A critical factor in the Union defeat at Brice's Crossroads was the decision by an unknown officer to bring most if not all of the Union supply train across the Tishomingo Creek Bridge and into the field across the road from where you now stand. When the time came for retreat, the slow-moving wagons clogged the narrow bridge, creating a panic among exhausted Union troops who were desperate to get away from the enemy fire.
The supply train consisted of 250 wagons, each pulled by a team of four to six horses or mules. The wagons carried ammunition, food, forage and equipment, and also served as ambulances.
Quote (bottom of tablet): "Pack animals, wagons, ambulances, the sick, servants, all of those necessary evils which clog an army, came dragging and straggling along in front of the guard. They ought not to have gone over the bridge but ... they moved right on ..." - Captain William Forse Scott, 4th Iowa Cavalry
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