Parker's Crossroads National Battlefield -- Wildersville TN
N 35° 47.190 W 088° 23.595
16S E 374088 N 3961163
The Parker's Crossroads National Battlefield is located a few hundred yards south of the I-40 at the Tennessee State Highway 22 at Wildersville.
Waymark Code: WM10CA0
Location: Tennessee, United States
Date Posted: 04/12/2019
Views: 3
The waymark coordinates are for the visitor center at the Parker's Crossroads National Battlefield in Wildersville TN.
The battlefield consists of a driving trail with a map around the countryside of Parker's Crossroads, site of a cavalry clash between Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest and Union cavalry that almost resulted in Forrest's defeat.
A US Civil War discovery trail historical marker at the National Battlefield reads as follows:
"PARKER'S CROSSROADS
Narrowly Avoided Defeat
Forrest's First West Tennessee Raid
In 1862, the Union army under Gen. Ulysses S. Grant threatened Vicksburg, Mississippi. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg ordered Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest to sever Grant's West Tennessee supply line, which extended from Columbus, Kentucky, via the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. Forrest led his cavalry brigade on the raid to destroy tracks and bridges in West Tennessee, Dec. 15, 1862 - Jan. 3, 1863. He and his men crossed the Tennessee River at Clifton, defeated Union Col. Robert G. Ingersoll's cavalry at Lexington, captured Trenton and Union City, and ranged briefly into Kentucky. On Christmas Day, Forrest led his brigade back into Tennessee. To stop them, Union Gen. Jeremiah C. Sullivan sent brigades under Colonels Cyrus C. Dunham and John W. Fuller in pursuit. Here at Parker's Crossroads on December 31, Forrest narrowly avoided defeat. He and his men crossed the river again at Clifton on January 1. The successful raid led Grant to move his supply base to Memphis.
Tennessee Civil War trails invites you to explore the Parker's Crossroads Battlefield and other sites related to Forrest's raid.
[R side]
Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest, a blacksmith's son, was born in the backcountry of Chapel Hill, Bedford County, Tennessee, on July 13, 1821. Overcoming early poverty, he was first a small town merchant in Mississippi before becoming a successful slave trader and plantar by 1861. When the war began, he enlisted in the Tennessee mounted rifles as a private; by the end he had earned the rank of Lieutenant General. Never formally educated, he had an innate grasp of tactics and was a fearsome Confederate cavalry commander. After the war, Forrest returned to farming and became a business promoter. He also headed the first Ku Klux Klan as its grand Wizard before disbanding it in 1869. Forrest died in Memphis on October 29, 1877."
Also around the visitor center are examples of artillery that would have been used by both Confederate and federal forces.
Name of Battle:
Nathan Bedford Forrest's first West Tennessee raid
Battle of Parker's crossroads
Name of War: US Civil War
Entrance Fee: 0.00 (listed in local currency)
Date(s) of Battle (Beginning): 12/31/1862
Date of Battle (End): 12/31/1862
Parking: Not Listed
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Visit Instructions:
Post a photo of you in front of a sign or marker posted at the site of the battle (or some other way to indicate you have personally visited the site.
In addition it is encouraged to take a few photos of the surrounding area and interesting features at the site.