Tupelo National Battlefield: A Key Union Victory

Tupelo National Battlefield is located in Tupelo, Mississippi. The site perseveres a small portion of the Battle of Tupelo, also known as the Battle of Harrisburg. 

The tiny site sits on 1 acre on Main Street. While it may be small, the site is still worth stopping. The park has a couple of commemorative cannons, a small monument dedicated to the Confederate dead, a few gravestones, and a more prominent memorial dedicated to both sides that fought at the Battle of Tupelo. The larger of the two monuments was placed here in 1930.

The smaller monument has an inscription that reads:

“To our Confederate Dead that gave their lives in battle here on July 14, 1864 for their rights. Erected 1918.”

The larger monument’s inscription reads:

“In memory of the men of the Federal and the Confederate Armies who took part in the Battle of Tupelo or Harrisburg July 14 – 15 1864, which resulted in a victory for the Federal forces under Major General Andrew J. Smith.”

I visited Tupelo National Battlefield on a wet fall morning. The rain had just stopped.  I was unsure what to expect, but I did not expect it to be so small. As I stood there on the battlefield, looking across the street at a car wash, it was hard to fathom that more than 20,000 soldiers fought on this ground, and more than 2,000 would perish. The rest of the battlefield has long been devoured by development. I was only there for about a half hour, snapping a few photos, but it was worth my time. 

If you are in the area, make time for the battlefield.  There are also many other cool things to do in the Tupelo area. You can visit the home where Elvis Presley was born. Trace State Park is nearby; Davey Crockett briefly stayed in the area of the park.  Also, the 440-mile-long Natchez Trace Parkway runs through Tupelo; you can hop on about a mile from the battlefield. Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site is also nearby.