Discovery Tour of the
Vicksburg Campaign Trail |
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Be more than a tourist as you revisit the places that became history.
For the first time since U. S. Grant determined to capture Vicksburg in
1862-1863 these historic sites are again united. Experience the rare opportunity to return to the fields, bayous, and country roads of Louisiana and Mississippi to revisit history - to sites along Grant's Trail that have not been connected since that fateful time. |
Discover the story leading up to the siege and surrender of Vicksburg on
July 4, 1863. Visit famous battlefields and little known ones,
antebellum homes, courthouses and churches that played pivotal roles in
the Campaign. Pay homage to those who fell in battle at cemeteries all along the Trail. See for yourself the wealth and diversity of a significant historical resource, little known outside the |
focus of the culmination of
the campaign, The Vicksburg Military Park. |
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The primary strategic objective of the Union in the western theater of the Civil War was to obtain full control of the entire course of the Mississippi River, thus making it available for Northern commerce. Also, Union control of the Mississippi would geographically cut the Confederacy in two. By the winter of 1862-63, Union control had been established as far south as Vicksburg, and as far north as Baton Rouge. However, the Confederacy had retained control of the Mississippi between those points by holding powerful fortresses at Vicksburg and Port Hudson. Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton commanded the Confederate Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant commanded the Union Army of the Tennessee. Both assumed command during October 1862 and both were West Pointers. Grant’s initial offensive to gain control of the Mississippi using the railroads of western Mississippi as a main supply line failed on 20 December 1862 when Confederate cavalry destroyed his base of supply. This forced Grant to return to Memphis, and sealed the fate of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s cooperating amphibious expedition at Chickasaw Bayou on 27-29 December 1862. Early in1863, Grant moved the bulk of his army from Memphis to three camps in Louisiana opposite Vicksburg: Lake Providence, Milliken’s Bend, and Young’s Point. During a miserably wet winter, Grant’s attempts to bypass Vicksburg by digging canals at Lake Providence, DeSoto Point, and Duckport all failed. Other Bayou Expeditions also failed: The Yazoo Pass Expedition at Fort Pemberton on 20 March, and the Steele’s Bayou Expedition on Rolling Fork Creek in late March. The Vicksburg defenses seemed invulnerable. However, Grant never lost sight of his objective: "To secure footing upon dry ground on the east side of the river from which the troops could operate against Vicksburg." On 31 March, Grant marched his army southward through Louisiana, corduroying roads and building bridges as he went. He hoped to find a lightly-defended point on the |
Mississippi shore
south of Vicksburg. Grant’s first plan was to cross the Mississippi
River at Confederate occupied Grand Gulf. At Grant’s request, on the
night of 16 April, Flag Officer David D. Porter ran the Vicksburg
batteries. Porter’s seven ironclads and four transports were to
provide gunnery support and transport for Grant’s troops. By 28 April,
the bulk of Grant’s army had assembled at Hard Times Plantation,
Louisiana, with plans to land at Grand Gulf, Mississippi. The next day, a determined effort by Porter’s ironclad gunboats failed to knock out the Grand Gulf guns. Undaunted, Grant moved his army further south to Disharoon’s Plantation. On 30 April his men, transported by Porter’s boats (which had run the Grand Gulf batteries the previous night), landed unopposed at Bruinsburg. Moving inland, on 1 May the Union force encountered Brig. Gen. John Bowen’s Confederates five miles west of Port Gibson. Though the Confederates were greatly outnumbered, they fought so tenaciously that an entire day was required to drive them back across Bayou Pierre. Grant then outflanked Bowen by a river crossing of Bayou Pierre at Grindstone Ford and advanced to Hankinson’s Ferry on the Big Black River. This forced Bowen to evacuate Grand Gulf. Grant immediately converted Grand Gulf to a forward supply depot. Grant decided not to advance directly on Vicksburg from Hankinson’s Ferry because of considerations of terrain and tactics. He boldly turned northeast toward Edwards to cut the railroad. He planned to cut off Pemberton’s supplies, as well as to draw the Confederates out of their fortifications. Grant’s plan changed after the battle of Raymond on 12 May, when Maj. Gen James McPherson’s corps was attacked by Confederate Brig. Gen. John Gregg’s brigade. While at Dillon’s farm Grant was informed of the Union victory at Raymond. He daringly decided to turn his army toward Jackson, assuming that a large Confederate force was assembling there. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston had recently arrived at Jackson with 5,000 |
Confederate
troops. He abandoned Jackson on 14 May after a brief fight with
Grant’s soldiers. The next day the Union army turned toward Vicksburg,
leaving Sherman’s corps behind to destroy the city. Pemberton had
moved 23,000 men eastward out of Vicksburg to defend his railroad supply
line. On 15 May, he marched to interdict the Union supply line at Dillon’s farm. The Union and Confederate armies clashed at Champion Hill on 16 May, where a decisive Confederate defeat forced Pemberton to withdraw toward Vicksburg. Pemberton withdrew the bulk of his army across the Big Black Bridge, leaving Bowen with a force of 7,000 men to defend a fortified bridgehead. Bowen’s defenses collapsed under Union assault early on 17 May, turning an orderly retreat into the Vicksburg defenses into a rout. By nightfall, Sherman had bridged the Big Black River at Bridgeport, and was on the road to Vicksburg. Pemberton was able to rally his disorganized and demoralized troops in the trenches of Vicksburg. On 19 May they to repulsed an assault, primarily by Sherman’s corps. On 22 May a second assault by Grant’s entire army was also repulsed. Unwilling to expend more lives in attempts to take the city by storm, Grant began siege operations. By the end of June, with all communication by either land or river cut off, Pemberton realized that he could neither break out nor hope for rescue by Johnston’s Army of Relief. After 47 days of siege, Pemberton accepted Grant’s terms, including the parole of all Confederate troops. Fortress Vicksburg was officially surrendered at 10:00 a.m. on 4 July 1863. Port Hudson on the Mississippi River was now flanked and rendered inconsequential due to the surrender of Vicksburg. The river fortress was surrendered on 9 July 1863. Union control of the Mississippi was complete, and the strategic objective in the west had been achieved. Grant would write, “The fate of the Confederacy was sealed when Vicksburg fell.” Vicksburg National
Military Park |
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A Guide to the Campaign Trail
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CONTACTS
Louisiana Welcome
Center, 318-574-5674
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Grant’s Canal Located in Delta, Louisiana, just across the Mississippi River Bridge. Site features the remains of Grant’s second attempt at building canal. The purpose of the canal, begun in the spring of 1862, was to create a channel for navigation that would bypass the Confederate batteries at Vicksburg. Engineers thought the scouring effect of the Mississippi River’s current would keep the canal open. As the men worked on the canal, many died from disease: dysentery, malaria and various deadly fevers. During the winter of 1863, a rise in the river broke the dam at the head of the canal causing Grant to make a bold change in operations. Work on the canal was abandoned. The segment of canal at Delta is all that remains. Other portions of the canal have disappeared over time. 2. Duckport Canal 3. Dalkeith 4. Milliken’s Bend 5. Richmond |
above us and the
road is romantic in the extreme. The artillery wagons rattle forward and
the heavy tramp of many men gives a dull but impressive sound."
Today, the old road appears much as it did in 1863. 11. Shaifer House  This is the
only house that survives on the Old Rodney Road. The Battle of Port
Gibson was fought around this site. During the battle, the evacuated
home was used by General John McClernand as headquarters. It was also
used as a hospital by both Union and Confederate troops.12. Wintergreen Cemetery Established in 1807 as the family burial plot of Samuel Gibson. Final resting place of two Confederate generals, Benjamin Grubb Humphreys (later governor) and Earl Van Dorn, and many victims of the battle of Port Gibson. 13. Grindstone Ford |
22. Old
Capitol Museum One of the
three public buildings in the city that was not destroyed by the torches
of General William Sherman. The Old Capitol was built in 1836 by William
Nichols. The historic building is now a museum. Open Friday 8-5,
Saturday 9:30-4:30 and Sunday 12:30-4:30.23. Governor’s Mansion  Greek
Revival style of architecture constructed in 1842 by state architect,
William Nichols, who also designed the Old Capitol. It is the oldest
occupied governor’s mansion in the United States. Tours available
Fridays on the half hour, 9:30-11:00.24. Manship House  One of the
few antebellum homes remaining in Jackson after the war. Built by the
Manship family in 1857, the home is a rare example of the Gothic Revival
residential style of architecture. Charles Henry Manship served as mayor
of Jackson during the war years. In his capacity of mayor, Manship
surrendered Jackson to General Sherman on July 16, 1863. The home has
been restored and is now open to the public. Located at 420 E.
Fortification Street. Open Friday 9-4 and Saturday 10-4.25. Greenwood Cemetery The oldest public cemetery in the City of Jackson. A Confederate Cemetery is located on this site. Located at 324 George Street, Jackson. 26. The Oaks House Museum One of the few antebellum homes remaining in Jackson. General Grant’s troops raided the house and General Sherman briefly used the house as headquarters. The museum interprets the life of the Boyd family from the 1840’s to the 1860’s. Located at 823 North Jefferson Street, Jackson. Open Friday and Saturday from 10-3. Fee charged 27. Billy Fields Road A ridge road running between Bolton and Edwards where most of the action of the Battle of Champion Hill took place. A historic marker notes the location of the heart of the battlefield. 28. Coker House Antebellum home near the Champion Hill Battlefield. After the Battle of Champion Hill, the Coker House was used as a hospital for wounded Union Soldiers. 29. General Lloyd Tilghman Monument Located on the Raymond-Edwards road near the Baker’s Creek crossing. General Tilghman, commanding First Brigade of Loring’s Division, was killed near the close of the Battle of Champion Hill. After the turn-of-the-century, a memorial monument was erected on the site where he fell. 30. Old Vicksburg Courthouse  One
of the most famous buildings in the South and certainly Vicksburg’s
most imposing structure. Construction began in 1858 according to designs
developed by the Weldon Brothers of Natchez. Today, the historic
building is maintained as a museum with emphasis on Civil War history.Entrance fee 31. Pemberton’s Headquarters  The
antebellum home, now known as General John Pemberton’s headquarters,
is located next to the historic Balfour house. Recently restored, this
home is noted as one of Vicksburg’s architectural and historic
treasures. Located at 1018 Crawford Street. Privately owned and not
operated on a set schedule.Entrance fee 32. Vicksburg Military Park  Established
by Congress on February 21, 1899 to commemorate one of the most decisive
battles of the American Civil War, the campaign, siege and defense of
Vicksburg. This park is famous worldwide. It includes 1,325 historic
markers and monuments, 20 miles of reconstructed trenches and
earthworks, a 16 mile tour road, the Shirley House, one-hundred and
forty-four cannons, a restored Union gunboat- the USS Cairo -
and the National Cemetery.Entrance fee |
After
crossing the river and landing at Bruinsburg, the Union army began
marching inland toward Port Gibson. A short distance into the march, the
soldiers found themselves staring at a magnificent five-story mansion
known as Windsor Plantation. Young widow, Catherine Daniell, pleaded for
the safety of her home and family. Her plea was granted but as the army
left, Grant burned the barn as a warning. In 1890, Windsor was destroyed
by fire. The twenty-two Corinthian columns that remain are among the
most famous ruins in the world.
One
of the oldest churches in the State of Mississippi. The present
structure was built circa 1842 by Dr. Jeremiah Chamberlain, a
Presbyterian minister. Dr. Chamberlain served as president of the
prestigious Oakland College near Rodney. Oakland College later became
Alcorn State University, the first black, land-grant college in the
United States. As Grant’s army marched inland, they lingered just long
enough at Bethel to do a little target practice, shooting recklessly at
the church belfry.
The old sunken
road taken by Grant’s army as they marched from Bruinsburg to Port
Gibson. A Union soldier described the road saying,"The moon is
shining
The site of
a destroyed suspension bridge over the Bayou Pierre River. The Rebels
burned the bridge behind them as they fled. The Union army quickly
repaired it and was able to cross. Remains of the suspension bridge can
still be seen. Grindstone Ford is now a tourist stop on the Natchez
Trace.
As the Union
army marched from Hankinson’s Ferry toward Utica and Raymond, they
camped at the town of Rocky Springs, a site on the old Natchez Trace.
During the war years, Rocky Springs boasted a population of
approximately 2,000 inhabitants. As the Union army marched into town,
they were met by the icy stares of the people. Today, Rocky Springs is a
ghost town. Only the old Methodist church and cemetery have survived.
A century
and a half-year-old church located on the banks of the old roadbed
between Utica and Raymond. The Union army passed this church on their
march toward Raymond. The church represents one of the oldest surviving
antebellum churches in the state.
Built by the
famous Weldon Brothers from Natchez between 1857-1859. Following the
Battle of Raymond, the courthouse served as a Confederate hospital.
The only
antebellum church left standing in Raymond. Built in 1854, the church
was used as a hospital to treat Union soldiers following the Battle of
Raymond. Bloodstains are still visible on the old wooden floors.
Located in
the Old Raymond Cemetery. The final resting place for one hundred and
forty men who were killed during the Battle of Raymond. Most of the dead
were from the 3rd Tennessee Infantry and the 7th Texas Infantry.
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