A battle and the birth of a legend at Brice’s Crossroads.

The battlefield at Brice’s Crossroads has been called one of America’s “most beautifully preserved,” with wooded vistas and panoramic views. The battle at Brice’s Crossroads has been called the turning point, not in the war but in the reputation—the legend—that was Nathan Bedford Forrest. After his victory at Okolona, Forrest determined that he would advance north to strike at Sherman’s supply lines in Tennessee, while Sherman, equally determined to insure the safety of his supply lines, sent General Samuel Sturgis and his army to head off Forrest and destroy his army. Facing two to one odds, Forrest brought off a sensational victory, one that is recreated every year at the annual Battle of Brice’s Crossroads reenactment. Even if you can’t make that event, the battlefield’s excellent Interpretive Center and walking trails open year-round take you into right into the heart of the conflict.

On the eve of the Brice’s Crossroads, Forrest and his officers camped in Booneville, in the Cunningham House, a small frame dwelling where today you can still see the original newspaper pushed into the walls as insulation.

While you’re in Booneville, be sure to cruise the historic train depot, with 1930’s train caboose, and check out the George E. Allen Library, named for Booneville native George Allen. A millionaire before he was thirty, Allen answered Franklin Roosevelt’s call to become commissioner of Washington, D.C. in 1933, and subsequently served both Truman and Eisenhower in high-level posts. He wrote about his experience in the witty memoir Presidents Who Have Known Me.

Your own memoir is yet to be written, but after your experience here in the Mississippi Hills, one thing’s certain: you’ll have plenty of material. Now it’s time to start collecting.