Audio
Strength from Behind
Transcript
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.
Description
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.
Credit
NPS Audio/J. Childs
Date Created
06/02/2023
Copyright and Usage Info