Parkhurst recounts the strategic considerations and sequence of events during the Battle of Stones River from his perspective as the commanding officer of the 9th Michigan Infantry. On the first day of the battle, he claimed that Union soldiers were attempting to leave to the front lines en masse, so he ordered the 9th Michigan to fix bayonets and force them back to their positions. Parkhurst also notes that on the final day of the battle, the 9th Michigan--which was back in Nashville by this point--were ordered back to the front, and upon their arrival, deterred a cavalry assault from Confederate General Joseph Wheeler. Furthermore, Parkhurst cited a field report of Confederate Major General Braxton Bragg that indicated Wheeler's retreat influenced Bragg's decision to withdraw the entire Confederate army from the battle.
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