On December 31, 1862, the same day the much-bloodier Battle of Stones River raged to the east in Murfreesboro, Tenn., 1,800 Confederate cavalrymen under Nathan Bedford Forrest fought two Union brigades of Midwesterners at the hamlet of Parker’s Crossroads. In the preceding days, Forrest’s aim had been to disrupt Union supply lines in West Tennessee and Mississippi.
The battle resulted in roughly 750 casualties and almost the capture of Forrest, who ended up burnishing his reputation in this unheralded fight. Both sides claimed victory, but the battle is considered a Confederate triumph.
In the late 1960s, the construction of