We spent a rainy morning walking through the Stones River National Battlefield and National Cemetery. This field is where one of the worst battles of the American Civil War was fought.

The Union army was losing the war, they had been defeated over and over again. In the last days of December 1862, the two sides faced off. It was the bloodiest conflict of the entire war. They sought to advance over the Middle Tennessee area.

Through some key strategic moves the Union army prevailed and the Confederate army was pushed back. This battle was a major turning point in the war for the Union. It was essential to the country as it strengthened the Emancipation Proclamation. President Lincoln would put forth this proclamation only a few weeks later.

President Lincoln commented on the significance of the victory in this battle. He remarked that a defeat would have meant the country would never recover. It was a powerful thing to consider as we walked around the battlefield. Our country would be very different if the Union had lost this battle. Indeed, it would be different had they lost the war.

The battlefield remains naturally wild. Only a few paths have been put in place. These paths take visitors past some of the Civil War cannons. The cannons remain as a tribute to such a horrific battle.

We walked through the battlefield. Then, we made our way across the street to the Stones River National Cemetery. Thousands of soldiers who died in that conflict are buried there. Row upon row of small white stones display the name of the soldier. They also show the state they came from.

But there are also thousands of gravesites marked by nothing but a smaller stone with a number on it. These belong to those who were buried unidentified. Pennies have been laid atop the stones with President Lincoln’s face facing up. This honors those who gave their lives for our united country. It also commemorates the price paid for that unity.

One headstone in particular had a small collection of pennies on it. It belonged to an 11-year-old boy who had come to fight for the Union. He died in that battle.

The cemetery is a humbling reminder of our country’s history and what it cost us to remain united.

I felt very honored to walk through the cemetery today. I left pennies to those that fought in such a terrible battle. Living in Tennessee has given us an interesting perspective. We are right at the middle of what would have been the two ideologies of the Civil War.

Our country’s unity is somewhat strained these days as politics seeks to divide us. I can’t help but think of all these soldiers- willing to fight their countrymen fighting to keep us together as a nation. United we stand, but divided we fall- a thought we need to remember as we move forward.

What a humbling and powerful experience to walk through the battlefield and cemetery today.