Champion Hill
Bakers Creek
Civil War Mississippi

American Civil War
May 16, 1863

Following the Union occupation of Jackson, Mississippi, both Confederate and Federal forces made plans for future operations. General Joseph E. Johnston retreated, with most of his army, up the Canton Road, but he ordered Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton, commanding about 23,000 men, to leave Edwards Station and attack the Federals at Clinton.

Pemberton and his generals felt that Johnston's plan was dangerous and decided instead to attack the Union supply trains moving from Grand Gulf to Raymond. On May 16, though, Pemberton received another order from Johnston repeating his former directions. Pemberton had already started after the supply trains and was on the Raymond-Edwards Road with his rear at the crossroads one-third mile south of the crest of Champion Hill. Thus, when he ordered a countermarch, his rear, including his many supply wagons, became the advance of his force.

On May 16, 1863, about 7:00 am, the Union forces engaged the Confederates and the Battle of Champion Hill began. Pemberton's force drew up into a defensive line along a crest of a ridge overlooking Jackson Creek. Pemberton was unaware that one Union column was moving along the Jackson Road against his unprotected left flank. For protection, Pemberton posted Brigadier General Stephen D. Lee's men atop Champion Hill where they could watch for the reported Union column moving to the crossroads.

Lee spotted the Union troops and they soon saw him. If this force was not stopped, it would cut the Rebels off from their Vicksburg base. Pemberton received warning of the Union movement and sent troops to his left flank. Union forces at the Champion House moved into action and emplaced artillery to begin firing.

When Grant arrived at Champion Hill, around 10:00 am, he ordered the attack to begin. By 11:30 am, Union forces had reached the Confederate main line and about 1:00 pm, they took the crest while the Rebels retired in disorder. The Federals swept forward, capturing the crossroads and closing the Jackson Road escape route. One of Pemberton's divisions (Bowen's) then counterattacked, pushing the Federals back beyond the Champion Hill crest before their surge came to a halt. Grant then counterattacked, committing forces that had just arrived from Clinton by way of Bolton.

Pemberton's men could not stand up to this assault, so he ordered his men from the field to the one escape route still open: the Raymond Road crossing of Bakers Creek. Brigadier General Lloyd Tilghman's brigade formed the rearguard, and they held at all costs, including the loss of Tilghman. In the late afternoon, Union troops seized the Bakers Creek Bridge, and by midnight, they occupied Edwards.

The Confederates were in full retreat towards Vicksburg. If the Union forces caught these Rebels, they would destroy them.

Result(s): Union victory

Location: Hinds County

Campaign: Grant's Operations against Vicksburg (1863) next battle in campaign previous battle in campaign

Date(s): May 16, 1863

Principal Commanders: Major General Ulysses S. Grant [US]; Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton [CS]

Forces Engaged: Army of the Tennessee (three corps) [US]; Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana [CS]

Estimated Casualties: 6,757 total (US 2,457; CS 4,300)

Click to Enlarge

This is the battle map drawn by Major Samuel H. Lockett, Chief Engineer of the Dept. of Miss. and East La., CSA. It is included in his report of engineering operations during the Vicksburg Campaign.

Vicksburg Mississippi Campaign
Vicksburg Battle Map
Mississippi State Battle Map
State Battle Maps
American Civil War Exhibits
Civil War Timeline
Women in the War
Kids Zone Causes of the Civil War
General Stonewall Jackson
Civil War Submarine

Jackson Mississippi City History Current Weather and area lodging

 
Web AmericanCivilWar.com
Volcano-Pictures.INFO

Civil War Mississippi Book Titles

Vicksburg 1863: Grant Clears the Mississippi
The 1863 Vicksburg campaign was to prove decisive to the outcome of the American Civil War. Known as the "Gibraltar of the West", Vicksburg was the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. In a masterly campaign, the Union General Ulysses S Grant used riverboats and steamers to land his army south of the city, where he defeated the armies of Generals "Joe" Johnston and John C. Pemberton. Pemberton's men became bottled up in Vicksburg, where they endured an epic 47 day siege
The Third Battalion Mississippi Infantry and the 45th Mississippi Regiment: A Civil War History
This is the story of the soldiers of Hardcastle's 3rd Battalion Mississippi Infantry from enlistment to the end of the war. It includes their mid-war incarnation as the 45th Mississippi Regiment and the role they played in Cleburne's fabled division during almost every major engagement of the Army of Tennessee. The battles are discussed and analyzed in their strategic context with emphasis on the battalion's role in the outcome, including the specific Federal units they fought against.
Political Culture and Secession in Mississippi 1830 - 1860
 This groundbreaking study of the politics of secession combines traditional political history with current work in anthropology and gender and ritual studies. Christopher J. Olsen has drawn on local election returns, rural newspapers, manuscripts, and numerous county records to sketch a new
picture of the intricate and colorful world of local politics.
Mississippi River Gunboats of the American Civil War 1861-65
At the start of the American Civil War, neither side had warships on the Mississippi River and in the first few months both sides scrambled to gather a flotilla, converting existing riverboats for naval use. These ships were transformed into powerful naval weapons despite a lack of resources, trained manpower and suitable vessels. The creation of a river fleet was a miracle of ingenuity, improvisation and logistics, particularly for the South. This title describes their design, development and operation throughout the American Civil War.

Sources:
U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Library of Congress.