The Cavalries at Stones River

At the Battle of Stones River, General David Stanley’s Union cavalry repeatedly fought General Joseph Wheeler’s Confederate cavalry. The campaign saw some of the most desperately fought mounted engagements in the Civil War’s Western Theater and marked the end of the Southern cavalry’s dominance in Tennessee. This history describes the events leading up to the battle and the key actions, including the December 31 attack by Wheeler’s cavalry, the Union counterattack, the repulse of General John Wharton by the 1st Michigan Engineers and Wheeler’s daring raid on the rear of Williams Rosecrans’ army. The author reassesses the actions of General John Pegram’s cavalry brigade.

Dennis W. Belcher has edited or authored nine books on the Civil War and has published in the North & South magazine. He lives in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Dennis W. Belcher
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 304
Bibliographic Info: 62 photos, 13 maps, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2017
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6536-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2851-6
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix
Foreword by Jim Lewis 1
Preface 3
Part One: Opening Moves
1.  Bragg Leaves Kentucky and Two Armies Move (October 9–31, 1862) 9
2. Two Cavalries in Middle Tennessee (November 1–30, 1862) 35
3. A Decision to Fight (December 1–25, 1862) 57
Part Two: Two Cavalries
4. The Cavalry of the Army of the Cumberland 77
5. The Cavalry of the Army of Tennessee 94
Part Three: Battle of Stones River
6. The Advance on Murfreesboro—First Phase (December 26–28) 113
7. The Advance on Murfreesboro—Second Phase (December 29–30) 137
8. The Cavalry Battle of Stones River (December 31, Early Morning) 153
9. The Cavalry Battle of Stones River (December 31, Late Morning) 173
10. On the East Flank—Pegram’s Cavalry (December 31) 196
11. Stanley and Wheeler Arrive on the Battlefield (Afternoon, December 31) 210
12. Cavalry Actions (January 1–5) 222
Conclusion 242
Chapter Notes 253
Bibliography 275
Index 285

• “Belcher has done extensive research, and it show in the amount of information he provides on the calvary commands of both sides. It is an important contribution to scholarship on the Civil War in Middle Tennessee”—Civil War News

• “Solidly written and extensively researched…excellent”—Civil War Monitor

• [This is Belcher’s] best work to date.”—Civil War Books & Authors

• “Comprehensively detailed history…informative…inherently fascinating read…very highly recommended”—The Midwest Book Review