The Davis' Mills Battle Site is the historic site of an

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

conflict that took place on December 21, 1862. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on October 2, 1973. It is located off Mississippi Hwy 7 in what is now

Michigan City, Mississippi Michigan City, formerly known as Davis Mills, is an unincorporated community in Benton County, Mississippi, United States. History The majority of the first settlers being natives of the state of Michigan caused the name to be selected. Michigan ...

Benton County, Mississippi Benton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,646. Its county seat is Ashland. It is locally believed that residents convinced the post-Civil War Reconstruction government that ...

.Davis' Mills Battle Site
National Register of Historic Places nomination form, National Park Service The

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

of the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

under Major General

Earl Van Dorn Earl Van Dorn (September 17, 1820May 7, 1863) was an American Major General who started his military career as a United States Army officer and became famous for successfully leading two defenses of a Native American settlement from the Comanch ...

attacked a Federal garrison commanded by W.H. Morgan at the Davis' Mills the site on December 21, 1862. The small settlement included houses, a flour mill, and a saw mill on the north bank of the Wolf River near a

Mississippi Central Railroad Mississippi Central Railroad (reporting mark MSCI) is a short line railroad that operates three disconnected tracks: 51 miles from Oxford, Mississippi to Grand Junction, Tennessee; 11 miles in Iuka Mississippi, and 46 miles from Corinth, Mi ...

wooden trestle crossing. An

Indian mound Many pre-Columbian cultures in North America were collectively termed "Mound Builders", but the term has no formal meaning. It does not refer to specific people or archaeological culture but refers to the characteristic mound earthworks that in ...

was used by Federal troops as a fortification. A tree on the site was carved with names, dates, initials, and

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

al information by some of the soldiers.

References

Benton County, Mississippi American Civil War sites 1862 in American politics American Civil War on the National Register of Historic Places Conflict sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi Mississippi in the American Civil War National Register of Historic Places in Benton County, Mississippi {{Mississippi-NRHP-stub

See also

References