Watch for a new book in the Summer of 2013 on The Battle of West Point
written by local author John W. McBryde and pulbished by History Press.
This web page is dedicated to the brave men who fought for the Confederacy, and the Union. It is dedicated to the men of General William "Sooy" Smith and General Nathan Bedford Forrest who met in combat in West Point on February 20th and 21st. It is dedicated to the people of West Point who had to deal with the inconveniences and hardships of war by protecting what was theirs and by sacrificing their food, farm animals and feed for the Confederate army. The War Between the States tested all citizens of this country. Because of this war the whole nation matured and became what it is today.
The Battle of Ellis Bridge took place three miles west of West Point along Sakatonchee Creek. In case you  happen to visit the area, you will notice the name of the Creek is not spelled as I have spelled it. Now it is spelled Chuquatonchee Creek. If you happen to drive across the bottom you will see a monument on your right dedicated to the men who fought at Ellis Bridge. This monument is west of the battle site. It was put there because it was the only place land could be acquired to place a memorial to the battle.
Within the next three pages I have tried to present a brief history of the Battle of Ellis Bridge. Some local citizens call this battle "The Battle of West Point". I have lived with this battle for over forty years. I remember hearing stories of the battle when I was eight years old. Since then I became so interested in the Civil War history of West Point and Clay County that I have ultimately devoted my life to researching the part West Point played in the Civil War. The next few pages is only a snippet of my research. One day I hope all my research will come together into a book.
Much of these three pages came from the Official Records. Some of the information came from other sources, mainly books written on Forrest. Eventually, I hope to add more information on the battle to this site as it comes available to me. I am still researching this battle. I am also looking for the battle site. Hopefully, if luck smiles its face on those of us who are searching for the battlefield, I may be able to provide pictures of artifacts from the Ellis Bridge fight. If you have any questions, inquiries or information on this battle, you may contact me at my E-Mail address at the bottom of this page. If you have personal accounts from your own ancestors of the battle, please contact me. I will be very interested in those.
For history students I hope this account will be an introduction for you to the history of our community during the American Civil War. This battle launched me on a life-time of study into the Civil War. History is not a boring subject. It is a culmination of hundreds of years of day-to-day activities of our great Grandparents, great, great Grandparents and our great, great, great Grandparents. To learn about them, we learn about ourselves. To learn about their mistakes, we have a better chance not to repeat them. Knowing about their successes we learn how to be successful ourselves. Their weaknesses can become our strengths. Their history is a key to our future. Open the door and learn all you can.
Prepared by : John W. McBryde
Last Revised 13 February 2007
Send all comments or suggestions to:
JScot4U@Yahoo.com
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