17 (Dept. View the original source document: WHI 90836, Location: Port Gibson, Mississippi (Google Map), Campaign: Grant's Operations Against Vicksburg (March-July 1863). Porters troop transports, landing at Bruinsburg. Hallecks departure left Major General Ulysses S. Grant in charge of operations in the Western Theater. Port Hudson Conf Official Records. Forced to defend two approaches to Port Gibson, Bowen divided his already heavily outnumbered forces. Grant then returned his attention to Vicksburg. Fortunately for Grant, Pemberton took literally his orders to defend Vicksburg at all costs. Please call for camping info. A single brigade of reinforcements from Vicksburg under Brig. On the night of April 16, seven gunboats and three supply ships under the command of Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter ran the gauntlet of Confederate batteries along the river. By late 1861, President Abraham Lincoln was pressuring Union commanders in the west to invade the South. United States. Noted are the Battle of Port Gibson, May 1, 1863, the Battle of Raymond, May 12, 1863, the Battle of Jackson, May 14, 1863, the Battle of Champion Hill, May 16, 1863, and the Battle of Big Black River Bridge, May 17, 1863. Grant's plan to detach McClernand to Banks would have to wait. The women were terrified and, screaming with fright, leaped into the wagon and whipped the animals toward Port Gibson. The Confederate right did not last long. Gen. John Bowen, in overall Confederate command on the field, worked feverishly to restore his line. The First American President: Setting the Precedent, African Americans During the Revolutionary War, Save 42 Historic Acres at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Phase Three of Gaines Mill-Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign, An Unparalleled Preservation Opportunity at Gettysburg Battlefield, For Sale: Three Battlefield Tracts Spanning Three Wars, Preserve 128 Sacred Acres at Antietam and Shepherdstown. The Union troops pushed forward all along the line and fierce fighting continued throughout the afternoon. When spring arrived, he set a new plan into motion. Port Gibson NYT May 12, 1863. American Battlefield Trust's Map Reprint Permission Policy, Gettysburg | Picketts Charge | July 3, 1863 | 3:45 - 4:00 pm, Antietam | West Woods | Sep 17, 1862 | 9:00 - 11:30 am. Finding an unguarded landing at Bruinsburg, south of Grand Gulf, the Union launched the largest amphibious landing conducted by the U. S. Army until the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944. . When Confederates under Brig. Union forces entering Port Gibson . Leading up to the Battle of Port Gibson in the spring of 1863, confederate troops used the roof observatory as a lookout as Grant's army crossed the Mississippi River. Show your pride in battlefield preservation by shopping in our store. Green quickly mounted and raced back to Magnolia Church to alert his brigade. Part of the battle was fought on the Bruinsburg Road at Point Lookout. On March 29, 1863, Grant put part of his army to work erecting bridges, draining bayous, and constructing a road past Vicksburg on the west side of the Mississippi. [Wikimedia Commons]. Send Students on School Field Trips to Battlefields Your Gift Tripled. The general tried to calm their fears by telling them that the enemy could not possibly arrive before daylight. On the Bruinsburg Road front, Osterhaus had been content to pressure Tracy's command with Federal sharpshooters and artillery, occasionally launching an unsupported regiment against the Confederate line. Official Records. Show your pride in battlefield preservation by shopping in our store. The American Battlefield Trust and our members have saved more than 56,000 acres in 25 states! This strategic battle was fought eight miles west of Bethel Church on May 1, 1863. The Union Army was led by Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and was victorious. Against this target, Grant poised his army to strike. The area is now largely wooded, with a scattering of non-historic houses and other buildings, mainly along Rodney Road which roughly bisects the battlefield. This strategic battle was fought eight miles west of Bethel Church on May 1, 1863. It lost 21 men. The First American President: Setting the Precedent, African Americans During the Revolutionary War, Save 42 Historic Acres at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Phase Three of Gaines Mill-Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign, An Unparalleled Preservation Opportunity at Gettysburg Battlefield, For Sale: Three Battlefield Tracts Spanning Three Wars, Preserve 128 Sacred Acres at Antietam and Shepherdstown. Night fighting such as this was rare in the Civil War as it was difficult to maintain command and control of the troops. Heavy rear-guard activity took place as the Confederates scrambled to remove their force across the narrow bridge. Port Hudson Maps. The federal soldiers clambered aboard the barges at Disharoons plantation on the Louisiana side of the river, crossed over, and disembarked at Bruinsburg on the Mississippi side. At dawn, the Federals . These met with Confederate defenders under the command of General John S. Bowen at the Shaifer plantation on May 1, with the Union forces victorious in a daylong bloody battle. The Battle of Port Gibson on May 1, 1863 was a pivotal event of the Civil War in Mississippi which featured the largest amphibious operation of the United States army prior to June 6, 1944. The Majority of our funds go directly to Preservation and Education. He would march his army down the Louisiana side of the [] Despite heavy Rebel fire, Porter passed the city, losing only one ship. The Confederate victory proved inconsequential, however. Send Students on School Field Trips to Battlefields Your Gift Tripled! Brought were only enough horses to pull the artillery. The Confederate defeat resulted in their losing the ability to hold Mississippi and defend against an amphibious attack . The First American President: Setting the Precedent, African Americans During the Revolutionary War, Save 42 Historic Acres at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Phase Three of Gaines Mill-Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign, An Unparalleled Preservation Opportunity at Gettysburg Battlefield, For Sale: Three Battlefield Tracts Spanning Three Wars, Preserve 128 Sacred Acres at Antietam and Shepherdstown. Admiral David Farragut captured the port city of New Orleans on May 18, 1862, closing down Confederate access to the Gulf. When Confederate reinforcements arrived from Brigadier General William E. Baldwins and Colonel Francis M. Cockrells brigades, the Rebels established a succession of new lines while being forced back steadily. Show your pride in battlefield preservation by shopping in our store. Many of the bullets buried themselves in the wagon-load of furniture. A late 1862 advance south from Tennessee ended with Confederates severing Grants supply lines. Bowen moved south from Grand Gulf with Brig. The only Confederate cavalry in the area, Wirt Adams's regiment, had been ordered away to pursue Grierson's raiders, and Maj. Gen. John S. Bowen performed a reconnaissance in force to determine Grant's intentions. Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton, the commander of Confederate troops in and around Vicksburg, had roughly 30,000 soldiers at his disposal. The action intensified on both roads at dawn as the Federals resumed their push toward Port Gibson. The 23rd Wisconsin Infantry was held in reserve during the morning but in the afternoon captured 20 prisoners. In May of 1962, the Grand Gulf Military Monument Park was officially opened, dedicated to preserving the memory of both the town and the battle in which occurred there. Gen. A. J. Smith's 10th Division and Stevenson's Brigade of McPherson's XVII Corps, McClernand resumed the pursuit. The Mississippi served as a highway to move men and materials from places as far as way as Pittsburgh to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico, and in early 1863, only two Confederate strong points stood between the Federals and dominance of the mighty river. Grant then sailed farther south and began crossing at Bruinsburg, Mississippi, on April 30. Last updated: March 3, 2018 Was this page helpful? The site of the Battle of Port Gibson lies approximately four miles west of the historic town of Port Gibson in Claiborne County, Mississippi. As the situation deteriorated, Bowen wired his superiors: "We have been engaged in a furious battle ever since daylight; losses very heavy. As an Amazon Associate, the owner of AHC can earn from qualifying purchases. [1], Last edited on 30 December 2022, at 22:19, Learn how and when to remove this template message, History Under Siege: Port Gibson designated by the Civil War Preservation Trust as a Top 10 most endangered Civil War battlefield in 2009, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Port_Gibson&oldid=1130579779, This page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 22:19. To the north, nearly impenetrable swamps and bayous protected Vicksburg. If the Union could gain control of the Mississippi, the Confederacy would be denied easy access to supplies from the Gulf of Mexico and territories in the American West. The Union victory secured that beachhead and paved the way for the eventual fall of Vicksburg. The American Battlefield Trust and our members have saved more than 56,000 acres in 25 states! Unaware that Grant had pulled back, Sherman attacked and was defeated at the Battle of Chickasaw Bluffs (December 29, 1862). Brig. It was a Union victory that sent Confederates in retreat, giving Grant a firm foothold in Mississippi south of Vicksburg. American History Central also displays ads from third-party networks. McPhersons Corps marched along Bruinsburg Road. Gen. Martin E. Green was inspecting his picket line at the Shaifer House shortly after midnight when he was amused to see Mrs. Shaifer and the women of the house frantically loading a wagon with all their household items. Levees were blown up to create flood plains only to carry the boats too high in the water, literally among the branches of the trees. Stay up-to-date on the American Battlefield Trust's battlefield preservation efforts, travel tips, upcoming events, history content and more. By mid-April, his men had carved a path through the Louisiana wilderness that would enable Grant to march the Army of the Tennessee past Vicksburg, cross the river, and then attack the city from the south. Known as The Gibraltar of the Confederacy, the city seemed to be impregnable. Vicksburg sits on a high bluff on the eastern side of the Mississippi River, south of the mouth of the Yazoo River. That night Grant's men camped two miles north of Port Gibson. The mesmerizing ruins are all that remain of what was once Mississippi's largest antebellum mansion. Wary of Tracy's Brigade to the north, McClernand posted Brig. The initial landing was unopposed, and Grant moved quickly to secure the beachhead, moving troops up the road toward Port Gibson. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. This FREE annual event brings together educators from all over the world for sessions, lectures, and tours from leading experts. Resounding Union victories at the Battle of Champion Hill (May 16) and the Battle of Big Black River Bridge (May 17), forced Pemberton to take refuge within the City of Vicksburg proper. 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