Redoubt Brannan
Fortress Rosecans
... scattered about on the most commanding positions inside the [fortress] are four or five "redoubts" or small square forts, mounting heavy siege guns, which completely command the lunettes and also the surrounding country. These works are all named for prominent Generals in this army...
- Harvey Reid, corporal, 22nd Wisconsin Infantry, Company A
The Civil War earthwork you see here was just a small part of Fortress Rosecrans. Almost three miles of earthworks, blockhouses, and cannon protected the railroad, warehouses, and ammunition magazines.
Union engineers laid out the walls large enough so that the defenses could shelter 50,000 men and store food for the Army of the Cumberland for up to 90 days.
This earthwork was named for Brigadier General John M. Brannan, a native of Washington, D.C. An 1841 West Point graduate, General Brannan commanded a division of more than 6,000 men in Rosecran's army in 1863.
Today you can explore parts of Fortress Rosecrans by following the Stones River Greenway and Lytle Creek Greenway trails.
Attention to Orders
No one should be allowed to walk on the parapets, nor move or sit upon the gabions, barrels, or sandbags that may be placed upon them.
by Order of
Major General William S. Rosecrans, commanding Army of the Cumberland, United States Army.
Soldiers used sod to keep these earthen walls from eroding. The National Park Service continues that work by planting native grasses. These plants stabilize the earthworks while they improve the health of this national park's wildlife.
Marker is on West College Street, on the right when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
