Number of casualties at the Battle of Stones River 1862-1863

Of all the major battles of the American Civil War, the Battle of Stones River had the highest percentage of casualties. Approximately 76 thousand men took part in the battle, with just under one third becoming casualties. The battle itself took place at the turn of 1862-1863, and began on the morning of December 31, when both the Union army of Major General William S. Rosecrans, and the Confederate army of General Braxton Bragg, planned to attack one another, with Bragg launching his attack first and catching the Union army by surprise (much like at the Battle of Shiloh). A strong defense, quickly mounted by Brigadier General Philip Sheridan, was able to prevent a total catastrophe, and the Union were then able to establish a defensive line which held out through repeated attacks from Bragg's men. Due to the threat of Confederate cavalry and high Union casualties on the first day, Rosecrans ensured that the convoys of wounded men were heavily guarded. When Bragg saw this he assumed that the Union army was retreating, and decided not to press the attack. On the final day the tide had turned in the Union's favor, and they were able to use their strategically placed artillery to repel the Confederate army, inflicting heavy casualties in the process. Although the overall result was inconclusive, it was a morale boost for the Union, who had suffered a string of defeats in the previous battles.

在所有美国内战的重要战役中，斯通河战役的伤亡比例最高。约七万六千名士兵参与了此次战役，其中不足三分之一的人成为伤亡者。这场战役发生于1862年至1863年的交界之际，于12月31日清晨爆发，当时威廉·S·罗斯克兰斯少将率领的联邦军队与布拉克斯顿·布拉格将军指挥的邦联军均计划相互发起攻击，布拉格率先发起攻势，令联邦军队措手不及（与希洛战役情形类似）。菲利普·谢里登准将迅速组织起强有力的防御，成功地阻止了全面灾难的发生，联邦军队随后建立了一条防御线，并在布拉格军队的反复攻击中坚守不退。鉴于邦联军骑兵的威胁以及联邦军队在第一天的高伤亡，罗斯克兰斯确保了伤员运输队伍得到了严密的保护。布拉格见到这一情况后，误以为联邦军队正在撤退，因此决定不再继续进攻。在最后一天，战局开始有利于联邦军队，他们得以利用战略位置上的炮兵击退邦联军，并在过程中造成了对方严重的伤亡。尽管总体战果尚无定论，但对联邦军队而言，这是一次 morale 的提升，因为在之前的战斗中，他们曾遭遇连串的败绩。