Byrd's unit was in Nashville by the time the Battle of Stones River began on December 31, 1862, and helped escort supplies from Nashville to the Union front in Murfreesboro. Toward the end of the battle, Byrd led an attack that drove a force of Confederate soldiers out of a patch of woods near the front lines, and was singled out for distinction by the brigade commander, General James G. Spears. During operations in the aftermath of the battle on January 5, 1863, Byrd led a "fearless charge" that drove three Confederate regiments from their position along a road outside of Murfreesboro.