Mississippi
Brices Cross Roads - In Depth
Brices Cross Roads
This battlefield just north of
Tupelo, Mississippi, was the
scene of one of the more
remarkable engagements of the
Civil War.
This battlefield just north of
Tupelo, Mississippi, was the
scene of one of the more
remarkable engagements of the
Civil War.
Tishomingo Creek
The creek was swollen by recent
rains at the time of the battle, and
presented a serious obstacle to
retreating Union forces after the
single bridge was blocked by an
overturned wagon.
The creek was swollen by recent
rains at the time of the battle, and
presented a serious obstacle to
retreating Union forces after the
single bridge was blocked by an
overturned wagon.
The Battle of Brices Cross Roads (June 10, 1864) was one of the
classic moments in American military history. Major General William T.
Sherman, commander of the western armies, was driving on Atlanta as
part of a Federal plan to divide the Confederacy east of the Mississippi
River, while General U.S. Grant hammered Robert E. Lee’s smaller
Army of Northern Virginia.
Sherman’s “Achille’s heel,” as he headed southeast into Georgia from
Chattanooga, was his supply line, a single 151-mile railroad bringing
supplies for his army to the front from Nashville. If the Confederates
could break this line before he drove them back to Atlanta, then they
had an excellent chance of defeating him. Unfortunately for Sherman,
or fortunately for the Confederacy (depending upon your point of
view), the South had a master at such operations forming his men in
Northern Mississippi for just such a campaign. Major General Nathan
Bedford Forrest, the South’s “Wizard of the Saddle,” was an expert
cavalry officer and one of the best natural military geniuses ever to
take up a sword. Northern officers called him, “That Devil Forrest,” and
with cause.
Well aware of the danger should Forrest and his men get loose on his
supply lines, Sherman seized upon a plan to divert and, hopefully,
destroy the Confederate general and his hard-fighting cavalry.
Brigadier General Samuel D. Sturgis was ordered to march from
Memphis down into Northern Mississippi for the sole purpose of finding
and fighting Forrest. Leaving his base with 8,100 men, Sturgis moved
across the line into Mississippi in just the nick of time. Forrest was
already at Russellville, Alabama, heading north to strike Sherman’s
supply lines. Learning that Sturgis was on the march, however, he
turned back to oppose him. The result was the Battle of Brices Cross
Roads.
By the evening of June 9, 1864, Forrest had assembled a small army
of around 3,500 men and was positioned along the Mobile & Ohio
Railroad to the east of Brices Cross Roads. Learning that Sturgis’ army
was in camp ten miles northwest of the cross roads, he prepared to
march the next morning. Sturgis, meanwhile, also planned to continue
his march on the morning of June 10. A confrontation between the two
forces was inevitable.
Shortly after dawn, the advance elements of Sturgis’ army ran into a
Confederate patrol northwest of Brices and drove them across
Tishomingo Creek and through the cross roads. They shortly ran into
Forrest and a brigade of Kentuckians, however, and the first real shots
of the Battle of Brices Cross Roads rang out at about 9:30 a.m. The
Federals were halted and it quickly became of matter of, to paraphrase
Forrest himself, who could “get there first with the most.” Both sides
rushed forward troops as quickly as they could.
At roughly 11 a.m., Forrest decided on a bold ploy. He ordered his
men forward against the larger force of Union cavalry and infantry, but
arrayed his line in the shape a long crescent so that it overlapped the
flanks of Sturgis’ line. He then attacked with the ferocity for which he
was known and slowly, but surely, the Federals were pushed back. For
four hours an intense battle raged in the fields and woods around the
cross roads. By 5 p.m., however, Forrest had shattered the Union line.
The vital cross roads in his possession, he closed in for the kill.
Sturgis, now realizing he was beaten, ordered a retreat from the field,
but the Confederates were nipping at his heels. The withdrawal turned
to chaos when a wagon overturned on the Tishomingo Creek bridge
and, were it not for a series of brave stands by African American
soldiers from the U.S. Colored Troops, Sturgis’ entire army might have
been captured.
The results, even so, were astounding. With an army less than half the
strength of his opponent, Forrest drove the Federal troops from the
field. The Confederates captured an astounding 16 cannon at Brices
Cross Roads, along with a huge supply of ammunition and other war
material. While reporting a loss of only 493 men killed, wounded or
captured, they inflicted an estimated 2,612 casualties on their Union
counterparts. As Sturgis struggled to get his army back to Memphis, he
is said to have exclaimed, “For God’s sake, if Mr. Forrest will let me
alone, I will let him alone!” When he learned of the defeat, General
Sherman summed it up in his typically colorful style, “That Forrest is
the very devil.”
Sherman was not deterred, however, and just one month later the
Federals were back, with a new commander, and engaged Forrest in
the Battle of Tupelo. In the grand scheme of things, the two battles –
Brices Cross Roads and Tupelo – accomplished a great deal for the
Union. Forrest was kept away from Sherman’s vital supply line until he
had taken Atlanta and was ready to break free for his “March to the
Sea.” For the Confederates, Brices Cross Roads was one of the most
astounding tactical victories of the war. Forrest’s tactics are studied to
this day by military officers who continue to learn from the masterpiece
engagement fought by a poorly educated but naturally brilliant general
on the rolling hills and bottoms of Northeastern Mississippi.
For many years, only a one-acre plot of the battlefield was preserved
as the Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site. The Federal
government erected a joint monument to the men of both sides and
placed a couple of cannon on the site. The surrounding battlefields, for
the most part, remained in fields and woods just as they had been at
the time of the Civil War. A remarkable local, regional and national
partnership, however, has now led to the preservation of 1,390 acres
of the battlefield. An automobile tour of the battlefield has been
developed and there are walking trails and interpretive signs to help
visitors understand what happened here. A battlefield visitor center is
also operated by the City of Baldwyn, five miles to the east of the park,
and features exhibits, artifacts and an interpretive film introduced by
noted historian Shelby Foote. Information on the battle can also be
found at the nearby Tupelo Visitor Center on the Natchez Trace
Parkway.
To reach Brices Cross Roads, travel U.S. Highway 45 either north from
Tupelo or south from Corinth to Baldwyn, Mississippi (about 18 miles
north of Tupelo) and watch for the signs at the State Road 370 exit.
The visitor center is just off the exit and the battlefield is five miles east
on State Road 370. There are no facilities on the battlefield, but
restrooms, etc., are available at the visitor center.
classic moments in American military history. Major General William T.
Sherman, commander of the western armies, was driving on Atlanta as
part of a Federal plan to divide the Confederacy east of the Mississippi
River, while General U.S. Grant hammered Robert E. Lee’s smaller
Army of Northern Virginia.
Sherman’s “Achille’s heel,” as he headed southeast into Georgia from
Chattanooga, was his supply line, a single 151-mile railroad bringing
supplies for his army to the front from Nashville. If the Confederates
could break this line before he drove them back to Atlanta, then they
had an excellent chance of defeating him. Unfortunately for Sherman,
or fortunately for the Confederacy (depending upon your point of
view), the South had a master at such operations forming his men in
Northern Mississippi for just such a campaign. Major General Nathan
Bedford Forrest, the South’s “Wizard of the Saddle,” was an expert
cavalry officer and one of the best natural military geniuses ever to
take up a sword. Northern officers called him, “That Devil Forrest,” and
with cause.
Well aware of the danger should Forrest and his men get loose on his
supply lines, Sherman seized upon a plan to divert and, hopefully,
destroy the Confederate general and his hard-fighting cavalry.
Brigadier General Samuel D. Sturgis was ordered to march from
Memphis down into Northern Mississippi for the sole purpose of finding
and fighting Forrest. Leaving his base with 8,100 men, Sturgis moved
across the line into Mississippi in just the nick of time. Forrest was
already at Russellville, Alabama, heading north to strike Sherman’s
supply lines. Learning that Sturgis was on the march, however, he
turned back to oppose him. The result was the Battle of Brices Cross
Roads.
By the evening of June 9, 1864, Forrest had assembled a small army
of around 3,500 men and was positioned along the Mobile & Ohio
Railroad to the east of Brices Cross Roads. Learning that Sturgis’ army
was in camp ten miles northwest of the cross roads, he prepared to
march the next morning. Sturgis, meanwhile, also planned to continue
his march on the morning of June 10. A confrontation between the two
forces was inevitable.
Shortly after dawn, the advance elements of Sturgis’ army ran into a
Confederate patrol northwest of Brices and drove them across
Tishomingo Creek and through the cross roads. They shortly ran into
Forrest and a brigade of Kentuckians, however, and the first real shots
of the Battle of Brices Cross Roads rang out at about 9:30 a.m. The
Federals were halted and it quickly became of matter of, to paraphrase
Forrest himself, who could “get there first with the most.” Both sides
rushed forward troops as quickly as they could.
At roughly 11 a.m., Forrest decided on a bold ploy. He ordered his
men forward against the larger force of Union cavalry and infantry, but
arrayed his line in the shape a long crescent so that it overlapped the
flanks of Sturgis’ line. He then attacked with the ferocity for which he
was known and slowly, but surely, the Federals were pushed back. For
four hours an intense battle raged in the fields and woods around the
cross roads. By 5 p.m., however, Forrest had shattered the Union line.
The vital cross roads in his possession, he closed in for the kill.
Sturgis, now realizing he was beaten, ordered a retreat from the field,
but the Confederates were nipping at his heels. The withdrawal turned
to chaos when a wagon overturned on the Tishomingo Creek bridge
and, were it not for a series of brave stands by African American
soldiers from the U.S. Colored Troops, Sturgis’ entire army might have
been captured.
The results, even so, were astounding. With an army less than half the
strength of his opponent, Forrest drove the Federal troops from the
field. The Confederates captured an astounding 16 cannon at Brices
Cross Roads, along with a huge supply of ammunition and other war
material. While reporting a loss of only 493 men killed, wounded or
captured, they inflicted an estimated 2,612 casualties on their Union
counterparts. As Sturgis struggled to get his army back to Memphis, he
is said to have exclaimed, “For God’s sake, if Mr. Forrest will let me
alone, I will let him alone!” When he learned of the defeat, General
Sherman summed it up in his typically colorful style, “That Forrest is
the very devil.”
Sherman was not deterred, however, and just one month later the
Federals were back, with a new commander, and engaged Forrest in
the Battle of Tupelo. In the grand scheme of things, the two battles –
Brices Cross Roads and Tupelo – accomplished a great deal for the
Union. Forrest was kept away from Sherman’s vital supply line until he
had taken Atlanta and was ready to break free for his “March to the
Sea.” For the Confederates, Brices Cross Roads was one of the most
astounding tactical victories of the war. Forrest’s tactics are studied to
this day by military officers who continue to learn from the masterpiece
engagement fought by a poorly educated but naturally brilliant general
on the rolling hills and bottoms of Northeastern Mississippi.
For many years, only a one-acre plot of the battlefield was preserved
as the Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site. The Federal
government erected a joint monument to the men of both sides and
placed a couple of cannon on the site. The surrounding battlefields, for
the most part, remained in fields and woods just as they had been at
the time of the Civil War. A remarkable local, regional and national
partnership, however, has now led to the preservation of 1,390 acres
of the battlefield. An automobile tour of the battlefield has been
developed and there are walking trails and interpretive signs to help
visitors understand what happened here. A battlefield visitor center is
also operated by the City of Baldwyn, five miles to the east of the park,
and features exhibits, artifacts and an interpretive film introduced by
noted historian Shelby Foote. Information on the battle can also be
found at the nearby Tupelo Visitor Center on the Natchez Trace
Parkway.
To reach Brices Cross Roads, travel U.S. Highway 45 either north from
Tupelo or south from Corinth to Baldwyn, Mississippi (about 18 miles
north of Tupelo) and watch for the signs at the State Road 370 exit.
The visitor center is just off the exit and the battlefield is five miles east
on State Road 370. There are no facilities on the battlefield, but
restrooms, etc., are available at the visitor center.
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