Brushy Bayou
Brushy Bayou is a bayou in Madison Parish, Louisiana, United States. The bayou flows through the Tallulah,–Richmond area and joins Roundaway Bayou near Richmond; it is part of the Tensas River basin.
Course
Topographic and transportation maps show Brushy Bayou running through the Tallulah–Richmond area and meeting Roundaway Bayou near Richmond. The bayou parallels portions of Louisiana Highway 602; the National Register nomination for Crescent Plantation notes that “Brushy Bayou runs in front of the plantation residence” and that LA 602 follows the route of Brushy and Walnut bayous.
History
During the Vicksburg campaign, Union forces crossed Brushy Bayou en route to the Battle of Richmond on June 15, 1863, after which the town of Richmond was burned. A reconnaissance column also skirmished at Richmond on March 31, 1863, near the bayou; marker texts summarize the action. Nineteenth-century local accounts likewise place “old Richmond” where Brushy Bayou meets Roundaway Bayou.
The U.S. Geological Survey maintains a stream gage titled “Brushy Bayou at Tallulah, La.”, providing water-level and related data for the bayou. Nearby USGS stations monitor Roundaway Bayou, into which Brushy Bayou flows.