parkers crossroads battlefield tour

We were traveling from Louisiana back to the east coast and decided to take a different route and ended up at the Parker Crossroads Battlefield. We decided to spend the night at the America Best Value Inn next door to the visitors center. We watched the video at the center and talked to a direct descendent of Mr. Parker. They shared information about the Battlefield and the number of acres of land(300 plus) that was part of the park. We did some of the walking tour. Something I would do again when I had more time to spend there. I love Civil War history.

Parker's Crossroads which is located along I-40 in west Tennessee is the site of Nathan Bedford Forrest's greatest victory. When caught between two Union forces he have the order to "Charge both ways!" There is a visitor center where the tour starts and a brief film that plays on a continuous loop. Although this is not a large park it is still very interesting.

We stayed at the motel next door to the visitors centre, Americas best value Inn, when we walked into the visitors centre it was quiet with just a few people walking around and two people behind the desk looking at pictures on a computer, we said we were interested in the battlefields, to which they replied, you had better go and look then. Their attitude wasn't at all friendly and we felt that they considered us a nuisance that took them away from their chat. Interesting video but not offered any information or help. Very unfriendly attitudes!!!!!!!!!

The area surrounding the tour stops have houses and commercial buildings. This is the least impressive battlefield I have toured yet. The visitor center has a very nice video. Not extremely impressive to me. I wish the city better preserved the areas.

Located south of I-40, the Parkers Crossroads Visitors' Center has a good video that describes the battle as well as a small exhibit. The battlefield itself is not really worth the time.

The time we went they had tour guide who talk to kids it was wonderful the girl learned a lot and so did i

We have stopped before - interesting spot with walking tour, driving tour, geocaching, civil war history spot... But attending the lantern tour was a real treat! Actors are present at the cabin and various other stations along the way to bring "history to life"!

This is a self guided tour that was interesting. I would not say it is a great tour, but we enjoyed it. We took our grandson and stopped at each point of interest. It is a free.

We visited the museum which gave a good understanding of the background of the battle. There are plenty of places to pick up a brochure to explain the stops. The signs are a bit small, but once you figure them out they can be found easily enough. Good descriptions on the signs at the stops. The only thing I found unsettling is how the viewpoint was mostly from the Southern point of view as to who was the "hero" of the battle. But it makes you think.

We missed the visitors center which i would suggest going to. we skipped the end of the walking tour. We didi however manage to find the driving tour. We stopped points 3 and 4 and we walked a few of the others. This is a nice and informative tour even if you missed the visitors center. The area is well kept and is interesting to see. Lots of pamphlets.

As I was doing my ancestry lookup, I found that my Great Grandfather was in the 122nd Illinois infantry and fought in the Parker's Crossroads battle. We bought the audio tour CD to see the area. BTW it only cost $5. Although it was a little out of order as far as the battle was concerned, the descriptions of each segment were excellent. We took both walking tours and saw where the 122nd and other units were pinned down behind a fence row. General Forest's army was well on the way to winning the day and may have prevented my existence, when another union force came from the north and attacked his forces. The area is maintained very well with markers that describe the battle, plaques and some field artillery. The visitors center has a short film to watch which I highly recommend before taking the tour. Even if you're not a civil war buff, it's worth the stop. I recommend it for school kids as I'm not sure what they learn about the civil war anymore.

Parker's Crossroads is a much smaller battle and battlefield than its neighbor to the South, Shiloh, but since we were on our way to Shiloh, we stopped there. Stop first at the Visitor's Center and get the CD--it is a great aid to visiting the 7 stops.PC, as I will call it, simply remembers the history of the battle and shows how important it was. I learned quite a bit about Southern General Nathan B. Forrest after my time there. This battlefield is right at the intersection of I-40 and Tenn. SR 22, right at the turn off for Shiloh. This is a battlefield that will prepare you for that visit!!

I gather this was largely a private effort with some public funding. It is on a par with any national battlefield, albeit on a smaller scale. There are excellent interpretive panels, a driving tour and two walking tours. They are in the process of completing an audio CD to accompany the driving tour. The park commemorates an engagement between forces of Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest and Union forces toward the end of a two week raid by Forrest in Dec., 1862, the purpose of which was to disrupt Grant's supply line and thwart his drive on Vicksburg. In this the raid was hugely successful. Forrest found himself between two Union forces, and legend has it he ordered his men to charge in both directions, which they did. One can take the driving tour in an hour easily. If pressed for time, I suggest the southern walking tour, that is. the one south of I 40. A good weekend would be to combine a visit to Parkers with the nearby Tennessee Natchez Trace State Park.

The Parker's Crossroads battlefield turned out to be a surprisingly good historical site, considering it is a locally maintained Civil War site. There are professionally done interpretive plaques on a well-marked driving tour, several artillery pieces on the fields, and paved walking trails to tour much of the site.Normally on a Civil War battlefield maintained by a small town, or county, the signage, acerage and decorations are at a minimum, simply because of the cost involved. The town of Parker's Crossroads, and Henderson County, have gone the extra step. The best place to start your tour is at the visitor's center, located on Tennessee 22, within sight of the route's I-40 junction. A map and brouchure explaining the battle, and its related sites, is available there. Also inside, a diorama with minitures shows the battle as it occured. I-40 literally cuts the battlefield in half, so it is not in pristine condition. One example is a cannon located near a bank. But if you take both the walking tour and driving tour, you could easily spend a couple of hours there. The site has no admission fee. Parker's Crossroads is worth a stop for anyone interested in Civil War history.