Wayside Exhibits

This is the first of two side-by-side waysides. In front of you, directly behind the waysides, is an open grassy field that is about one square acre. In the distance is a small white granite grave marker. It is one of two at this site commemorating fallen Confederate soldiers. The second marker is to your right. Not far beyond the grave markers is a line of trees that marks the boundary of the National Battlefield site. Further to your left is Main Street and on the far side of the street is a large church. Directly behind you and to the left is a busy intersection where Lumpkin Avenue and Monument Drive intersect with Main Street. Immediately to the left and near the intersection is the National Park Service site ID sign for Tupelo National Battlefield. Between the ID sign and the wayside exhibits is a tall tree and a smaller gray stone monument beneath it. The monument commemorates the Confederate soldiers who fell at the Battle of Tupelo. In front of you on the left is Tupelo Battlefield Monument. It is a tall white granite slab with a shield and laurel wreath carved on its face and an eagle statue at the top. It commemorates the Union and Confederate soldiers who fought at the Battle of Tupelo. Also in front of you near the monument are two Civil War era canons and a flagpole that is flying the American flag. The text on this wayside reads:

Pushing for Victory

In the summer of 1864, Major General Andrew J. Smith led Federal troops into Mississippi with the goal of engaging Major General Nathan B. Forrest and keeping him away from vital Federal supply lines in Tennessee. Smith would engage Confederate forces led by Lieutenant General Stephen D. Lee, Forrest’s superior officer.

After several days of skirmishing, the evening of July 14th found Smith just east of old Harrisburg, on high ground to the north and south of the Tupelo Road, while S.D. Lee gathered to the west. The Federals held a strong position which the Confederates were compelled to attack leading to a devastating defeat.

This battle gave the United States a key victory. Confederate forces were badly hurt, and the battle kept Forrest from threatening critical northern supply lines that would ultimately allow Major General William T. Sherman to capture Atlanta, Georgia just two months later.

There is a black and white etching just beneath the exhibit title. It is a portrait of a middle-aged, bearded man in a military uniform. There is a quote that reads:

“At first their lines could be distinguished separately, but as they advanced they lost all semblance of lines and the attack resembled a mob of huge magnitude.”

– Major General Andrew J. Smith

The background of the panel is a battle map that shows the action as it unfolded on July 14th. On the right side of the panel there is a column of text that describes what happened in detail. The text reads:

Battle Action

1. On the morning of July 14th, the Battle of Tupelo began at 7:30 am when the Confederates charged against the Federal army position. The attack was beaten back with heavy losses.

2. Failing to break the Federal line, the Confederates attacked the right flank—again without success.

3. After dark, the Confederates made another attack from the south without significant effect. Federal troops repulsed several attacks, and ammunition became low. Food supplies were dwindling and Federal soldiers were subsisting on quarter rations.

4. At 2 pm on July 15th, after skirmishing with Confederates on the western and southern fronts, the Federal army began marching north. They marched four miles, crossed to the north side of Old Town Creek, and camped in the late afternoon.

5. At 4 pm, from a commanding ridge south of Old Town Creek, Confederate forces surprised Smith’s troops with artillery and infantry fire. The Federal troops refused to panic, forming a line that pushed the Confederates back a half mile.

6. The fight at Old Town Creek ended the Battle of Tupelo. Among the wounded was Major General Nathan B. Forrest, who was kept out of action for three weeks.

In the low left corner of the map there is a graphic that looks like a torn piece of parchment. The text reads:

Troops Engaged

14,000 Federals | 8,000 Confederates

Casualties

648 Federals | 1,300 Confederates

This is the second of two side-by-side waysides. In front of you, directly behind the waysides, is an open grassy field that is about one square acre. In the distance is a small white granite grave marker. It is one of two at this site commemorating fallen Confederate soldiers. The second marker is to your right. Not far beyond the grave markers is a line of trees that marks the boundary of the National Battlefield site. Further to your left is Main Street and on the far side of the street is a large church. Directly behind you and to the left is a busy intersection where Lumpkin Avenue and Monument Drive intersect with Main Street. Immediately to the left and near the intersection is the National Park Service site ID sign for Tupelo National Battlefield. Between the ID sign and the wayside exhibits is a tall tree and a smaller gray stone monument beneath it. The monument commemorates the Confederate soldiers who fell at the Battle of Tupelo. In front of you on the left is Tupelo Battlefield Monument. It is a tall white granite slab with a shield and laurel wreath carved on its face and an eagle statue at the top. It commemorates the Union and Confederate soldiers who fought at the Battle of Tupelo. Also in front of you near the monument are two Civil War era canons and a flagpole that is flying the American flag. The text on this wayside reads:

Strength from Behind

In July 1864, as Major General Andrew J. Smith moved towards Tupelo with Confederate forces in close pursuit, Colonel Edward Bouton’s brigade of United States Colored Troops (USCT) fought heroically to defend the rear of the column. Numbering almost 1,900 men, the 59th, 61st, and 68th USCT, and a battery of Colored Artillery, helped delay Confederate forces. This allowed Federal troops to set up a strong defensive position that proved decisive in the Battle of Tupelo.

The USCT continued to protect the ambulance and supply train as Smith withdrew to resupply. After the expedition, Bouton reported 10 soldiers killed and 48 wounded. He also reported 16 soldiers as captured or missing—the highest recorded in Smith’s army.

Black soldiers distinguished themselves in the Battle of Tupelo. “The colored brigade,” Smith wrote after the expedition, “fought excellently well, and showed the effect of discipline and drill, and I am free to confess that their action has removed from my mind a prejudice of twenty years’ standing.”

The background of the panel is an historic black and white photo of USCT troops. The caption reads:

There are no known photos of Black troops at Tupelo. Pictured is the 107th USCT regiment at Fort Woodbury. Photo courtesy of the New York Public Library.

On the right side of the panel is a sidebar with an historic black and white photo with a decorative copper frame. It is a portrait of a Black men dressed in a three piece suit. The text reads:

By Any Other Name

In order to protect his identity and family, Randall Nash enlisted under a false name, Randall Talbot. Formerly enslaved men often gave an alias when they enlisted to avoid capture.

This photo was taken after the war and submitted to the War Department by his wife to prove his identity on the application for his pension. His fellow soldiers vouched for him, and Nash’s wife received payment.

Photo courtesy of U.S. National Archives.