General Breckinridge brought all of his division excepting one brigade into the action. They had for some time been inactive and were refreshed by a short rest. The Confederates now began a vigorous attack upon the Federal columns, but were swept by a raking artillery fire. They rallied again to the attack, but their ranks were again swept by Rosecrans' artillery and the assault was abandoned. Darkness was now drawing over the scene of battle, and the firing abated slowly and died away. It had been a bloody day, the dead and dying lay upon the field and in the hospitals in great numbers, and with the awful gloom and suffering of that night ended the first day's battle at Murfreesboro. The next day was the first of the new year, and both armies remained inactive during the entire day, except to quietly prepare to renew the conflict on the morrow. The renewal of the battle on January 2d was fully expected, but there was but little fighting until late in the afternoon. Rosecrans had sent General Van Cleve across the river to occupy an elevation from which he could shell the town of Murfreesboro. Bragg sent Breckinridge to dislodge this division, which he did with splendid effect. But Breckinridge's men became exposed to the raking fire of the Federal artillery across the stream and retreated to a place of safety with a loss of 1,700 men killed and wounded. The next day brought no further conflict. On the night of January 3d General Bragg began to move his army away to winter quarters at Shelbyville. Murfreesboro was one of the great battles of the war, and, except at Antietam, had not thus far been surpassed. The losses were about 13,000 to the Federals, and about 10,000 to the Confederates. Both sides claimed the victory--the South because of Bragg's decided success on the first day; the North because of Breckinridge's fearful repulse on the last day's battle, and of Bragg's retiring in the night and refusing to fight again. THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG The silent city of military graves at Fredericksburg is a memorial of one of the bloodiest battles of the war. General McClellan failed to follow up the retreating Southern army after the battle of Antietam, and thereby lost favor with the authorities at Washington, and was relieved of the command of the army, which was handed to General Ambrose E. Burnside, who took command of the Army of the Potomac on November 9, 1862, and on the following day McClellan took leave of his troops.