Sight · Natchez Trace Parkway
Roadside sign marking an 1863 Vicksburg Campaign fight three miles east
Overview
This is a quick roadside history stop at milepost 78.3, the closest point on the Parkway to Raymond, Mississippi. The interpretive sign covers the Battle of Raymond on May 8, 1863, when Union forces under Grant, moving inland after crossing the Mississippi River and capturing Port Gibson, drew fire from a Confederate brigade under Brigadier General John Gregg at the southern edge of Raymond. After a day of bitter fighting the Confederates withdrew toward Jackson, leaving their wounded in the county courthouse. For anyone following the Vicksburg Campaign by car, it is a useful five-minute orientation before or after visiting the town itself.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy stop hereMap
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Natchez Trace Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Natchez Trace Parkway. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Battle of Raymond Marker“You're approaching the Battle of Raymond marker, a quick roadside stop for a fight that took place about three miles east of here.”
Plays as you drive up to Battle of Raymond in the Parkwolf Natchez Trace Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Expect one wooden sign hanging from a crossbeam among dense trees, plus auto parking and a single picnic table with no grill. That is the whole stop. The fighting happened about three miles east of this spot, so there are no battle lines, monuments, or open field views here, and this location is separate from the preserved battlefield ground near Raymond. There is no museum, visitor center, or restroom at the pull-off.
Come in daylight, since the panel text needs natural light to read and photograph, and softer morning or late-afternoon light works best for pictures of the sign under the trees. It suits a short snack break rather than a full lunch, given the lone table. The main drawback is simple to state: the sign carries the story, but the ground it describes lies down the road, so plan a drive into Raymond if you want to stand where the battle was fought.
Wildlife
39 sightingsAmerican AlligatorMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
35 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
53 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
28 sightingsGreat Blue HeronMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
29 sightingsRed-headed WoodpeckerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
32 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around noonSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Natchez Trace. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Parkwolf’s Natchez Trace ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
