Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site
Battle of Brices Cross Roads Memorial, 2010
Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site Location in Mississippi Show map of Mississippi Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Lee County, Mississippi, United States
Nearest city	Baldwyn
Area	1.00 acre (0.40 ha)
Established	February 21, 1929
Visitors	2,035 (in 1983)
Governing body	National Park Service
Website	Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site

Imagine a place where a big battle happened during the American Civil War! The Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site remembers the Battle of Brices Cross Roads. This important battle took place on June 10, 1864. Here, a Confederate army, led by General Nathan Bedford Forrest, won against a much larger Union army. This victory helped the Confederates protect important supply routes between Nashville and Chattanooga, Tennessee.

What is Brices Cross Roads?

Tupelo area National Park Service map

The Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site is in Lee County, Mississippi. It helps to protect the land where the Battle of Brices Cross Roads happened. This area stretches north into Prentiss County. This is also the spot where the Brice family house once stood.

You can find the site about 6 miles (10 km) west of Baldwyn. It is right on Highway 370. At the site, you will see a special memorial. It was put up soon after the battlefield became a historic site in 1929. On June 11, 2005, another memorial was added. This one honors Confederate Captain John W. Morton and his artillery group. Brices Cross Roads is the only place in the National Park System called a "battlefield site."

The Church and Cemetery

The modern Bethany Presbyterian Church is located near the crossroads. When the battle happened, the church building was further south. The Old Bethany Cemetery is next to the battlefield site. It was there even before the Civil War. Many of the first people who settled in the area are buried here. More than 90 Confederate soldiers who died in the battle are also buried in this cemetery. Union soldiers who died were first buried on the battlefield. Later, their bodies were moved to the Memphis National Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee.

Visitor Center and Preservation Efforts

The Brices Cross Roads Visitor Center is in Baldwyn. A local group called Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Commission, Inc. runs it. This group was started in 1994 by people who wanted to protect the battlefield. They are working to save more of the original battlefield land.

With help from the Civil War Trust (part of the American Battlefield Trust), the commission has bought a lot of land. They have purchased about 1,423 acres (5.76 km2) of the battlefield. This makes it one of the most beautiful and well-preserved Civil War battlefields.

How the Site Was Established

The Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site was officially created on February 21, 1929. It was first managed by the War Department. Then, on August 10, 1933, it was moved to the National Park Service. The battlefield was automatically added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. Today, it is managed as part of the Natchez Trace Parkway.