Map_of_Mississippi_-_constructed_from_the_surveys_in_the_General_Land_Office_and_other_documents_LOC_2001626031

Map from Indian land cessions in the United States by Charles C

General Carroll's Road was a north-south route through

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

and territorial-era lower

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

in early 19th-century North America. The road connected

Lake Pontchartrain Lake Pontchartrain ( ; ) is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of with an average depth of . Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about from w ...

to the Choctaw Agency, which was located about five miles north of present-day

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

. The route was named after William Carroll, and followed an existing route between

Madisonville, Louisiana Madisonville is a town in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, St. Tammany Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 748 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, and 850 at the 2020 U.S. census. It is part of the New Orleans& ...

, and

Liberty, Mississippi Liberty is a town in Amite County, Mississippi. It is part of the McComb, Mississippi McComb micropolitan area, micropolitan statistical area. It is the county seat of Amite County. The town can be accessed via Interstate 55 in Mississippi, I-55 ...

, but the last 125 miles were "blazed out" as a way to get Carroll's men back from the

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815, between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Frenc ...

while avoiding

Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the only city in and the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,520 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia, Louisiana, Natchez was ...

. Once they reached the Choctaw Agency it was a straight shot back up the

Natchez Trace The Natchez Trace, also known as the Old Natchez Trace, is a historic forest trail within the United States which extends roughly from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi, linking the Cumberland River, Cumberland, Tennessee River, ...

to Tennessee. Also known as Carroll's Trace, a fragment was still visible in

Copiah County Copiah County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 28,368. The county seat is Hazlehurst, Mississippi, Hazlehurst. With an eastern bo ...

as of 1974. The road was never heavily used even in its frontier heyday because its original purpose of getting Carroll's men home meant they "paid no attention to grades and stream crossings. The Trace goes up and down hills with a 30-degree slope, and it crosses Lick Creek where no road could ever be built to last." Because the roads radiating from Madisonville, on the

Tchefuncte River The Tchefuncte River ( ) drains into Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana in the United States. It is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 20, 2011 Etymology T ...

, were also intersected by the east-west General Wilkinson's Road, the town became an important start and end point for travels through what settlers called the "wilderness."

References

Historic trails and roads in Mississippi Historic trails and roads in Louisiana Military roads Natchez Trace 1815 establishments in the United States {{US-road-stub

See also

References