Grand Junction

Grand Junction is named for its location, where the Memphis and Charleston and Mississippi Central Railroads intersect, and was strategically important to both Confederate and Union forces. After defeats at Shiloh and Corinth, Confederates tore up the tracks, hoping to delay the Federal pursuit. Union Gen. William T. Sherman oversaw much of the repair work in mid-1862. Later, Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant made this place a staging ground for his Vicksburg campaign, storing "100,000 rations" and basing 40,000 U.S. soldiers here.