Murfreesboro

City and seat of Rutherford County, in central Tennessee; population (1990) 45,000. Murfreesboro lies on the West Fork of the Stones River, 48 km/30 mi southeast of Nashville. In the period 1819–26 the city was the capital of Tennessee.

Murfreesboro was founded in 1811 in an agricultural area. Just northwest of the city is the site of a major Civil War action (31 December 1862–2 January 1863), in which Union forces under William Rosecrans secured a bloody strategic victory over Confederates commanded by Braxton Bragg. The battle is known as either Murfreesboro or Stones River. Modern Murfreesboro is a marketing centre, and manufactures electrical equipment, cedar products, flour, hosiery, and hospital supplies. Cattle and various types of horse are raised here, notably the highly prized Tennessee walking horse.