Parkers Crossroads in Henderson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
A Concealed Assault
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, June 15, 2025
1. A Concealed Assault Marker
"Pretty soon the word came that the enemy were coming up in our rear on account of noise the orders were not heard by all & consequently we were thrown into considerable confusion".
Pvt. William Peter, 122nd Illinois
Union Line Pinned Down
Two Union assaults on the Confederate artillery failed to capture or disable the guns. The Union line held, but the soldiers were trapped under a deadly barrage of shot and shell. Colonel John Rinaker, 122nd Illinois wrote, "...the rebels all the time firing their artillery with great rapidity and considerable accuracy." Union soldiers hugged the ground to escape the devastating fire.
Confederates Slip Behind the Union Line
On the ridge behind you, four Confederate cannon fired as fast as the crews could load them. At the height of the battle these quiet, peaceful woods were filled with the sounds of officers shouting orders, men cursing, the screams of the wounded and moans of the dying. Smoke from artillery and small arms fire rolled across the landscape like dense fog.
Their movements concealed by the noise and smoke, hundreds of Confederate soldiers moved undetected through the shallow ravine in front of you. No one saw Colonel Alfred A. Russell's 4th Alabama and Colonel Thomas Woodward's Kentucky Battalion
this page online
As the Union soldiers at the fence concentrated on the threat to the front, the Confederates emerged behind them. Private William Peter stated, "Pretty soon the word came that the enemy were coming up in our rear on account of noise the orders were not heard by all & consequently we were thrown into considerable confusion."
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Col. Alfred A. Russell, 4th Alabama Infantry.
Erected 2015 by Parker's Crossroads Battlefield Association.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is December 31, 1862.
Location. 35° 47.209′ N, 88° 23.105′ W. Marker is in Parkers Crossroads, Tennessee, in Henderson County. It is on Federal Lane 0.2 miles east of Tennessee Route 22, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located along the South Battlefield Trail, at Auto Tour Stop No. 7 of the Parker's Crossroads Battlefield Auto Tour. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Wildersville TN 38388, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West Tennessee. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Freeman's Battery (a few steps from this marker); A Dogged Defense (within shouting distance of this marker); Casualties of War (within shouting distance of this marker); A Lull in the Fighting
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, July 24, 2021
2. A Concealed Assault Marker
The concealed ravine that the Confederate soldiers used to creep behind the Union Line is just beyond the marker.
Also see . . . Parker's Crossroads Battlefield Association. (Submitted on May 29, 2021.)
Photographed by Shane Oliver, April 3, 2021
3. A Concealed Assault Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on July 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 28, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 304 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 11, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. 2. submitted on July 24, 2021, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. 3. submitted on May 28, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
