Memphis

General visitor info: www.memphistravel.com

The Union victory at Shiloh in April 1862 made Confederate control of the Mississippi River in Tennessee impossible. Following a brief gunboat battle below the Memphis bluffs on June 6, 1862, Confederates abandoned the city. Memphis became a vital supply depot and staging area for Union campaigns.

Mississippi River Museum
at Mud Island River Park
125 N Front St, Memphis TN 38103
800-507-6507
 Road map 
Five galleries in the Mississippi River Museum on Mud Island are devoted to the Civil War. Highlight is a simulated battle between a gunboat and a river battery (very near where a real one happened).  A reproduction of the front of a Union gunboat, uniforms, artillery pieces and many other items related to the war on the Mississippi are on display. The role of the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers also is examined.
   The museum is included in the Mud Island Park admission. Monorail roundtrip and guided River Walk tour are part of the package. Open mid-April through October 10 am-5 pm, extended hours during the summer. $8 adults.

Forrest Park
Union Avenue and Walnut Street, Memphis TN 38103
 Road map 
Famed Confederate cavalry Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest is buried here, and an impressive equestrian statute honors him.

Memphis Cemeteries

Memphis National Cemetery
3568 Townes Ave, Memphis TN 38112
901-386-8311
 Road map 
Thousands of unknown Union soldiers are buried here in a cemetery established shortly after the war. Memphis was the site of large hospitals after the Union takeover in 1862 and the dead from these facilities, area camps and battles were reburied here. Many of the victims of the April 1865 Sultana riverboat disaster are interred here.

More sites to see in Memphis

The 1828 Hunt-Phelan House, 533 Beale St, www.huntphelan.com, which hosted at various times almost every prominent Confederate traveling to town prior to the Union occupation. U.S. Grant used the building as his headquarters during the planning of the Vicksburg campaign. The home is now a bed-and-breakfast.
   Confederate Park, Front Street at Jefferson Avenue overlooking the Mississippi River, which features artillery and historical markers.
    The interesting Pink Palace Museum, 3050 Central Ave, has some Civil War material.

Website links to these places: Tennessee Links