Plank Road -- Tupelo MS
N 34° 14.243 W 088° 41.795
16S E 343752 N 3789778
A Civil War-era plank road built through the Tupelo swamp by Confederate troops served as Tupelo's Main Street for many years after the Civil War
Waymark Code: WMX0JB
Location: Mississippi, United States
Date Posted: 11/08/2017
Views: 1
This Tupelo Civil War trail historic marker is located on East Main Street near a large TVA substation and a park. It preserves the memory of a plank Road through the Tupelo swamp, built by Confederate General John Bell Hood's men during the Civil War Western Campaign of 1864-1865.
The marker reads as follows:
"PLANK ROAD
During the Civil War, the sites around Town creek in the Tupelo area were strategic military locations. The swamp and hills provided protection and strong defensive positions. However,
only one narrow road, now Main Street connected the two sides. If an enemy attacked from either direction, the army could withdraw to the opposite side, forcing the attackers to negotiate what was called the "Tupelo Swamp" or try to attack along the narrow road that crossed the swamp and two creeks. Neither was a good option. Confederate General John Bell Hood brought his defeated army to Tupelo to recover after the battles of Franklin and Nashville, Tennessee, in the winter of 1864-65. The wet winter made the road impassable. Because he needed the ability to rapidly move his troops from one side to the other if the need arose. Hood ordered his men to lay planks on the road to provide a hard surface upon which his troops could cross. Main Street was called "Plank Road" for many years following the war."
Type: Plank Road
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