The Parkers Crossroads Battlefield Park offers a self-guided driving tour, two miles of paved walking trails with interpretive signs and battlefield diorama.
On Dec. 31, 1862, Union forces sought to capture Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and his men on their return from their first West Tennessee raid. When Confederate General Forrest found himself caught between two Union forces, he ordered his troops to “charge both ways” and made a successful escape.
The driving tour is included on the park's website at http://parkerscrossroads.org/ or in a brochure at the Visitor Center.
Seven marked sites are included in the driving tour:
Parkers Crossroads City Park
Hicks' Field
The Old Crossroads
Jones Cemetery and the Old Well
Attack on Dunham's Rear
Red Mound
The Split-Rail Fence and Union Burial Site
Two walking trails have signage interpreting the battle site.
Tools
Key Facts
- Over 700 men were killed or wounded in this battle
- Nathan Bedford Forrest uttered the famous phrase, "Charge them both ways!" when trapped between two Union units, and escaped.
