Brice's Crossroad National Battlefield
N 34° 30.272 W 088° 39.456
16S E 347827 N 3819347
A historic Tour along through the historic battlefield of Brice's crossroads.
The Battle of Brice's Crossroads
June 10, 1864
Waymark Code: WMGZRR
Location: Mississippi, United States
Date Posted: 04/29/2013
Views: 18
At the beginning of June 1864, Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest set out with his cavalry corps of about 2,000 men to enter Middle Tennessee and destroy the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad, which was carrying men and supplies to Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman in Georgia. On June 10, 1864, Forrest’s smaller Confederate force defeated a much larger Union column under Brig. Gen. Samuel Sturgis at Brice's Cross Roads. This brilliant tactical victory against long odds cemented Forrest’s reputation as one of the foremost mounted infantry leaders of the war.
The battle is commemorated at Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site, established in 1929. The National Park Service erected and maintains monuments and interpretive panels on a small 1-acre (4,000 m2) plot at the crossroads. This is the spot where the Brice family house once stood. The Brice's Crossroads Museum is in Baldwyn, Mississippi, just over a mile from the battlefield. Brice's Crossroads is considered one of the most beautifully preserved battlefields of the Civil War.
In 1994 concerned local citizens formed the Brice's Crossroads National Battlefield Commission, Inc., to protect and preserve additional battlefield land. With assistance from the Civil War Preservation Trust (formerly the APCWS and the Civil War Trust), and the support of Federal, State, and local governments, the BCNBC, Inc. has purchased for preservation over 800 acres (3.2 km2) of the original battlefield. Much of the land purchased came from the Agnew Family in Tupelo who still owns some of the battlefield property.[4]
The modern Bethany Presbyterian Church sits on the southeast side of the crossroads. At the time of the battle this congregation's meeting house was located further south along the Baldwyn Road. However, the Bethany Cemetery adjacent to the Park Service monument site predates the Civil War. Many of the area's earliest settlers are buried here. The graves of more than 90 Confederate soldiers killed in the battle are also located in this cemetery. Union dead from the battle were buried in common graves on the battlefield, but were later reinterred in the National Cemetery at Memphis, Tennessee.
The links provided below along with the markers along this tour explain the flow of the battle along with the historic significance.
For those interested Gen Forest grave can be found at this waymark in Memphis Tenn. WMAZK
Recommended Time for this WayTour: From: 7:00 AM To: 7:00 PM
Stop Coordinates:
Interpretive Center N34 30.272 w 88 39.456*
Auto Tour Start N 34 30.534 W 88 42.182
First Battle Line N 34 30.526 W 88 43.046
Federal Calvary N 34 30.494 W 88 43.343
Second Battle Line N 34 30.477 W 88 43.491
General Sturgis N 34 30.358 W 88 43.716
* This stop is optional to the actual tour and is closed on Sundays. it is an interpretive center and museum of the battle.
Starting Address for this WayTour:
Baldwyn, Ms USA
38824
Number of Stops: 6
Website of stops: [Web Link]
Stop Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
You must include an original photo showing one of the stops along the tour route.