Tales from the road: A vanishing act at Stones River battlefield

Stan Hutson stands on site of Day 1 fighting -- Dec. 31, 1862 -- being prepped for development.

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Whenever feeling a need for a downer, I make a beeline on the interstate from Nashville to Murfreesboro, where city planners give developers free rein to carve up hallowed ground for another strip center, apartment complex or housing development. Think of it as as the Fredericksburg, Va., of the Western Theater.

“Park over there,” my friend Stan directs Civil War travel pal/driver Jack, who once hypnotized me at dawn at Fort Granger in Franklin, Tenn. He pulls off into a gravel parking area of a construction site.

Roughly a half-mile behind us is core Stones River battlefield of the national military park, which includes the infamous Slaughter Pen. In front of us, several hundred yards from a Rooms To Go furniture store and a Whataburger, we spot construction equipment and a vast, mostly barren scene reminiscent of the surface of the moon. In the far distance stand two mountains of dirt.

“I guarantee you’d find a cannon ball or two in there,” says Stan, who hunts for relics on private property (with permission) on the battlefield in his spare time. To our right, near an earthmover, he unearthed 500 percussion caps, evidence of the intense fighting on this hallowed ground on Dec. 31, 1862 — Day 1 of the Battle of Stones River.

Going, going ... Day 1 Stones River battlefield

Every day, pitiless developers carve up more of this unheralded battlefield, where nearly 25,000 Americans became casualties over three days. In a few months, the moon-like scene before us will be occupied by more urban schlock, perhaps including Murfreesboro’s 507th McDonald’s, 52nd Circle K or 21st Wendy’s.

Only a fraction of this vast battlefield is part of the national military park. For the rest, it’s open season. History is not winning this battle. From the Whataburger parking lot, we get a Confederate soldier’s view of this vanishing battlefield.

Stan Hutson holds a battle map on the Day 3
field (Jan. 2, 1863), now a residential housing
development.

“I found a bunch of of bullets over by those Porta Potties,” Stan says, pointing roughly 20 yards away.

After lunch at Buster’s bar — Jack paid, so it tasted much better than regular grub — we venture to scene of fighting on Day 3 of the Battle of Stones River. What once a was soybean field is now being prepped for a tony residential housing development. To our left, on ground where soldiers clashed on Jan. 2, 1863, stands a mega-mansion under construction.

“Dream Acres Pool Company,” reads the sign in the front yard.

“This,” Stan says, holding a battle map, “is the heart of the Day 3 battlefield.” He speculates Confederate artillery fired from a tree line in the far distance, near Sinking Creek.

My gawd, what’s happening to the Stones River battlefield? Blink and the rest of it soon may be gone.

A McMansion on Day 3 Stones River hallowed ground

Above and below: Drone views of Day 3 Stones River battlefield.