Memphis

Memphis was first visited by European explorer Hernando DeSoto, who crossed the Mississippi near Memphis in 1541. The French followed and Sieur de LaSalle build Fort Prudhomme around 1682. After the French and Indian War in 1763, England gained control of the area. President Andrew Jackson, General James Winchester and Judge John Overton are considered the founders of Memphis in 1819. Memphis was only four blocks wide and had a population of fifty people.

Memphis location was valued by both the Union and Confederacy during the Civil War. It became a military supply for the Confederacy before the being defeated at Shiloh. Soon after the river battle of June 6, 1862, Memphis became Union headquarters.
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