Avenging a Brother: Lt. Col. John E. Murray of the 5th Arkansas at Stones River

During theBattle of Stones River, both the Army of Tennessee and Army of the Cumberlandfeatured regiments led by “boy” colonels. 20-year-old Colonel James BrownForman led the 15th Kentucky Infantry, part of Colonel John Beatty’sbrigade of Lovell Rousseau’s division, and the story of his demise has been previouslyshared on this blog [see "Swallowed by the Cedars: A Day with the 15th Kentucky"]. 

    It wasn’t until recently, however, that I cameacross a couple of letters from the other “boy” colonel which fleshes out thestory of this extraordinary soldier. Lieutenant Colonel John Edward Murrayled the 5th Arkansas Infantry with much acclaim throughout theBattle of Stones River. As part of General St. John R. Liddell’s all-Arkansasbrigade, Murray’s regiment fought throughout December 31, crossing swords withColonel Philemon Baldwin’s brigade in the fighting near the Jenkins woodlot inthe morning and later against elements of Van Cleve’s division near Asbury Roadaround midday.

In the course of the fighting, the Arkansans captured a setof national colors but lost heavily, losing (by Colonel Murray’s account) 159killed and wounded. After the color bearers and guards were all shot down,Colonel Murray seized the colors himself and led the regiment towards NashvillePike. His gallantry was noticed by General Patrick Cleburne who said Murray “borethe colors of his regiment through the hottest of the fight and by his own brightexample encouraged his men to despise danger.”

What makes Colonel Murray’s story a bit unusual is that hewas all of 19 years old when he led his regiment through Stones River, makinghim the youngest commanding officer of either army at the battle.

          Shortly after the battle, ColonelMurray wrote a few letters home to his family back in Arkansas. The family was thenbeset with the news that Colonel Murray’s younger brother Robert had beenkilled during the battle of Corinth back in October. Both letters were sharedwith the Daily Arkansas Gazette long after the war, being firstpublished in their August 23, 1889, edition.

 Hardee-style colors of the 5th Arkansas Infantry. During the Battle of Stones River, three color bearers were shot down in succession during the fighting near the Asbury Road; Colonel Murray grasped the colors himself and led the regiment for another mile towards the Nashville Pike. 

In thisfirst letter written to his younger sister Leila, Colonel Murray references thedeath of his younger brother Robert Murray who was killed at the Battle ofCorinth (October 3-4, 1862) while serving as a corporal in Co. A of the 12thArkansas Battalion of Sharpshooters. His brother was just 16 years of age whileColonel Murray was just 19 at the time he wrote this letter.

Wartrace,Tennessee

January 10,1863

My dearsister,

          Your letter containing an account ofBobbie’s death was received while I was encamped at College Green, Tennesseeand I wished very much to answer it at once but found it absolutely impossibleto do so on account of the confusion and bustle which always precedes a battle.We were preparing to move to Murfreesboro at the time so I was compelled todefer my answer until after the battle.

          I had received the news of poor Bobbie’sdeath a week before I received your letter. I had seen a letter from Mr. Andersonto his son Joe which mentioned his death. However much I may have been shockedand disturbed at his death, I was not greatly surprised for I had heard that Cabell’sbrigade was cut all to pieces and the certain information of his death was onlythe confirmation of my worst fears.

          It is natural, dear sister, that weshould mourn his loss, still we ought not to give way to unrestrained grief. Weshould endeavor to recollect that his death was a glorious one and one that anySouthern youth might envy. He died upon the field of battle amid the dead anddying of both armies and his requiem was the dull, heavy roar and the sharprattling of musketry. He died not like the Northern minions for pay andplunder, but for principle and the dearest rights of man. Let it be our boastthat we had a brother who sacrificed his life in the holy cause of Southernindependence. Had he died like the thousands of Northern minions whose bloodhas enriched our soil since this struggle began, then indeed, would you and Iand all his relatives have cause to weep, but thank God, it is not so.

          He sacrificed himself on the altar ofhis country, a glorious offering to liberty. Let us not weep for him butrejoice that he is so much better off. Besides, in a struggle like this, everyson of liberty is amply revenged. Bobbie’s already has been. I went into thebattle of Murfreesboro determined to avenge his death and I did it. It is true,situated as I was, I could not do much with my own hand, but I carried my menwhere the Yankees were thickest and the long dark line of dead Federal thatmarked the track of the Arkansas brigade fully attest the truth of theassertion that every Arkansan who has fallen in the war has been fully avenged.

          For five miles across the country infront of the town of Murfreesboro, the tracks of this brigade could be followedby the files of Yankees who had closed their eyes forever on this earth. Theloss of my regiment was heavy, very heavy, being 159 killed and wounded, but Iam confidence that we killed or wounded four times that number of the enemy.They made four stands while passing over those five miles, but only once didour troops halt after starting from their first position. Whenever the enemyhalted, we started forward with a Rebel yell and never failed to break theirlines and send them flying to the rear. I had two horses shot under me but wasnot touched myself.

Youraffectionate brother, Edward

General Liddell's Arkansas brigade held the divisional left flank during Cleburne's attack on the Federal position along Asbury Road about noon on December 31, 1862, the 5th Arkansas being the located at the right center of the brigade line. As Cleburne's men drove back Harker's, Fyffe's, and Beatty's brigades, the division started to turn to the east near the Widow Burris House which still exists on the battlefield today. It was in this vicinity that I believe the 5th Arkansas secured the national colors of the 86th Indiana; the 3rd Confederate of Wood's brigade likely secured the regimental colors. 

Thissecond letter, written to his father Judge John Chelton Murray about a monthlater, provides more details about the Battle of Stones River and appears to beseeking his father’s approval for his actions and ambitions as an officer.

Wartrace,Tennessee

February 18,1863

          It is true that IU have striven hardto rise and make my mark as high as you could expect. In this I have in somemeasure succeeded and my success has been by honorable means withoutelectioneering or even asking any man for his support in reaching a positionthat few if any of my age have ever attainted. Aaron Burr was a major at 19 andI was a lieutenant colonel before I was that old. I hope that I have alsosucceeded in your expectations on the battlefield.

          I have been in two hard-foughtbattles, Perryville and Murfreesboro, and in the opinion of my superiorofficers acquitted myself with credit. I believe I have written before that theloss in my regiment at Murfreesboro was 159 killed and wounded. I had threecolor bearers shot and every color corporal (eight in number) was either killedor wounded. My three color bearers were shot one after another as fast as theypicked up the colors. After this, I picked up the flag and carried it in my ownhands for a mile, driving the enemy from every position he attempted to hold. General[Alexander McDowell] McCook, my old preceptor at West Point, commanded theforce with which I was engaged at both Perryville and Murfreesboro. I believe Imentioned in my letter to mother that our regiment captured a beautiful standof colors.

[Private John K. Leslie of Co. C, 5th Arkansas wascredited with securing a silk set of national colors belonging to an unknown Federalregiment; this occurred in fighting that occurred near Asbury Road in the earlyafternoon hours of December 31st. It is possible that these were thenational colors of the 86th Indiana Infantry. “Private John K.Leslie captured a stand of colors with his own hand and afterwards, when badlywounded by a shell, refused to go to the rear until I had to order him to go,”Colonel Murray proudly reported. General St. John R. Liddell also states in hisafter-action report that it was at this same time that Colonel Murray graspedthe colors of his regiment and carried them to the brigade’s final positionnear the Nashville Pike. Colonel Murray’s gallantry was noticed by GeneralPatrick Cleburne who said Murray “bore the colors of his regiment through thehottest of the fight and by his own bright example encouraged his men todespise danger.”]

          I saw Mr. Singelton today who was atthe battle of Corinth. He corroborates all the good accounts that I hadpreviously heard of my gallant and lamented brother conducted on that bloodyand unfortunate field.

          You must write soon and please for mysake, do not let your anxiety on my account prey upon your health. That I mayfall in this war is possible, but rest assured that if I do, it will not be ina manner to cause the blush of shame to mantle the cheek of any relative orfriend of mine at the mention of my name. If I fall before the enemy, it willbe in a manner worthy of your son, Edward.

 Read Fletcher noted that a Colonel Murray bore a striking resemblance to a young Colonel Roberdeau Wheat from Louisiana who is pictured above. 

Read Fletcher, who provided these letters to the DailyArkansas Gazette, knew Colonel Murray in the prewar days in Arkansas andentertained a very lofty opinion of the youth. “He was the embodiment ofcourage, frankness, truthfulness, and every sentiment of honor,” he noted. “Hewas absolutely without fault. His physique was handsome and his face was ever illuminatedwith a smile, and his dark brown eyes were the windows of the lofty spiritwithin. He was handsome, graceful, and there was a magnetism in him that hemade friends wherever he went. His resemblance to the late Colonel Bob Wheat (whofell at the battle of Manassas as commander of the Louisiana Tigers) when ayoung man was very striking and in the love of adventure and excitement ofbattle, they were very much alike.”

John Edward Murray was born March 13, 1843, in FauquierCounty, Virginia and moved to near Pine Bluff, Arkansas in 1849 with hisfamily. Murray received an appointment to West Point in 1860 but upon thesecession of Arkansas, he resigned and returned home. His first wartimeactivity was training troops under the command of his old West Point commandantGeneral William J. Hardee, but he was soon joined the 5th ArkansasInfantry as a private, quickly climbing the ranks from private to sergeantmajor, then commissioned as a lieutenant then lieutenant colonel, and all bythe age of 18!

Murray participated with his regiment at Perryville and ledit at Stones River as he describes in the letters above. He led theconsolidated 5th/13th Arkansas at Chickamauga and waspromoted to full colonel. The following summer, while serving as a brigadecommander, he was mortally wounded July 22, 1864, during the Battle of Atlantawhile leading three regiments in an attack upon the Union position. He died thenext day and in 1867 his remains were moved to Mount Holly Cemetery in LittleRock, Arkansas.

To learn more about the Battle of Stones River, be sure to purchase a copy of my campaign study Hell by the Acre, recently awarded the Richard B. Harwell Award from the Atlanta Civil War Roundtable as best Civil War book of 2024. Available now through Savas Beatie. 

Source:

“WarMemories: An Old Soldier’s Account About an Arkansas Boys,” Daily ArkansasGazette (Little Rock, Arkansas), August 23, 1889, pg. 5