 22nd Indiana joined the Army of the Cumberland at Nashville, Tennessee and began the campaign leading to the Battle of Stones River on December 26, 1862. On December 31, 1862, Samuel and the 22nd found themselves on their army’s right flank of Col. Sidney Post’s brigade. While there, General Jefferson C. Davis ordered Post to counterattack against Confederate Gen. Patrick Cleburne’s attacking troops. The Confederate advance was too powerful driving Post’s men back in disarray. It was during this time that Private Samuel W. Leap (Samuel W. Lear) was killed in action.

Samuel W. Leap (Samuel W. Lear) is laid to rest in the Stones River National Cemetery in Plot D-1478.

You can read more about Samuel Leap and other stories spanning more than 160 years of service to our nation and its ideals at go.nps.gov/sacrifice.

Stories of Service and Sacrifice is an initiative remembering at least 250 individuals buried at Stones River National Cemetery and their contributions to our nation’s 250-year story.

09/11/2026

Will you be stamping your Passport at Stones River National Battlefield this weekend? 🏞️🤔

Join the park this Saturday, September 12th, for two special programs. Start your morning at the park with a living history event, "The Confederates Fight for Murfreesboro." Visitors can watch living historians demonstrate the weapons and tactics of the Confederate Army of Tennessee's three main branches: artillery, cavalry, and infantry. Then in the evening you can attend "Hallowed Ground," a lantern tour of Stones River National Cemetery. Visitors will get a chance to appreciate the human stories within the cemetery by listening to soldiers and civilians share their experiences through the letters they wrote and received during the conflict.

Stories of Service and Sacrifice Thomas Dunlap, also listed as Thomas Danlap, was born in Crawford County, Illinois, aro...
09/10/2026

Stories of Service and Sacrifice

Thomas Dunlap, also listed as Thomas Danlap, was born in Crawford County, Illinois, around 1827. By 1860, he was working as a farmer in Hardinsville, Illinois and living with his wife, Mary, and their children: Presley, William, John, Mary Ann, Hannah, and Richard.

On February 11, 1865, Thomas enlisted as a Private in Company H of the 152nd Illinois Infantry. Shortly after mustering in, the 152nd moved south, first to Nashville, Tennessee, and then to Tullahoma in March 1865, where the manned blockhouses guarding the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad. It was during this service that Thomas fell ill.

According to the U.S. Register of Deaths of Volunteers, he died on March 18, 1865, from chronic diarrhea.

Thomas Dunlap is buried today at Stones River National Cemetery in Plot A‑4.

You can read more about Thomas Dunlap and other stories spanning more than 160 years of service to our nation and its ideals at go.nps.gov/sacrifice.

Stories of Service and Sacrifice is an initiative remembering at least 250 individuals buried at Stones River National Cemetery and their contributions to our nation’s 250-year story.

Frustration was the watchword for the men gray serving the Army of Tennessee's cannons. They strove to support their inf...
09/09/2026

Frustration was the watchword for the men gray serving the Army of Tennessee's cannons. They strove to support their infantry while struggling against landscape obstacles, faulty equipment, and enemy's powerful artillery. Join us at 10 AM and 1 PM on Saturday September 12 to learn how the Confederate cannoneers grappled with these challenges and watch a volunteer crew fire a cannon.

NPS Photo

Stories of Service and Sacrifice John Cobb was born in 1841 in the small community of Palestine, Illinois, as one of sev...
09/09/2026

Stories of Service and Sacrifice

John Cobb was born in 1841 in the small community of Palestine, Illinois, as one of seven children of Clinton and Pharebah Cobb. By 1860, he had struck out on his own and was working as a printer.

On February 11, 1865, as the Civil War neared its end, Cobb enlisted as a Private in Company H of the 152nd Illinois Infantry in Olney. The regiment formed shortly afterward at Camp Butler in Springfield before moving south through Nashville to Tullahoma, Tennessee. There, the 152nd Illinois Infantry was assigned to guard the vital Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad, an essential supply line for Union operations. While carrying out this duty, Cobb fell ill and died on March 13, 1865. His cause of death was chronic diarrhea, a common and often deadly ailment among Civil War soldiers.

Today, he is buried in an unknown grave within Stones River National Cemetery.

If you have a family member buried in Stones River National Cemetery and would like us to share their story, contact us at [email protected] and include any photos or documentation you are willing to share.

You can read more about John Cobb and other stories spanning more than 160 years of service to our nation and its ideals at go.nps.gov/sacrifice.

Stories of Service and Sacrifice is an initiative remembering at least 250 individuals buried at Stones River National Cemetery and their contributions to our nation’s 250-year story.

Address

3501 Old Nashville Highway
Murfreesboro, TN
37129

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+16158939501

Website

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