Posted: Sunday, December 21, 2008 7:38 am

From Friday Dec. 26, 2008 through Sunday Jan. 4, 2009, park rangers and volunteers present programs to commemorate the 146th anniversary of the Battle of Stones River.

The Battle of Stones River was one of the bloodiest and most significant battles in the Western Theater of the Civil War. After three days of intense fighting, nearly one-third of the 81,000 men who fought here were killed, wounded or captured. It was the first step in a campaign that would see the capture of Chattanooga and Atlanta and end in Sherman’s “March to the Sea.”

Ranger Program Schedule: Weekdays, Dec. 26 and Dec. 29-Jan. 1, feature ranger-led programs that tellthe story of the Stones River Campaign. Each day’s programs will begin at 11 a.m. with a half-hour talk. At 1 p.m., a ranger will guide visitors on a one-hour battlefield walk. At 2 p.m. each day, visitors are invited to tour the battlefield with a ranger.

Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 27-28, Friday through Sunday Jan. 2, 3 and 4 feature a series of living history programs designed to help visitors understand the battle from multiple viewpoints.

Living History Program Schedule

These weekend programs can be viewed individually or visitors can choose to follow the ranger to each program and take a living history tour of the battlefield.

Saturday, Dec. 27

10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. (Visitor Center) – The Battle Approaches: Join a Union soldier and a Confederate civilian as they describe their experiences prior to the Battle of Stones River.

11 a.m. and 2 p.m. (Tour Stop 2) – The Slaughter Pen: Listen to two soldiers talk about their experiences in one of the deadliest places on the battlefield and then watch Union infantry fire from the limestone boulders that were at once a refuge and a death trap.

11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. (Tour Stop 3) – The Cotton Field: A Union and Confederate soldier will tell the story of the terrible fighting along the Nashville Pike followed by Confederate infantry making a firing advance into the field only to be stopped by Federal cannon fire.

Noon and 3 p.m. (Visitor Center) – Breckinridge’s Charge: Two soldiers will tell their tales of the bloody climax of the battle and then Union infantry and artillery will demonstrate their martial skills.

3:30 p.m.  (Visitor  Center) – The Line That Wouldn’t Break: Listen to more soldiers’ stories describing the decisive fighting along the Nashville Pike on Dec. 31, 1862, and watch as Union infantry and artillery and Confederate infantry drill and fire.

Sunday, Dec. 28

11 a.m. (Visitor Center) - The Battle Approaches

11:30 a.m. (Tour Stop 2) - The Slaughter Pen

Noon (Tour Stop 3) - The Cotton Field

12:30 p.m. (Visitor Center) - Breckinridge’s Charge

2 p.m. (Visitor Center) - The Line That Wouldn’t Break

On Friday Jan. 2, Union artillery will take the field near the park visitor center to present demonstrations that will tell the tale of the bloody climax of the battle 146 years earlier. At 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., the cannoneers tell their tale of the bloody fighting that ended one of the most important battles of the Civil War.

On Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 3-4, visitors will get a chance to listen to the stories of Union and Confederate soldiers as they remember their experiences during the Battle of Stones River. Programs will be offered at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. each day. Musket firing demonstrations will follow the programs at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The programs at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. will include cannon firing demonstrations.

A detailed schedule of these programs is available at www.nps.gov/stri/planyourvisit/events.htm. These programs are part of a series of interpretive programs offered at the battlefield during the year. Stones River National Battlefield is located on the Old Nashville Highway, northwest of Murfreesboro.