According to tradition, Woodall Mountain was called Yaw Hill or Yaw Mountain before 1898. It was renamed for Zaphaniah H. Woodall, who was the sheriff of Tishomingo County when the first Tishomingo County Courthouse at Iuka, along with the county records, burned down in 1887; it is suspected that the fire was started to destroy evidence in a murder case. On September 19, 1862, the Union Army of the Mississippi, commanded by Major General William S. Rosecrans, and the Confederate Army of the West, commanded by Major General Sterling Price, fought a fierce and bloody battle about 1½ miles southwest of Iuka, and during the battle nearly one-third of those engaged fell. The Battle of Iuka took place in the immediate vicinity of the U.S. Hwy 72/State Route 25 interchange, and because of the wide views from the summit, Woodall Mountain was likely used as an observation post by both armies during their early days in the region. The armies met again on October 3-4, 1862, in the battle for control of the railroad junction at Corinth, about 22 miles west-northwest of Iuka. Some Civil War historians believe that the Confederate defeats at Iuka and Corinth forever turned the tide of war against the Confederacy.
