Pullout parking for viewing the Mississippi state historical markers
BRICES CROSSROADS BATTLEFIELD TOUR STOPS 1-6
To begin the Brices Crossroads Battlefield Tour from the Mississippi’s Final Stands Interpretive Center, drive back out to Bethany Road (Hwy 370) and take a left. This will take you to the one-acre Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site, and you will be driving in the direction that Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s troops marched.
Along the way are parking areas on the right side of the road at the granite historical markers that were placed in 1957 by the state of Mississippi. The markers, eight in all, tell about events of the battle that took place in the area, and each takes a couple of minutes to read. There is nothing to see other than the markers, and you can read them from your car. It’s sort of a George Washington Slept Here experience.
As I mentioned on the main battlefield tour page, there are no wayside exhibits with a battlefield map and a YOU ARE HERE dot, so unless you have a battle map with you, the markers and information don’t really mean much since you can’t place yourself geographically in the battle. The National Park Service brochure, which you can pick up at the Mississippi’s Final Stands Interpretive Center, has a decent map that will help you make sense of the stops on the tour.
The first two historical markers are near the site where advance scouts from each army met and fought small skirmishes. Fearing a larger Confederate force was on the way, Union General Benjamin Grierson and his cavalry, who were a little farther down the road toward the crossroads, dismounted and formed a battle line. When Forrest’s men arrived, they too formed a battle line. The lines ran perpendicular to the road, with most of the men lined up across the terrain on the left side. It is here that the main part of the battle began. This area is denoted by the third and fourth historical markers.
The Union cavalry was isolated from the infantry and artillery because it was allowed to moved at a much faster rate. Forrest knew this was how Union General Samuel Sturgis operated and took advantage of it. While the Confederates would have been outnumbered if all Union troops were on hand (7,900 to 4,800), they outnumbered Grierson’s cavalry 4,800 to 3,300. Forrest effectively split the Union army in two and set out to defeat the smaller forces one by one.
Two of seven historical markers on Hwy 370 / Baldwyn Road about the Battle of Brices Cross Roads
After three attacks on the Union line, the Confederates finally broke through, forcing a retreat. While this was going on, Union infantry had arrived farther down Baldwyn Road to the west, not far from the intersection at Brice’s Crossroads. Along with the retreating cavalry, the troops formed a second battle line, as did the pursuing Confederate cavalry. The fifth and sixth markers are found at these locations.
The last two markers are at the Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site. The seventh historical marker is at the roadside parking lot for the Battlefield Site, and the eighth is actually on the Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site property. It marks the location of the William Brice family home. Brice’s Crossroads was named so because the Brice house stood at one corner of the dirt road intersection (Brice’s store was on another corner). Though the crossroads, and ultimately the battle, where named after Brice, other people had homes in the area as well.
Marker for the Brice home at Brices Cross Road National Battlefield Site
Also along the road are two other stops you might want to make. The first one is the Mississippi Counties Memorial. This is located on the other side of the road just past Tour Stop 4 (the fourth Mississippi State historical marker). The second stop, the Brices Cross Roads Battlefield Trail, is located directly across the road from Tour Stop 6 (sixth marker). Both stops have their own parking lot.
The drive from Mississippi’s Final Stands Interpretive Center to Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site, with time to stop and read each historical marker, takes about 20 minutes. If you stop at the Mississippi Counties Memorial and hike the short battlefield trail, plan on spending an hour from the time you leave the Interpretive Center until you arrive at the National Battlefield Site.
Tour Stop 7 | Battlefield Tour Main Page
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Last updated on February 3, 2024
