The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Jackson (Tenn.)

JACKSON, Tenn., city and county-seat of Madison County, situated about 80 miles northeast of Memphis, on the South Fork of the Forked Deer River, and on the Illinois Central, Mobile and Ohio and Nashville, Chicago and Saint Louis and Birmingham and Northwestern railroads. It is the trade centre of a large and fruitful agricultural region, is an important cotton market, and has manufactures of engines and boilers, cotton goods, lumber, machinery, flour, cottonseed-oil, furniture, trunks, spokes and skewers, plows, carriages, bricks and other products. Here are located the Union University, the Memphis Conference Female Institute and Lane University. Jackson has a fine park, Carnegie library and modern municipal improvements, the waterworks and electric-light system being owned by the city. It has five banks with a combined capital of $528,150. The government is by commission, composed of three commissioners. Jackson was first settled in 1818. Jackson is in the centre of a net work of 210 miles of graded and graveled roads of Madison county. During the Civil War, Jackson was at times the headquarters of General Grant. It was captured by Union troops 7 June 1862. On 19 Dec. 1862, General Forrest sent detachments of cavalry to destroy the railroad to the north and south, and with 400 men advanced on Jackson and had a running fight with two regiments of Union infantry and detachments of cavalry under Colonel Engelmann of the 43d Illinois, who disputed Forrest's advance until the fortifications of the town were reached, when Forrest withdrew and moved on Humboldt and Trenton. On 13 July 1863, a Confederate cavalry force held the town and guarded a large number of conscripts. Col. Edward Hatch with 1,160 men of the 3d Michigan, 2d Iowa, 1st West Tennessee and 9th Illinois cavalry regiments attacked the Confederates and drove them from the town, releasing about 450 conscripts, and capturing 250 horses and nearly 400 stand of small arms. Hatch's loss was very slight. The Confederates had 38 killed and about 150 wounded. Consult ‘Official Records’ (Vol. XXIII). Pop. 15,779.