As we started the driving tour through Stones River National Battlefield, we stopped at the Slaughter Pen, which is the first site on the left after entering the driving portion of the battlefield. There are not a lot of parking spaces at the stop, and you do have to walk a short distance along a trail to see the actual site, but I thought it was well worth the walk. As you enter the walkway along the wooded and rocky area, you begin to understand why this location was so difficult for the soldiers fighting here. Along the walkway, metal life-size figures have been placed among the rocks and trees to show some of the positions where riflemen would have been located. What surprised me was how difficult some of the figures were to see, even though I knew they were there and was actually looking for them. It really gives you a better understanding of how difficult it must have been for advancing soldiers to see the men firing at them from behind the rocks and trees and how effective these positions could be for the soldiers defending the area. Reading about a Civil War battle is one thing, but actually walking through the terrain and seeing how the rocks, trees, and uneven ground affected the fighting gives you a completely different perspective. The walk is relatively short, although the natural terrain may be something to consider if you have mobility limitations. Overall, I thought the Slaughter Pen was well worth the visit and was an excellent first stop on our driving tour of Stones River National Battlefield. It helped us better understand the terrain and the fighting before continuing on to the other sites around the battlefield. Enjoy!