Hartsville TN008
1862-12-07 to 1862-12-07 · TN · Stones River Campaign [December 1862-January 1863] · frozen result: Confederate · NPS summary (as listed)
The 39th Brigade, XIV Army Corps, was guarding the Cumberland River crossing at Hartsville to prevent Confederate cavalry from raiding. Under the cover of darkness, Brig. Gen. John H. Morgan crossed the river in the early morning of December 7, 1862. Col. Absalom B. Moore, commander of the 39th Brigade, stated in his after action report, that Morgan's advance had worn Union blue uniforms which got them through the videttes. Morgan approached the Union camp, the pickets sounded the alarm, and held the Rebels until the brigade was in battle line. The fighting commenced at 6:45 am and continued until about 8:30 am. One of Moore's units ran, which caused confusion and helped to force the Federals to fall back. By 8:30 am, the Confederates had surrounded the Federals, convincing them to surrender. This action at Hartsville, located north of Murfreesboro, was a preliminary to the Confederate cavalry raids by Forrest into West Tennessee, December 1862-January 1863, and Morgan into Kentucky, December 1862-January 1863.
Command responsibility (ledger v2)
US: Absalom B. Moore
Grade A under rule 2; echelon brigade.
A cited passage states the command.
Colonelarnold-cwsac-commanders, battle TN008, belligerent US, fullname Absalom B. Moore; column rank · snapshot
6c587c298717…Col. Absalom B. Moore, commander of the 39th Brigadearnold-cwsac-battles, battle TN008; column description · snapshot
952b5d08402a…Confederate: John Hunt Morgan
Grade A under rule 2; echelon unknown.
A cited passage states the command.
Brigadier Generalarnold-cwsac-commanders, battle TN008, belligerent Confederate, fullname John Hunt Morgan; column rank · snapshot
6c587c298717…Morgan's command consisted of his cavalry, and two regi- ments of infantry.cist-stones-river-selections-v1 · snapshot
a3bcccf96ada…Side strength (ledger v3)
US: grade A, 2,000 (1,900–2,100)
basis_mixedsingle_inputwhole_engagement_leakage
| Input | Class | Printed | Basis | Bound | Codes | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| us-cist | A | 2,000 | reported_effective | dossier claim reported-force-scope |
Confederate: grade B, 2,000 (1,700–2,300)
basis_mixedderivation_unknownsingle_inputwhole_engagement_leakage
| Input | Class | Printed | Basis | Bound | Codes | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cs-clodfelter | B | 2,000 | unknown | derivation_unknown | 2000arnold-clodfelter-forces, battle_id Hartsville, belligerent Confederate; column strength · snapshot 96430f3626d3… |
Dossier claims
Draft dossier, revision opening-strength-rationale-propagation-2026-09-25. Claims are extraction records with their quoted passages, not historical adjudication. JSON
information
disputedunresolved NPS says the pickets sounded the alarm and held Morgan until the brigade formed, and cites Moore's report that Morgan's advance wore Union uniforms; Cist says Moore was surprised and no warning was given by the pickets.
The sources conflict on whether warning was given; neither is adopted. Moore's report is summarized by NPS, not inspected.
the pickets sounded the alarm, and held the Rebels until the brigade was in battle line.nps-tn008-v1, Description · snapshot
a14ca5aa8c47…Morgan's advance had worn Union blue uniforms which got them through the videttes.nps-tn008-v1, Description · snapshot
a14ca5aa8c47…No warning was given by the picketscist-stones-river-selections-v1, p.82 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
a3bcccf96ada…Moore was surprised in his camp early in the morning.cist-stones-river-selections-v1, p.82 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
a3bcccf96ada…logistics
supportedpost_outcome Cist says the entire command was captured with its army and camp equipment, trains and two guns.
Post-outcome material consequence; no inspected inventory.
his entire command captured, with all army and camp equip- ment, trains, and two pieces of artillery.cist-stones-river-selections-v1, p.83 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
a3bcccf96ada…objectives
supportedinherited NPS says the brigade guarded the Cumberland River crossing against cavalry raids; Cist says Thomas posted it to guard the ford and watch the Lebanon road.
Inherited assignment for the Union brigade, from summaries; no inspected order. The Confederate objective is not established beyond the attack itself.
was guarding the Cumberland River crossing at Hartsville to prevent Confederate cavalry from raiding.nps-tn008-v1, Description · snapshot
a14ca5aa8c47…where he had been posted by Thomas to guard the ford of the Cumberland Biver, and to watch the enemy on the Lebanon road.cist-stones-river-selections-v1, p.82 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
a3bcccf96ada…outcome
supportedpost_outcome The frozen result remains Confederate victory. NPS times the fight from 6:45 to about 8:30 a.m.; Cist says it lasted a little over an hour and ended with the whole command surrendering.
Retain the original result and engagement interval; later movements and campaign contribution are different measures. No new probabilities or individual causal credit.
The fighting commenced at 6:45 am and continued until about 8:30 am.nps-tn008-v1, Description · snapshot
a14ca5aa8c47…The contest only lasted a lit- tle over an hour.cist-stones-river-selections-v1, p.83 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
a3bcccf96ada…the white flag was raised, and the entire com- mand surrendered.cist-stones-river-selections-v1, p.82 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
a3bcccf96ada…disputedpost_outcome The frozen casualty text reads 2,004 total (US 1,855; CS 149); the live NPS field reads 2235 total (US 2096; CS 139;). Cist gives Moore's loss as 150 killed and wounded with the whole command captured, and Morgan's as 125.
Original casualty returns were not inspected; preserve totals, categories, cutoffs and differences. No canonical reconciliation or casualty-based opening count; related actions must not be added without resolving population overlap. Captured troops dominate the Union figure and are not an opening strength.
2,004 total (US 1,855; CS 149)arnold-cwsac-battles, battle TN008; column casualties_text · snapshot
952b5d08402a…Moore's loss was 150 killed and woundedcist-stones-river-selections-v1, p.83 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
a3bcccf96ada…Morgan's loss was 125 killed and wounded.cist-stones-river-selections-v1, p.83 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
a3bcccf96ada…responsibility
supportedunresolved Cist says the infantry regiment commanders failed to cooperate or obey orders, and that Tafel's regiment resisted separately; NPS says one of Moore's units ran.
Attributed judgments about subordinate conduct; Moore, the listed commander, does not receive automatic sole responsibility for the result.
the commanding officers of the infantry regiments failed to co- operate, or to obey orders.cist-stones-river-selections-v1, p.82 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
a3bcccf96ada…made some further resistance, but, being over- powered, he also surrendered.cist-stones-river-selections-v1, p.83 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
a3bcccf96ada…Colonel Tafel, in command of the One Hundred and Sixth Ohio, becoming separated from thecist-stones-river-selections-v1, p.82 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
a3bcccf96ada…disputedunresolved The frozen and live records rank Morgan Brigadier General; Cist says his commission as Brigadier-General was signed by Davis after Hartsville.
Rank at the time of the action is disputed; the frozen rank is retained and no command credit follows from it.
Brigadier Generalarnold-cwsac-commanders, battle TN008, belligerent Confederate, fullname John Hunt Morgan; column rank · snapshot
6c587c298717…Mr. Davis, who was on a visit to Murfreesboro shortly after this engagement, signed and handed him his commission as Brigadier-General.cist-stones-river-selections-v1, p.83 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
a3bcccf96ada…strength
unknownunresolved
No inspected return establishes matched personnel at a common opening boundary. The frozen side-specific numerical strength bounds are blank (missing_numeric_strength). No figure in this pass is adopted as a simultaneous opening force.
supportedunresolved The frozen force field names the 39th Brigade and a two-brigade Confederate expeditionary force; the live field reads zero. Cist says the brigade had three infantry regiments, a cavalry battalion and an artillery section, about two thousand effectives, and that Morgan had his cavalry and two infantry regiments.
Cist's effective figure is a retrospective estimate, not an inspected return; no Confederate count is given. Live zeros are not measured absence.
39th Brigade, XIV Army Corps (Army of the Cumberland) [US]; expeditionary force (two brigades) [CS]arnold-cwsac-battles, battle TN008; column forces_text · snapshot
952b5d08402a…consisted of three infantry regiments, a battalion of cavalry, and a section of artillery, making a force of about two thou- sand effective men.cist-stones-river-selections-v1, p.82 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
a3bcccf96ada…Morgan's command consisted of his cavalry, and two regi- ments of infantry.cist-stones-river-selections-v1, p.82 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
a3bcccf96ada…terrain
supportedunresolved Cist says the command was badly posted; the Confederates advanced under shelter of a ravine at the foot of Moore's hill, and the Union troops were crowded into a narrow space.
Retrospective position description; 'badly posted' is Cist's judgment. No map verification.
The command was badly postedcist-stones-river-selections-v1, p.82 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
a3bcccf96ada…to a ravine at the foot of the hill on which Moore had formed his linecist-stones-river-selections-v1, p.82 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
a3bcccf96ada…into a narrow space where the fire of the enemy proved terribly effective.cist-stones-river-selections-v1, p.82 (OCR page markers; not checked against print) · snapshot
a3bcccf96ada…Open questions
- Moore's report, returns, the picket-warning dispute and Morgan's commission date remain deferred.
- NPS/CWSAC is one family; Cist is one interested retrospective Union staff history, here reused from the pinned 1882 OCR through a new selection. Reports quoted inside Cist are not additional independently inspected families.
- No automatic commander attribution, causal campaign score, morale/readiness number or battle/campaign double counting.