MURFREESBORO

city, seat (1811) of Rutherford county, central Tennessee, U.S., on the West Fork of Stones River, 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Nashville. It was established in 1811 on a land tract donated by a Revolutionary War soldier, Colonel William Lytle, and was later named for a friend, Colonel Hardy Murfree. From 1819 to 1825 Murfreesboro served as the state capital. One of the most bitter encounters of the American Civil War took place 3 miles northwest of the city (Dec. 31, 1862Jan. 2, 1863), in which Union forces under General William S. Rosecrans won a strategic victory over Confederates under General Braxton Bragg. Stones River National Battlefield commemorates the battle. Tennessee Walking Horse stallion with dapple-gray coat. Dairy and beef cattle are raised in the area, which is also noted for Tennessee Walking Horses (see photograph), gaited horses, ponies, and racehorses. Dairy foods are processed. Manufactures include electric heating elements, electric motors, furniture, and cedar woodenware. Middle Tennessee State University (1911) is located in the city. Inc. 1817. Pop. (1992 est.) 46,273.