Tupelo in Lee County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
Town Creek Tupelo Encampment / Camp Life in Tupelo
Photographed By Mark Hilton, April 7, 2017
1. Town Creek Tupelo Encampment Marker
Inscription.
Town Creek Tupelo Encampment, also, Camp Life in Tupelo. .
Town Creek Tupelo Encampment. Throughout the Civil War, the Tupelo area was ideal for large numbers of troops to camp, train and recuperate from sickness, wounds and fatigue. There was an abundance of clean water and of billy land was covered with trees that provided shade, wood for shelter and campfires. Typically, 10,000 Confederate troops camped in and around Tupelo as sufficient number of troops were needed to protect railroad tracks, bridges and trestles from raiding Union troops intent on disrupting supply and troop movement. The troops also protected farms from continued Union attempts to and storehouses. Twice the Confederate Army withdrew to Tupelo with huge concentrations of troops, over 60,000 soldiers camped on both sides of Town Creek on the hills overlooking the creek after the fall of Corinth in May 1862. General Hood bad over 20,000 troops here after the Confederate defeat at the Battle of Nashville in 1865. One soldier's description told of looking across the hills and seeing thousands of campfires flickering in the night as the men prepared evening meals and huddled around the fires for warmth.,
Camp Life in Tupelo. Many Confederate soldiers who spent time in the Tupelo camps remembered those days as "good duty." Life here was much easier than in other camps. Located on the northern edge of a fertile farming area known as the "Black Belt," it was capable of producing enough grain, livestock and forage to supply the entire Confederate Army of the West. Therefore, the troops stationed here usually had plenty to eat. Corn was the principal crop and was ground into meal that soldiers used along with their ration of baked bread, salt pork, bacon, peas, molasses, coffee and hardtack. They hunted wild game, caught fish and picked berries that grew in abundance. Tupelo camps were clean. Kitchens were frequently furnished with a small, convenient pit for refuse. Soldiers built ovens, ate together in small squads and slept in canvas flies, ten men to a fly. Overall, Tupelo camps were much better than the soldiers were accustomed to, and, accordingly, troop morale was usually high.
Town Creek Tupelo Encampment
Throughout the Civil War, the Tupelo area was ideal for large numbers of troops to camp, train and recuperate from sickness, wounds and fatigue. There was an abundance of clean water and of billy land was covered with trees that provided shade, wood for shelter and campfires. Typically, 10,000 Confederate troops camped in and around Tupelo as sufficient number of troops were needed to protect railroad tracks, bridges and trestles from raiding Union troops intent on disrupting supply and troop movement. The troops also protected farms from continued Union attempts to and storehouses. Twice the Confederate Army withdrew to Tupelo with huge concentrations of troops, over 60,000 soldiers camped on both sides of Town Creek on the hills overlooking the creek after the fall of Corinth in May 1862. General Hood bad over 20,000 troops here after the Confederate defeat at the Battle of Nashville in 1865. One soldier's description told of looking across the hills and seeing thousands of campfires flickering in the night as the men prepared evening
meals and huddled around the fires for warmth.
Camp Life in Tupelo
Many Confederate soldiers who spent time in the Tupelo camps remembered those days as "good duty." Life here was much easier
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than in other camps. Located on the northern edge of a fertile farming area known as the "Black Belt," it was capable of producing enough grain, livestock and forage to supply the entire Confederate Army of the West. Therefore, the troops stationed here usually had plenty to eat. Corn was the principal crop and was ground into meal that soldiers used along with their ration of baked bread, salt pork, bacon, peas, molasses, coffee and hardtack. They hunted wild game, caught fish and picked berries that grew in abundance. Tupelo camps were clean. Kitchens were frequently furnished with a small, convenient pit for refuse. Soldiers built ovens, ate together in small squads and slept in canvas flies, ten men to a fly. Overall, Tupelo camps were much better than the soldiers were accustomed to, and, accordingly, troop morale was usually high.
Erected 2013 by the Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1862.
Location. 34° 15.762′ N, 88° 40.907′ W. Marker is in Tupelo, Mississippi, in Lee County. Marker is on North Veterans Memorial Boulevard, 0.2 miles north of Reese Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: North Veterans Memorial Boulevard, Tupelo MS 38804, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. Part of the Tupelo Civil War Trail in the Heritage Trails Enrichment Program.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, April 7, 2017
3. Town Creek Tupelo Encampment / Camp Life in Tupelo Marker at Veterans Park.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, April 7, 2017
4. View from marker looking south towards the Elvis Presley Birthplace & Park.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 16, 2017. It was originally submitted on April 16, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,170 times since then and 324 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 16, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
