As the dawn rose over the smoking hulk of Fort Sumter and the war clouds finally erupted in a blaze of gun shells zeroing in on the former protector of Charleston, South Carolina, the widely dispersed forces of the Regular Army of the United States began to gather facing the storm as it lashed across the landscape. In the west, Regular Army regiments formed into what became the Regular Brigade.
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A three-day affair to end 1862 and begin the new year, the Battle of Stones River – also known as the Battle of Murfreesboro – resulted in the highest percentage of casualties of any major battle of the American Civil War. 32.7% of the 78,400 who fought died, became wounded or went missing or captured after the battle’s end. Four brigadier generals died either outright or from mortal wounds from the battle – two on each side. Braxton Bragg’s newly renamed Army of Tennessee moved first on the morning of 31 December rolling through the Federal lines. But true to his nature, Bragg would find a way to turn victory into a tactical defeat. Much of Tennessee remained under Federal control as 1863 began.
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