41. Tupelo National Battlefield, Mississippi

Welcome back to our blog!  In this post we follow up on our earlier post about Brices Cross Roads NBS with its identical twin, the nearby Tupelo National Battlefield.

Entrance Sign

BACKGROUND:

               Following the Union’s humiliating defeat at the battle of Brices Cross Roads in June of 1864, General William T. Sherman, whose offensive into Georgia required securing supply lines in Mississippi, sent out an order to his subordinates to find and crush the Confederate force under the command of Nathan Bedford Forrest.

               Forrest had been hoping to lure the Union into a trap south of Tupelo, Mississippi.  However, Union General Andrew Smith bypassed Forrest and instead marched straight to Tupelo, forcing Forrest to attack in order to retake the town.  The following attacks against the prepared Union troops went badly with the Confederates taking heavy casualties including even Forrest himself being wounded.  Although Forrest would continue to harass the Union in later months, the battle of Tupelo put his force out of action allowing Sherman to continue his drive on Atlanta.

THE BATTLEFIELD:

               Most of the Tupelo battlefield was swallowed up by development as the town expanded over the years.  Now, aside from a few acres on the edge of town preserved by the Civil War Trust, only a one-acre plot in the middle of Tupelo has been preserved under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.  The site itself is nearly identical to Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site, consisting of a simple monument flanked by a pair of cannons.

A view of the entirety of the NPS unit.

TRAVEL TIPS:

               Tupelo National Battlefield is easily accessible, located on Main Street in Tupelo, Mississippi.  The battlefield is administered by the Natchez Trace Parkway, which passes through Tupelo, and does not have a dedicated NPS visitor center. Similar to Brices Cross Roads NBS, visitors can find information on the battle at the Mississippi Final Stands Interpretive Center in nearby Baldwyn, where passport stamps can be found.  Passport Stamps can also be found at the NPS Natchez Trace Parkway visitor center located on the edge of town.