Memphis Moment: the Battle of Memphis

By Steve Pike

Memphis, TN – On June 8, 1861, Tennessee became the eleventh and final state to join the Confederacy. Local funds were raised in Memphis to help with the city's defense: the riverfront was fortified with a barricade of cotton bales, factories converted their production to support the war effort, and thousands of young men joined the Confederate forces. Despite these preparations, on June 6, 1862, a superior Union fleet easily defeated the rebels in Memphis in a battle lasting only ninety minutes.

To learn more about the cultural and natural history of Memphis, please visit the Pink Palace Museum in Memphis, or visit http://www.memphismuseums.org/