Eastport

[DeltaQueenBee]

Hi y'all- I'm new here but it seems like this board might be the best place for me to start asking questions . My family owns a lake house right next to Eastport, MS and so the events there in October of 1862 have always been fascinating to me. According to what I have read, Col Dan Kelly placed his 300 men and 2 artillery in a good position to the see the river to fire upon the Union gunboats. Is there any way to find out where this position would have been? It seems logical that it would have been near where our house is located since we are at such a high elevation (for Mississippi) above the river. I've tried looking at some old maps but they always show the Battle of Shiloh or Iuka and my little corner of Tishomingo County is cut out.
I hope this question makes sense. My husband says I'm wrong. Please help a girl out!

 

[captaindrew]

Welcome to the forum, from the Reenactors Forum. I'm not real familiar with the area but I'm sure you'll get some help before long. Hey @7th Mississippi Infantry is that near your neck of the woods?

 

[bankerpapaw]

Welcome from NW Georgia.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Welcome @DeltaQueenBee !

I have no doubt our north Mississippi experts can answer your question.
Paging @TomP , @Ole Miss and others.

Welcome to the forum, from the Reenactors Forum. I'm not real familiar with the area but I'm sure you'll get some help before long. Hey @7th Mississippi Infantry is that near your neck of the woods?

Actually Eastport was on the opposite side of the state. Very far from me.
I'm "next door" to Louisiana ... Tishomingo County is "next door" to Tennessee.



However, Eastport has always been intriguing.
From what little I've found, the town seems to have become extinct after the War.
But I have seen references to Eastport in reports ... along with seeing the town listed on some very early maps.

 

[Ole Miss]

1st allow me to Welcome you to the Shiloh-Landing Forum and North Mississippi! I am about 2 hours from Eastport but I am not familiar with the town or its history other than it is a Ghost Town. Kevin @16thAL and his wife Ashley @MS2623 are from Corinth and would be of more assistance than me.

I have listed 3 threads below that might be of assistance till the others check in
Regards
David

Info on the Tennessee (I) and the Eastport | Naval War - At Sea & Along Inland Waterways

The first CSN ironclad to be named the Tennessee and the Eastport, like many Confederate ships, are quite mysterious. We know the Tennessee (I) was ordered in April 1862, and was still under construction at John T. Shirley's yard at Memphis when she was burned to prevent capture on 5 June, but...

civilwartalk.com

BGES Streight's Raid Tour Eastport MS to Cedar Bluff AL June 25-27, 2021 | Traveler's Companion - Visit Historic Sites

This weekend, I had the opportunity to join @Norman Dasinger Jr and Dr. Brian Steel Wills on Blue & Gray Education Society's tour of Streight's Raid --- from Eastport, MS to Cedar Bluff, AL. It was my first time to join a BGES tour and it was an amazing learning experience! The event began on...

civilwartalk.com

Info on the Tennessee (I) and the Eastport | Naval War - At Sea & Along Inland Waterways

The first CSN ironclad to be named the Tennessee and the Eastport, like many Confederate ships, are quite mysterious. We know the Tennessee (I) was ordered in April 1862, and was still under construction at John T. Shirley's yard at Memphis when she was burned to prevent capture on 5 June, but...

civilwartalk.com

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

1st allow me to Welcome you to the Shiloh-Landing Forum and North Mississippi! I am about 2 hours from Eastport but I am not familiar with the town or its history other than it is a Ghost Town. Kevin @16thAL and his wife Ashley @MS2623 are from Corinth and would be of more assistance than me.

I have listed 3 threads below that might be of assistance till the others check in
Regards
David

Info on the Tennessee (I) and the Eastport | Naval War - At Sea & Along Inland Waterways

The first CSN ironclad to be named the Tennessee and the Eastport, like many Confederate ships, are quite mysterious. We know the Tennessee (I) was ordered in April 1862, and was still under construction at John T. Shirley's yard at Memphis when she was burned to prevent capture on 5 June, but...

civilwartalk.com

BGES Streight's Raid Tour Eastport MS to Cedar Bluff AL June 25-27, 2021 | Traveler's Companion - Visit Historic Sites

This weekend, I had the opportunity to join @Norman Dasinger Jr and Dr. Brian Steel Wills on Blue & Gray Education Society's tour of Streight's Raid --- from Eastport, MS to Cedar Bluff, AL. It was my first time to join a BGES tour and it was an amazing learning experience! The event began on...

civilwartalk.com

Info on the Tennessee (I) and the Eastport | Naval War - At Sea & Along Inland Waterways

The first CSN ironclad to be named the Tennessee and the Eastport, like many Confederate ships, are quite mysterious. We know the Tennessee (I) was ordered in April 1862, and was still under construction at John T. Shirley's yard at Memphis when she was burned to prevent capture on 5 June, but...

civilwartalk.com

Thank you !

I wasn't sure, but I thought there was connection between Eastport, Mississippi and the early War
Confederate Navy.

 

[DeltaQueenBee]

Welcome @DeltaQueenBee !

I have no doubt our north Mississippi experts can answer your question.
Paging @TomP , @Ole Miss and others.


Actually Eastport was on the opposite side of the state. Very far from me.
I'm "next door" to Louisiana ... Tishomingo County is "next door" to Tennessee.



However, Eastport has always been intriguing.
From what little I've found, the town seems to have become extinct after the War.
But I have seen references to Eastport in reports ... along with seeing the town listed on some very early maps.

It is a fascinating story! It was booming for a while due to its location on the river and even had a womens college. When they were building the railroad through the area Eastport didn't think they needed the railway so it was constructed in Iuka instead. Needless to say, that was a horrible idea and many homes and businesses were moved to Iuka and Eastport began to fade away. I think part of it was also lost when the TVA built Pickwick Dam and flooded part of the valley but that's a whole other fascinating story. Now it's basically a marina surrounded by vacation homes but there's a campground and we found an old log cabin back up in the woods there.
Fun fact-there's an old chalk mine right around the corner near Bear Creek. It's full of graffiti and beer cans now but everyone has to explore it at least once.

 

[16thAL]

Eastport was a trading post for flatboats . The river was very different then . It was very shallow when you get past Shiloh. You could wade across it at such points as Waterloo and muscle shoals . Eastport as my ancestors knew it was wiped out when the river was dammed. Thanks for posting about this as my roots are Tishomingo county and love any opportunity to bring light to this wonderful place .

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Fun fact-there's an old chalk mine right around the corner near Bear Creek. It's full of graffiti and beer cans now but everyone has to explore it at least once.

Yep.

I've never been there ... but have always heard about the chalk mine.
As a matter of fact, Walt Grayson had a segment about it on his show "Mississippi Roads" a couple of weeks ago.

 

[DeltaQueenBee]

Eastport was a trading post for flatboats . The river was very different then . It was very shallow when you get past Shiloh. You could wade across it at such points as Waterloo and muscle shoals . Eastport as my ancestors knew it was wiped out when the river was dammed. Thanks for posting about this as my roots are Tishomingo county and love any opportunity to bring light to this wonderful place

1st allow me to Welcome you to the Shiloh-Landing Forum and North Mississippi! I am about 2 hours from Eastport but I am not familiar with the town or its history other than it is a Ghost Town. Kevin @16thAL and his wife Ashley @MS2623 are from Corinth and would be of more assistance than me.

I have listed 3 threads below that might be of assistance till the others check in
Regards
David

Info on the Tennessee (I) and the Eastport | Naval War - At Sea & Along Inland Waterways

The first CSN ironclad to be named the Tennessee and the Eastport, like many Confederate ships, are quite mysterious. We know the Tennessee (I) was ordered in April 1862, and was still under construction at John T. Shirley's yard at Memphis when she was burned to prevent capture on 5 June, but...

civilwartalk.com

BGES Streight's Raid Tour Eastport MS to Cedar Bluff AL June 25-27, 2021 | Traveler's Companion - Visit Historic Sites

This weekend, I had the opportunity to join @Norman Dasinger Jr and Dr. Brian Steel Wills on Blue & Gray Education Society's tour of Streight's Raid --- from Eastport, MS to Cedar Bluff, AL. It was my first time to join a BGES tour and it was an amazing learning experience! The event began on...

civilwartalk.com

Info on the Tennessee (I) and the Eastport | Naval War - At Sea & Along Inland Waterways

The first CSN ironclad to be named the Tennessee and the Eastport, like many Confederate ships, are quite mysterious. We know the Tennessee (I) was ordered in April 1862, and was still under construction at John T. Shirley's yard at Memphis when she was burned to prevent capture on 5 June, but...

civilwartalk.com

I'm just up the road from you, outside of Memphis . Thanks for the welcome!

 

[Ole Miss]

On March 4 and 5 there will be a Mid-South Military History & Civil War Show* held at the Landers Center in DeSoto County. We have 2 members who exhibite, trade and sell who will be there. Richard @ucvrelics and Bob @redbob, 2 ole Alabama boys are really knowledgable about the Northern Mississippi and Northern Alabama activities in the War.

I am bringing my son in law and youngest granddaughter to the Show saturday afternoon so come join us
Regards
David

*https://www.facebook.com/MilitaryHistoryCivilWarShow/

 

[16thAL]

I'm just up the road from you, outside of Memphis . Thanks for the welcome!

Sadly I'm in Memphis every day

 

[Lubliner]

Waterloo and Eastport were staging areas for the Yankees when General Thomas was in charge of Tennessee. I have found some reports in the Official Records of flooding in that area when the river rose and ruined a lot of cavalry supplies.
Lubliner.

 

[redbob]

Welcome to the forum from middle Alabama, it is good to have you join us and I am sure that the answers to your question will be forthcoming.

Sadly I'm in Memphis every day

Yes, but you aren't with Puddin' and me...

 

[DixieRifles]

I'm trying to recall some of my resources that mention Eastport. I seem to recall an early cavalry movement through that town around 1862. But the Confederate cavalry under Tyree Bell passed through there on their way to Iuka, arriving on Nov 14, 1864. (Source: "Brigadier General Tyree H. Bell, CSA. Forrest's Fighting Lieutenant".

 

[Norman Dasinger Jr]

There is a great book - it is old- of the history of Eastport. It was small but not that small un til they voted not to allow the new Railroad to come to town. Iuka took it instead. I have led multiple CW tours of Forrest Streight Raid over the years and tour stop #1 is Eastport.

 

[DixieRifles]

the events there in October of 1862

That was part of the campaign that lead to the Battle of Corinth. We need to ask our resident Park Ranger about that.

Here is a quote from the History of the 22nd Mississippi Regiment. This was part of the probes that preceded the Battle of Shiloh.

February 23 {1862}.
They reached their old camp at Iuka in March, and after the Federal gunboats appeared on the river below Pittsburg Landing the regiment, under Colonel Schaller, engaged in frequent movements to Eastport. March 26, Schaller reported that his artillery had disabled the gunboat Lexington on the previous day, but he was removing the artillery by order of General Crittenden and would evacuate Eastport that day.

 

[Ac74]

Hello all, hello Deltaqueen, just had to respond to this thread first as I happen to live in Iuka and have hunted Eastport for over 30 years now and I can definitely tell you there were over 10 gun emplacements even one one a turret type slab with track that still exists today being used as a patio believe it or not. Have you ever heard of the chalkmine? It sits above the present day marina and during the civil war was mined for salt Peter by the Confederates for black powder, there are a couple of emplacements there but the biggest concentration of them are back over where present day union harbor community is, I have a good friend who just acquired 27 acres that have a couple of emplacements on it as well as the winter camps from the union occupation, it seems that Eastport and the surrounding area changed hands on a seasonal type thing for some reason but I could show you where the turret sits and where the girls college was, turned into a military academy during the war, and where the breast works run for literally miles also a stone road that runs for a good half mile goes from a high elevation on a very gradual decline to the river I can only assume it was the landing and the purpose of the elaborate road that is built was to support the heavy cargo from the supply vessels to the ground troops, its truly amazing at how big of a force had to occupy that entire area and the amount of labor and time that it took to complete it all, I've never understood why it wasn't preserved by the NPS or made at least a protected area by the state. It has more miles of breast works than any other national battleground I've ever seen and covers the entire rivers edge from Bear Creek to Pittsburgh landing, luckily when the **** was built and they flooded the area right at Eastport the natural channel literally hugs the bank and because of the bluffs it didn't take out any of the historical importance on the Mississippi side I don't know how to explain how to get to most of the emplacements there unless you are familiar with all of the names of the hollows and such and will be glad to draw you a map or show you where they are sometime it's truly amazing. Sorry to start out here with a 15 minute run on sentence but I couldn't help myself I truly do wish it were protected because development is going to erase the remnants from our history here I just hope it's never forgotten.

 

[DeltaQueenBee]

There is a great book - it is old- of the history of Eastport. It was small but not that small un til they voted not to allow the new Railroad to come to town. Iuka took it instead. I have led multiple CW tours of Forrest Streight Raid over the years and tour stop #1 is Eastport.

Since you are familiar with the area, I have found the attached section from a book that mentions Rocky Point being half a mile below Eastport. That would mean that Rocky Point would be slightly north of Eastport, correct?

 

[Norman Dasinger Jr]

Rocky Point appears to be about where the boat launch is today -
Abel Streight corralled his mules around this high point in back of the town