His True Qualities Were Appreciated by all that Knew Him: The Death of Lieutenant Christian Nix at Stones River
O ne of the most poignant relics on display in the Stones River visitor’s center is the grave marker for Lieutenant Christian Nix of the 24 th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. Carved into a plank of wood, the marker states “Lieu Nix, 24 th WI, Buried Jan 8.” It is one of the few (if not only) remaining grave headstones that shows how soldiers’ graves were marked in the days immediately following the battle of Stones River. Lieutenant Christian Nix's original grave marker as carved on a wood plank by his comrades of the 24th Wisconsin shortly after the battle. Hundreds of markers like these dotted the landscape around Murfreesboro, many of them quickly wearing away before the graves were moved to the national cemetery starting in 1865. By that time, many of the markers had disappeared or rotted away leaving the identity of those buried beneath them one of the enduring mysteries of the battle. Of the 6,100 Union soldiers buried at Stones River National Cemetery, 2,562 of them (42%) ar...