Hey everyone, welcome to episode number 243 of our Civil War podcast.

My name is Rich.

And I'm Tracy.

Hello y'all.

Thanks for tuning into the podcast.

We're going to pick back up with the story right where we left off.

At about 8 a.m. on the morning at the last day of 1862,

with the Confederate attack on the southern portion of the battlefield

having already smashed the Union right by overwhelming two enemy divisions there.

Yep, but in the last show we'd said that the federal commander, William Rose Cran's,

had also planned to attack that morning.

In fact, the opposing commanders had both come up with the same plan,

defend on their right, and attack the enemy with their left.

We already know that the Confederate assault got off to a smashing start

on the morning of December 31st, but what happened to Rose Cran's plan to attack the rebels?

Well, old Rosie had started New Year's Eve Day at the headquarters

of left wing commander Thomas Cretenden near McFadden's Ford on Stone's River.

Rose Cran's and his staff heard the firing to the south on the federal right,

but apparently thought little of it.

Since when McCook's wing of the army had been grinding forward into position the day before,

there had been some sharp combat on that part of the battlefield.

And now Rose Cran's seems to have assumed that the sounds of battle coming from that direction

...