Last updated: May 11, 2021
Place
Tour Stop #2 - Cavalry Skirmish at the Battle of Brices Cross Roads
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
Mississippi Hwy 370, west of Baldwyn, MS
Significance:
Tour Stop #2 at Brices Cross Roads
Designation:
National Battlefield Site
MANAGED BY:
Amenities
3 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Wheelchair Accessible
Near here the Federal and Confederate advance forces of cavalry met in their skirmish lines briefly before the Federal troopers fell back to form their first line of battle. During the battle the blackjack oak in this area grew thick and it was hard for the opposing soldiers to see each other. The Union cavalry dismounted and started to fight on foot. The 2nd New Jersey Cavalry were equipped with Spencer repeating rifles and were able to inflict heavy casualties on the Confederate forces. The Confederate cavalry were equipped with infantry muskets and the Federal Cavalry though they had infantry in front of them instead of Confederate Cavalry. This confusion led the Federal Cavalry to break off the skirmish and fall back up the hill to form their first battle line.
A Civil War army on the march protected itself with lines of skirmishers, troops deployed in loose formation in advance and/or on the flanks of the main body. These troops drew the enemy's fires, developed his position, and warned comrades of imminent clash. Infantry manual in use during the war devoted much coverage to skirmisher tactics, made popular by Napoleon's heavy reliance on them during the Continental warfare of the early 1800s.
The Historical Marker inscription is as follows:
"ADVANCE FORCES OF
GENERAL FORREST
AND
GENERAL STURGIS'
CAVALRY MET IN
SKIRMISH HERE.
THE 3RD, 7TH, 8TH AND 12TH
KENTUCKY (CONFEDERATE)
MET THE 4TH MISSOURI, 3RD
9TH ILLINOIS AND 2ND NEW
JERSEY SHORTLY BEFORE
FORMING FIRST BATTLE
LINE.
ERECTED BY ACT OF THE LEGISLATURE OF
THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI.
J.P. COLEMAN, GOVERNOR
1957"
The Brice's Crossroads Battlefield main battlefield site is managed by Mississippi Final Stands Visitor and Interpretation Center in Baldwyn, Mississippi.
A Civil War army on the march protected itself with lines of skirmishers, troops deployed in loose formation in advance and/or on the flanks of the main body. These troops drew the enemy's fires, developed his position, and warned comrades of imminent clash. Infantry manual in use during the war devoted much coverage to skirmisher tactics, made popular by Napoleon's heavy reliance on them during the Continental warfare of the early 1800s.
The Historical Marker inscription is as follows:
"ADVANCE FORCES OF
GENERAL FORREST
AND
GENERAL STURGIS'
CAVALRY MET IN
SKIRMISH HERE.
THE 3RD, 7TH, 8TH AND 12TH
KENTUCKY (CONFEDERATE)
MET THE 4TH MISSOURI, 3RD
9TH ILLINOIS AND 2ND NEW
JERSEY SHORTLY BEFORE
FORMING FIRST BATTLE
LINE.
ERECTED BY ACT OF THE LEGISLATURE OF
THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI.
J.P. COLEMAN, GOVERNOR
1957"
The Brice's Crossroads Battlefield main battlefield site is managed by Mississippi Final Stands Visitor and Interpretation Center in Baldwyn, Mississippi.