Introduction: The American Civil War (1861–1865), among other names also known as the War Between the States, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America, also known as "the Confederacy". Led by Jefferson Davis, they fought against the United States (the Union), which was supported by all the free states (where slavery had been abolished) and by five slave states that became known as the border states.
Hostilities began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked a US military installation at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Lincoln responded by calling for a volunteer army from each state to recapture federal property. This led to declarations of secession by four more slave states. Both sides raised armies as the Union assumed control of the border states early in the war and established a naval blockade. In September 1862, Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation made ending slavery in the South a war goal,and dissuaded the British from intervening.
It remains the deadliest war in American history, resulting in the deaths of 620,000 soldiers and an undetermined number of civilian casualties. Ten percent of all Northern males 20–45 years of age died, as did 30 percent of all Southern white males aged 18–40. Victory for the North meant the end of the Confederacy and of slavery in the United States, and strengthened the role of the federal government. The social, political, economic and racial issues of the war decisively shaped the reconstruction era that lasted to 1877.
Civil War Timeline: 1863 – 1865
Jan. 2-3, 1863 Skirmishing near Chickasaw Bayou, and Sherman withdraws to Milliken’s Bend, LA
Jan. 15, 1863 Grant moves his headquarters to Milliken’s Bend; Grant orders work to begin on a new canal across De Soto Point which became known as Grant’s Canal
Feb. 3, 1863 Yazoo Pass expedition begins, intending to approach Vicksburg from the north through the rivers of the Delta – a significant event in the history of military engineering; it begins Grant’s second attempt to take Vicksburg
Feb. 16, 1863 Skirmish at Yazoo Pass
Mar. 11 – 13, 1863 Engagements at Fort Pemberton in Greenwood
Mar. 14, 1863 Steele’s Bayou expedition begins to support Union forces engaged at Fort Pemberton, Sherman personally commands the army units
Mar. 16, 1863 Engagement at Fort Pemberton Mar. 21-22, 1863 Skirmishing on Deer Creek
Mar. 24,1863 Engagement at Fort Pemberton
Mar. 24-25, 1863 Skirmishing on Black Bayou; Confederates block Union purpose but fail to trap Porter’s squadron because of Sherman’s swift response; ultimate result is Grant’s second failed attempt – Union’s third – to capture Vicksburg
Mar. 29, 1863 McCiernand is ordered by Grant to open a road in eastern Louisiana from Milliken’s Bend to New Carthage; Grant decides to move south of Vicksburg on the Louisiana side of the Mississippi, embark his men and materiel on Porter’s boats and undertake an amphibious operation on the Mississippi side at Grand Gulf; It is the largest amphibious operation in American military history until the Allied landing in North Africa during World War 11 and marks the beginning of the effort known as Grant’s Vicksburg Campaign
Apr. 2, 1863 Engagement at Fort Pemberton; Union Maj. Gen. Frederick Steele’s expedition to Greenville begins, a diversion intended to focus Pemberton’s attention on the Delta; Succeeds, henceforth, all Union actions in the Delta, intentional or not, contribute to this objective
Apr. 4, 1863 Engagement at Fort Pemberton
Apr. 8, 1863 Yazoo Pass expedition ends; Union troops fail to get past Fort Pemberton and withdraw to the north, adding to Pemberton’s confusion
Apr. 16, 1863 Federal gunboats and transports run the Confederate batteries at Vicksburg and Warrenton
Apr. 17, 1863 Grierson’s Raid, a diversionary cavalry movement through Mississippi, begins from La Grange, TN, to Baton Rouge, LA, succeeds, prompting Pemberton to send all his cavalry to catch Grierson, leaving himself blind to Grant’s true purpose
Apr. 22, 1863 Federal transports run the Confederate batteries at Vicksburg and Warrenton again
Apr. 24, 1863 Grierson destroys railroad stock and cuts rail line on the Southern Railroad at Newton Station
Apr. 28, 1863 Skirmish involving Grierson’s cavalry at Union Church in Jefferson County; Sherman begins diversionary movement to Snyder’s Bluff, further confusing Pemberton’s perception of the unfolding military situation
Apr. 29, 1863 Federal fleet fails to silence Confederate batteries at Grand Gulf and passes to the south to land on the Louisiana shore; Transports cannot land at Grand Gulf, so Grant must alter his plan
Apr. 30, 1863 Grant’s army lands on the Mississippi shore at Bruinsburg
May 1, 1863 Battle of Port Gibson .46 Confederates, commanded by Brig. Gen. John S. Bowen, heavily outnumbered and unreinforced by Pemberton, fight the Federals for 18 hours but can’t stop them A Bowen retreats across Bayou Pierre A Grant secures his beachhead, occupies Port Gibson and flanks Grand Gulf A The Confederates, withdrawing across the Big Black River, evacuate Grand Gulf, used thereafter by the Union as a supply base
May 2, 1863 Sherman’s diversionary movement to Snyder’s Bluff ends, its purpose achieved A Grierson’s Raid ends
May 9, 1863 State capital is moved to Enterprise in Clarke County
May 11, 1863 Confederate Brig. Gen. John Gregg moves his 3,000-man brigade out of Jackson toward Raymond
May 12, 1863 Battle of Raymond Gregg deploys his forces along a defensive position across the Utica-Raymond Rd., present-day Hwy. 18, behind Fourteen Mile Creek; McPherson’s Corps of 12,000 men advances from Utica toward Raymond and is attacked by Gregg, whose men, though outnumbered, fight like demons for over four hours – Gregg had underestimated McPherson’s strength due to poor intelligence, McPherson overestimates Gregg’s strength and leads his troops poorly; Late in the day, Gregg disengages and retires through Raymond toward Jackson; Grant alters his plan under the mistaken impression of McPherson’s report and orders a march on Jackson rather than directly on Edwards and Bolton; Gen. Pemberton concentrates his Confederates at the Big Black River Bridge, which he has had fortified; McCiernand is to his front
May 13, 1863 McCiernand breaks contact and camps at Raymond A Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston arrives in Jackson from middle Tennessee, conferring with Gregg and telegraphs Richmond, "I am too late" & Johnston prepares to withdraw to Canton, ordering units well beyond Jackson’s western fortifications to gain time for this withdrawal
May 14, 1863 Battle of Jackson; Covered by McCiernand’s Corps, McPherson’s and Sherman’s Corps are ordered to capture Jackson, disperse the Confederates and break up the railroads there; Savage skirmishing on the Clinton and Raymond Roads, McPherson’s and Sherman’s Corps respectively, are followed by Confederate withdrawal within the city’s earthworks and retreat to Canton
May 16, 1863 Battle of Champion Hill; While Sherman’s Corps stayed in Jackson on the 15th to destroy military material and railroad stock, two of Grant’s Corps, McPherson’s and McClernand’s, advance toward Edwards from Bolton and Raymond; Pemberton’s pickets clash with these columns and alert Pemberton, who had camped at Edwards the night before; Pemberton, then south of Edwards on the Raymond to Edwards Rd., deploys Stevenson’s Division to oppose McPherson’s men along the crest of Champion Hill, a commanding elevation through which runs the Jackson Rd.; Pemberton also orders Bowen and Loring to deploy their divisions to block McCiernand’s Corps along a ridge that crosses the Raymond to Edwards Rd.; The battle begins at 10:30 when Grant orders McPherson to attack A The hill and all important crossroads change hands three times, the second due to a magnificent counterattack led by Bowen; Action on the Confederate right, in the vicinity of Coker House, begins later due to McCiernand’s delay; Loring eventually withdraws to the ridge between Coker House and Yeiser House, where Brig. Gen. Tilghman’s Brigade forms Pemberton’s rear guard; By 4:00 in the afternoon, after having lost the battle, Pemberton retreats across Bakers Creek covered by Loring’s Division; Tilghman is killed, his brigade and the rest of Loring’s Division are cut off and retreat to the southeast to eventually join Johnston; Champion Hill proves to be the decisive battle of the campaign
May 17, 1863 Battle of the Big Black River Bridge; Pemberton’s army is routed and withdraws into its Vicksburg defenses
May 18, 1863 Federals occupy the Snyder’s Bluff defenses
May 19, 1863 First Union assault on Vicksburg
May 21, 1863 State capital is moved back to Jackson, until July 1863
May 22, 1863 Second Union assault on Vicksburg; A barrage of artillery followed by infantry attack, results in over 3,000 Union casualties, about 500 Confederate
May 25, 1863 Grant orders siege operations to begin at Vicksburg
June 25, 1863 Mine explodes under 3rd Louisiana Redan at Vicksburg followed by an attack
July 1, 1863 Another mine explodes under the 3rd Louisiana Rodan
July 3, 1863 July 4, 1863 Pemberton surrenders Vicksburg
July 10, 1863 Siege of Jackson begins under Sherman’s command
July 12, 1863 Unauthorized Union assault on Jackson fails July 13, 1863 Natchez is occupied by a Union garrison July 16, 1863 Confederates under Johnston’s command withdraw from Jackson, ending the siege; State capital moves to Meridian in Lauderdale County July 17, 1863 Union occupation of Jackson begins July 23, 1863 Union forces evacuate Jackson Aug. 11, 1863 State capital moves to Macon in Noxubee County
Oct. 14, 1863 Commanded by McPherson, a Union expedition from Vicksburg area begins toward Canton Nov. 1863 State capital moved to Columbus in Lowndes County; The Legislature meets in County Courthouse and in First Christian Church through Dec.
Feb. 2, 1864 Sherman’s Meridian Expedition begins; Constant skirmishing between Champion Hill and Meridian cannot stop Sherman’s advance Feb. 14, 1864 Sherman occupies Meridian, destroying railroad stock and military material Feb. 20, 1864 Sherman evacuates Meridian
Feb. 22, 1864 Battle of Okolona; Cavalry battle between units commanded by Union Brig. Gen. W. Sooy Smith and Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest; Forrest assails Smith’s rear guard and chases it through Okolona; Forrest’s brother, Jeffery, is slain; Though outnumbered, Forrest defeats Smith who rushes back to his base at Memphis Mar. 1864 State capital moves again to Macon; Legislature meets there in Aug. 1864
Mar. 4, 1864 Sherman’s column returns to Vicksburg June 9, 1864 Confederate Generals Stephen D. Lee and Nathan Bedford Forrest hold a council of war at Booneville A Union force of over 8,1 00 men under Gen. Samuel Sturgis is known to be advancing into north Mississippi
June 10, 1864 Battle of Brice’s Cross Roads A Forrest, outnumbered more than two to one, attacks Sturgis’ force aggressively; Outfought Federals begin withdrawal, then panic turns retreat into rout driving Sturgis back to Memphis
July 2, 1864 Operation Killer is launched – objective: to destroy Forrest’s command
July 2-3, 1864 Union expeditions led by Maj. Gen. Henry W. Slocum and Brig. Gen. Alfred Ellet, from Vicksburg to Pearl River and from Rodney toward Gailman respectively, are begun; Objective: to draw Confederate troops away from Forrest’s corps in support of Operation Killer
July 4, 1864 Sharply fought engagement at Coleman’s Crossing near Lorman turns Ellet’s troops back to Rodney
July 14-15, 1864 Battle of Tupelo, or Harrisburg; Union Maj. Gen. A.J. Smith, ordered by Sherman to destroy Forrest at any cost, meets forces of Confederate Generals Lee, who commands, and Forrest at Harrisburg, present-day Tupelo; Smith, having drawn his force of 14,000 men on the ridges west of town, is frontally attacked by Lee’s 7,000 men on the 14th; Attack poorly coordinated and fails, four of the Confederate brigades are mauled; On the 15th, Smith, running low on supplies, withdraws toward Memphis and is pursued by Forrest, who bests Smith’s cavalry, but Union infantry holds off the Confederates; Forrest is wounded and forced from the action; Smith returns to Memphis
Aug. 1 -30, 1864 Maj. Gen. A.J. Smith’s Union expedition against Oxford is launched from La Grange, TN
Aug. 9, 1864 Skirmishing at Oxford; Union forces occupy Oxford briefly, then retire north to a position south of the Tallahatchie River
Aug. 10, 1864 Forrest fortifies a line covering Hurricane Creek eight miles north of Oxford
Aug. 13, 1864 Smith advances against Forrest’s position; Hard fighting ensues; Outnumbered, the Confederates fall back to Oxford Aug. 18-21, 1864 Forrest launches raid on Memphis to draw Smith away from Oxford A With 2,000 men, he leaves Oxford late on the 18th, reaching Memphis early on the 21st
Aug. 22, 1864 Skirmish at Oxford; After brushing Chalmers aside and occupying Oxford on the 22nd, Smith hears of Forrest’s Memphis raid and withdraws northward through Holly Springs to La Grange and then, by railroad, to Memphis, arriving there by the 31st Nov. 23, 1864-Jan. 5, 1865 Two Union cavalry raids on the Mobile and Ohio and the Mississippi Central Railroads disrupt Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood’s supply lines from central and north-central Mississippi into Tennessee
