The Battle of Salem Cemetery

Forrest's expedition into West Tennessee, December 11, 1862 to January 1, 1863, aimed to break the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, the supply line for Grant's army moving down the Mississippi Central. Federal troops had massed at Jackson under Brigadier General Jeremiah Sullivan, and Forrest had smashed the Union cavalry at Lexington the day before. At Old Salem Cemetery Colonel Adolph Engelmann's two infantry regiments repulsed a mounted charge, then fell back about a mile. Forrest treated the fight as a feint to hold Jackson's defenders in place while two columns tore up track north and south of town.

What the plaque says

The Battle of Salem Cemetery Here on December 19,1862, Confederate forces under the command of Gen. Nathan B. Forrest fought Union forces commanded by Colonel Adolph Engelmann. After a cavalry charge was repulsed, the Confederate artillery forced the retreat of the Federals, and Forrest withdrew toward Humboldt. About 1,000 men were engaged in the two hour battle.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park — 10 mi
  The largest group of Middle Woodland mounds in the United States, about two thousand years old, with the second tallest mound in the country, a museum and paved trails.

More markers nearby

• John Luther Jones — 2.3 mi
• Lane College — 2.3 mi
• Adam Huntsman — 2.4 mi
• 61st US Colored Infantry Regiment — 3.2 mi