A plan is in place to add a site in the battlefield tours that will commemorate the brave action of U.S. C.T. who fought at the Battles of Brice’s Crossroads and Tupelo-Harrisburg in 1864.
The concept plan was presented by Phil Walker of the Walker Collaborative in Nashville, after spending two days visiting the sites and gathering research provided by staff at the Mississippi’s Final Stands Interpretive Center and battlefields,
Walker has recently completed a management plan for the Mississippi Hills Heritage area that includes 30 counties focused on key themes, including the Civil War, Native American heritage, and the arts.
During his presentation on his third day of his visit, Walker said, “We wanted to find one key site and apply our principles, and Brice’s Crossroads Battle site hits two of those themes.’’
“The role of the Union’s black troops is part of the interpretive exhibit at MS Final stands, but we want to enhance both the exhibits and the site where the action occurred on the field,” said former Center Director Edwina Carpenter.
According to the plan, a five-acre site on CR 166 in Union County will be purchased, built with parking spaces, and paved. The historic site will be interpreted with 3 wayside panels and a monument to the soldiers who guarded the 250 ambulances and wagons brought to the battlefield at Brice’s and served as rear-guard during the rout and retreat at Tishomingo Creek and along CR 166 and beyond.
The proposed memorial will honor units of the 55th and 59th U.S. Colored Infantry and Co. F of the 2nd United States Colored Artillery.
‘’The center has interpreted the black soldiers since its beginning,” Carpenter said,” but recent increased interest of descendents and documentation shared by them has prompted the staff to emphasize their role.”
Carpenter added that no funding is present yet, but she hopes to raise private funds and pursue grant funding.
For more information on the center and battlefields, contact Carpenter at 662.365.3969 or visit www.finalstands.com. The center is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9.m.until 5 p.m.
