Jackson Battlefield

Desperate to slow General Ulysses S. Grant's advance on the vital city of Vicksburg, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest launched an expedition in late 1862 to disrupt and sabotage vital Union railways in Tennessee. Attacking the garrison at the town of Jackson, Forrest used this minor engagement as a distraction while he and the rest of his force destroyed two sections of rail tracks to the North and South of the battle. His mission accomplished, Forrest ordered a withdraw and continued to harass Union supply lines until the following month.

Currently, the battle site remains in the hands of the cemetery, but is open to the public thanks to a collaborative effort with Madison County Parks Department. The park contains two replica cannons, one donated from Shiloh Battlefield, two monuments honoring the combatants, the cemetery itself, and a map detailing troop movements during the two-hour skirmish.