After leaving Georgia’s Walmart, we made one stop in Alabama before our multi-day destination in Mississippi. Alabama was our last stop to see the Appalachian Plateau, whose beauty we have been enjoying for weeks. We also spent quite a bit of time visiting historical battlefields & Native American burial grounds.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at Tombigbee State Park in Tupelo, Mississippi. The campground was small, but fit our needs fine. It was attached to a Frisbee golf area, which Sparky didn’t care for at all.
What We Did
Our first stop (before arriving at camp) was the Little River Canyon National Preserve in Alabama. This area did not disappoint. Located at the South end of the Appalachian Plateau, the area is filled with sandstone cliffs, wildlife and a rushing river that carves through the sandstone day in and day out. We spent some time here visiting the Little River Falls, with Sparky playing in the water. We also took a hike from here to Little Martha Falls (about 2 miles). The weather was hot & humid, so the hike was a little unbearable. We also drove the scenic roadway, which had overlooks galore of the Canyon itself.
As we drove through Alabama and into Mississippi we kept seeing signs indicating we were on the “Trail of Tears”. It wasn’t until our next stop at a NPS visitor center where we learned what that actually meant. The Trail of Tears is actually multiple trails/driving routes that were established in 1987 (with more trails added in 2009) to recognize and memorialize the Native Americans forced to relocate because of the Removal Act of 1830. Of 15,000 Cherokee forced from their homes, many hundreds died in the camps or on the journey. Today there are several paths/trails that follow the removal of several Southeast Native American tribes.
In Mississippi, the first stop we went to was the Tupelo National Battlefield Site. I wish I could say we had a great time, but all that is left of the site is a memorial stone. There wasn’t a visitor center or auto audio tour. It was located in the middle of the city, next to a car wash (which we took advantage of). In fact, we had to go the Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center to get any information about the battle. The Battle of Tupelo occurred July 14-15, 1864, and was vital for the Union to win to keep control of the railroad that provided food & supplies to Union soldiers in Atlanta. The battle ended with no real winner and with heavy losses on both sides.
On the way to the next battle site we stopped along the Natchez Trace Parkway & Trail Visitor Center. The Natchez Trace Parkway is 444 miles long and travels through three states – Mississippi, Alabama & Tennessee. The travel corridor bisected traditional homelands of the Natchez, Chickasaw and Choctaw nations. As westward travel grew in the late 1700’s and early 1800s, the rough trail became a clearly marked path. In 1801, President Jefferson designated the Trace a national post road for mail delivery. Many traders between Tennessee and New Orleans took this path, which led to lodging and other businesses growing alongside it. In 1938, it was established as a National Site, and in 1983, the trail that follows parallel to the road was designated as a National Historic Trail. This gives tourists options on how best to visit the historic area. Steve and I did not drive (or hike) the 444 miles, but we did stop along the way at scenic overlooks and small trails. One site in particular was the Pharr Mounds. A Native American burial site built 2,000 years ago.
We then visited Brice Cross Roads National Battlefield Site (picking up the map at the Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center) and were again disappointed at the actual site. It turns out, there is a private company that owns most of the battlefield land and you pay them to go on the land and do an auto audio tour. We opted for the free option, which was to visit the memorial and read all about the battle thanks to Wiki! This one-day battle occurred on June 10, 1864 (before the Tupelo battle). The Union was in motion to have full control of the railroad system, thus cutting off the South’s sources. The Union wasn’t successful on this battle, and after 8 hours of intense fighting had to flee the battleground – setting the stage for the next battle in Tupelo.
Just like that, our time in Mississippi was about done, but we had one more stop to make before making camp at a Texas Walmart – Vicksburg National Military Park. This military park is quite large, and sadly, we had to rush through it. The auto audio tour was great from the spots we visited. There are several memorials from both side, and the entire place is quite serene and eerily beautiful. The siege of Vicksburg was a turning point for the Union. The Union had worked from Illinois south, and Gulf of Mexico north to capture the forts along the Mississippi River, taking control of Vicksburg essentially meant cutting off Texas, Arkansas and most of Louisiana from supplies. President Lincoln called it the “key” to winning the war. General Grant’s first attack started on May 19, 1863, followed by a second on May 22 damaging many of the confederate’s artillery. Grant’s siege of the city started on May 25th and lasted 46 days! On July 4, 1863 the city of Vicksburg was officially in Union control. For the rest of the war Vicksburg was an occupied city and a regional base for the Federal operations. It was also a prisoner-of-war exchange point. In fact, on April 24, 1865 over 2,300 Union soldiers from the prisons in Georgia and Alabama left Vicksburg on the steamer Sultana headed upriver for home. Three nights later near Memphis the boat exploded and over 1,800 soldiers died making it the biggest maritime disaster in American history. During occupation, citizens would have to take loyalty oaths or they would be arrested or banished. We found our time there was too short, and with Sparky, we couldn’t check out the museum. If you find yourself in the area, I would highly recommend going. The most impressive sites were the breathtaking monuments in honor of the soldiers.
After our time at Vicksburg National Military Park, we aimed to get into Louisiana’s Poverty Point, but realized it was getting little too late. We bypassed Louisiana and headed on through to Texas.
What’s Next
Fort Worth, Texas
