Jackson's Military Road
United States 
Migration Trails and Roads Jackson's Military Road
Jackson's Military Road was built during the War of 1812 to help General Andrew Jackson prepare against a British invasion. The road split off from the Natchez Trace at Tupelo, Mississippi and stretched south to Madisonville north of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Historical Background[edit | edit source]
During the War of 1812 General Andrew Jackson needed to be able to move his army quickly to defend New Orleans, Mobile, or Pensacola in case of a British attack. A network of roads was created linking these Gulf Coast ports to Nashville, Tennessee.
After the war in 1816, Congress appropriated funds to improve the road, build bridges and swamp causeways, and named the route from Nashville to New Orleans in honor of General Jackson.
The road quickly became an important pathway for settlers. It also began to siphon off some of the traffic from the much older Natchez Trace.
Route[edit | edit source]
North to south
- Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee
- Columbia, Maury, Tennessee
- Tupelo, Lee, Mississippi (near the Tombigbee River)
- Noxubee swamp
- Meridian, Lauderdale, Mississippi
- Hattiesburg, Forrest, Mississippi
- Madisonville, St. Tammany, Louisiana
- New Orleans, Orleans, Louisiana
Settlers and Records[edit | edit source]
No known list of settlers who followed General Jackson's Military Road exists. See records of settlers in the Nashville, Tupelo, and New Orleans area.