The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, also called the Battle of Chickasaw Bluffs, was the opening engagement of the Vicksburg Campaign during the American Civil War. It was a minor Confederate victory. Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert Edward Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ... December 29 is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 2 days remaining. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Vicksburg is a city located in Warren County, Mississippi, 234 miles (377 km) north by west of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers. ... Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: With God As Our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (popular) The Bonnie Blue Flag (popular) Capital Montgomery (until 29 May 1861) Richmond (29 May 1861–2 April 1865) Danville (from 3 April 1865) Language(s) English (de facto) Government Confederate Republic President Jefferson... Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: With God As Our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (popular) The Bonnie Blue Flag (popular) Capital Montgomery (until 29 May 1861) Richmond (29 May 1861–2 April 1865) Danville (from 3 April 1865) Language(s) English (de facto) Government Confederate Republic President Jefferson... Portrait of William Tecumseh Sherman by Mathew Brady William Tecumseh Sherman (February 8, 1820 – February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, and author. ... John C. Pemberton John Clifford Pemberton (August 10, 1814 – July 13, 1881), was a career U.S. Army officer and Confederate general in the American Civil War, noted for his defeat and surrender in the critical Battle of Vicksburg. ... Battle of Fort Hindman / Battle of Arkansas Post Conflict American Civil War Date January 9-11, 1863 Place Arkansas County, Arkansas Result Union victory The Battle of Fort Hindman (January 9 - 11, 1863) was a battle of the American Civil War which took place near the mouth of the Arkansas... Lithograph of the Mississippi River Squadron running the Confederate blockade at Vicksburg on April 16, 1863. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert Edward Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: With God As Our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (popular) The Bonnie Blue Flag (popular) Capital Montgomery (until 29 May 1861) Richmond (29 May 1861–2 April 1865) Danville (from 3 April 1865) Language(s) English (de facto) Government Confederate Republic President Jefferson...

The Vicksburg Campaign commences

Starting in November 1862, Major General Ulysses S. Grant, commanding Union forces in Mississippi, undertook a campaign to capture the city of Vicksburg, high on the bluffs of the Mississippi River. Grant split his 70,000-man army into two wings—one commanded by himself and one commanded by Major General William T. Sherman. Grant planned to advance along the Mississippi Central Railroad in the northern part of the state and send Sherman and a combined army-navy force downriver against Vicksburg. Sherman's seven gunboats and fifty-nine troop transports arrived above Vicksburg on Christmas Eve. After advancing up the Yazoo River, the transports unloaded 32,000 Union troops north of the city. In front of the Federal advance stood a formidable maze of both natural and man-made defenses. First was a thick entanglement of trees, which was broken intermittently by swampland. Chickasaw Bayou also acted as a potential barrier to Sherman's men because it was parallel to the planned line of advance and could interrupt communication between units. Furthermore, the Confederates had formed a defensive barrier using felled trees. Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant, April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was an American general and politician who was elected as the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877). ... The 21st Michigan Infantry, a company of Shermans veterans. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe word misi-ziibi meaning great river (gichi-ziibi big river at its headwaters), is the second-longest river in the United States; the longest is the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi. ... Portrait of William Tecumseh Sherman by Mathew Brady William Tecumseh Sherman (February 8, 1820 – February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, and author. ... hTe Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Mississippi and the second longest tributary of the Mississippi River that flows into that river from the east (the longest is the Ohio River). ... A freshwater swamp This article is about the wetland type (a landform). ...

The battle

Skirmishing took place throughout December 26 and December 27. On December 28, Sherman moved toward a general engagement when he attempted to turn the Confederate right flank. The narrow front and strong Confederate defenses doomed the Union assault to failure. On the morning of December 29, Sherman ordered a general artillery bombardment of the Confederate defenses to weaken them before a general Federal advance. For almost four hours, an artillery duel took place all along the line of battle. At 12 p.m., the duel ceased, and the infantry advance began. Two brigades in the Federal center carried the advance rifle pits on the weight of sheer numbers, but met stiff resistance when they came against the main Confederate line. As the Union assault ground to a halt and started to crumble, Confederate Brigadier General Stephen D. Lee ordered his men to make a counterattack, during which they captured over 300 Federal soldiers. Another Union assault, led by Major General A.J. Smith and coming against the Confederate left-center, met with equally stiff resistance and could not carry the earthworks. After the failures of December 29, Sherman did not re-initiate the offensive against Vicksburg. On New Year's Day, he withdrew his army. Unfortunately for the Confederates, and John C. Pemberton particularly, the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou offered precious little good news during the Vicksburg Campaign. In six months, Grant's army would march victorious into the city. December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ... December 27 is the 361st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (362nd in leap years). ... December 28 is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 3 days remaining. ... December 29 is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 2 days remaining. ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... Stephen Dill Lee (September 22, 1833 – May 28, 1908) was the youngest lieutenant general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, and later became a Mississippi planter, legislator, and president of Mississippi A&M College. ... Andrew Jackson Smith (April 28, 1815 – January 30, 1897) was a U.S. Army general during the American Civil War, rising to the command of a corps. ... December 29 is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 2 days remaining. ...

External links

• National Park Service battle description