Battle of Champion Hill – The Most Decisive Engagement of the Vicksburg Campaign
“Grant’s crown of immortality was won, and the jewel that shone most brightly in it was set there by the blood of the men of Champion Hill… Six thousand blue and gray-coated men were lying there in the woods, dead or wounded when the last gun of Champion Hill was fired.” – Major S. H. M. Byers, Fifth Iowa Infantry
The Battle of Champion Hill, also known as the Battle of Baker’s Creek, stands as a pivotal and bloody clash in the American Civil War. Fought on May 16, 1863, in the rolling hills of Hinds County, Mississippi, between Edwards and Bolton, this engagement pitted the forces of the Union, under the command of Major General Ulysses S. Grant, against the Confederacy, led by Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton. The outcome of this battle would have profound implications for the ongoing Vicksburg Campaign, ultimately contributing significantly to the Union’s strategic victory in the Western Theater.
The context leading up to the Battle of Champion Hill was complex, driven by competing strategic objectives. Following the Union capture of Jackson, Mississippi, both sides were actively formulating their next moves. Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston, with the bulk of his army, retreated along the Canton Road. He instructed Pemberton, commanding approximately 23,000 men, to abandon Edwards Station, situated roughly 27 miles west of Jackson, and launch an assault on Union troops positioned at Clinton, about 10 miles northwest of Jackson.
Pemberton and his senior officers viewed Johnston’s plan as risky, believing that it left them vulnerable. They initially opted to target Union supply trains moving between Grand Gulf and Raymond. However, on May 16th, Pemberton received a second, reaffirming order from Johnston, reiterating the initial directive. Pemberton, already en route to intercept the supply trains, found himself on the Raymond-Edwards Road, his rearguard positioned at the Crossroads, approximately one-third of a mile south of Champion Hill’s crest. This necessitated a countermarch, effectively placing his supply wagons at the forefront of his force, a tactical disadvantage that would soon become apparent.
Early on the morning of May 16, 1863, General Grant received intelligence indicating Confederate forces were massing at Edwards Station, seemingly preparing to move eastward. Immediately, Grant ordered his army to advance, marching westward from Bolton and Raymond in three parallel columns. Soldiers trudged along the quickly drying roads, their formations stretching across the landscape. Around 7:00 a.m., the southernmost Union column encountered Confederate pickets near the Champion Plantation. The crackle of gunfire signaled the commencement of the Battle of Champion Hill, a confrontation destined to alter the course of the Vicksburg Campaign.
The Confederate battle lines, stretching three miles from southwest to northeast, were strategically positioned along the military crest of a ridge overlooking Jackson Creek. The crest of Champion Hill, marking the left flank of the line, was lightly defended by pickets. Pemberton’s defensive position was well-suited to repel attacks coming from the Middle and Raymond Roads. Critically, Pemberton remained unaware that a substantial Union force was advancing along the Jackson Road, directly threatening his vulnerable left flank. Unchecked, these Union troops could seize Edwards Station, effectively severing the Confederate army’s vital supply line to Vicksburg.
To provide some degree of protection, Pemberton deployed Brigadier General Stephen D. Lee’s brigade atop Champion Hill, tasking them with monitoring the reported Union advance towards the Crossroads. Coincidentally, Lee’s men spotted the advancing Union troops at roughly the same time they were spotted themselves. Upon receiving confirmation of the Union movement, Pemberton rapidly deployed his three divisions to meet the threat.
Shortly after 9:00 a.m., a courier delivered a warning of the Federal advance along the Jackson Road. Confederate troops were quickly redeployed to the left, aiming to secure Champion Hill and safeguard the crucial Crossroads. As the Southern soldiers rushed to establish their positions on the crest of Champion Hill, Union soldiers, near the Champion House, swiftly transitioned from marching columns into a double line of battle formation. Artillery batteries were wheeled into place and prepared for action. Around 10:00 a.m., General Grant issued the order to attack, and the Battle of Champion Hill erupted in earnest with the thunderous roar of cannon fire.
Two Union divisions, comprising approximately 10,000 men arrayed in battle formation, surged forward with impressive discipline and morale, their regimental flags waving proudly. The long blue lines extended westward, outflanking the Confederate position. In response to this flanking maneuver, Confederate troops were forced to shift further west, inadvertently creating a gap between the forces defending the Crossroads and those tasked with holding the Raymond Road. By 11:30 a.m., Union forces had reached the main Confederate line of resistance. With a resounding cheer, they launched a determined assault on the Confederate positions. The fighting on Champion Hill became a brutal melee, with lines surging back and forth as both sides launched repeated charges and countercharges. Ultimately, the Union’s superior numbers began to tell, and the blue tide overwhelmed the crest of Champion Hill shortly after 1:00 p.m., forcing the Rebels to retreat in disarray.
The Federals pressed their advantage, seizing the Crossroads and effectively closing off the Jackson Road escape route. Faced with impending disaster, General Pemberton ordered his remaining two divisions to launch a counterattack. Leaving a single brigade to guard the Raymond Road, the remaining Southern troops marched along the Ratliff Road towards the Crossroads. With unwavering determination, the 4,500 soldiers of Brigadier General John S. Bowen’s division attacked, striking the Union forces at the Crossroads with ferocious intensity. In a desperate bayonet charge, they drove the blue-clad troops back approximately three-quarters of a mile, temporarily regaining control of Champion Hill. However, Bowen’s attack faltered just short of the Champion House due to insufficient numbers.
General Grant responded decisively, ordering fresh Union troops to reinforce the beleaguered forces and drive back the Confederates. As reinforcements arrived from Bolton, the Union forces along the Middle and Raymond Roads intensified their advance. Throughout the morning, these troops had been under orders to proceed cautiously, but now they threw themselves into the battle with renewed vigor. Confederate resistance quickly crumbled, and Pemberton ordered a retreat from the field, utilizing the only remaining escape route: the Raymond-Edwards Road crossing of Bakers Creek.
Brigadier General Lloyd Tilghman’s Brigade, serving as the rearguard for the retreating Confederate army, was ordered to hold its ground at all costs. In this desperate rearguard action, General Tilghman was killed. Along with the rest of Major General William W. Loring’s division, Tilghman’s brigade was cut off from Edwards Station and forced to make its way to Jackson via a circuitous route. By late afternoon, Union troops had captured the Bakers Creek Bridge, and by midnight, they occupied Edwards Station.
The Confederate army was in full retreat towards Vicksburg, vulnerable to pursuit and potential destruction. The Union victory at the Battle of Champion Hill came at a cost: 410 killed, 1,844 wounded, and 187 missing out of a force of 32,000 men. However, the victory foreshadowed the ultimate success of Grant’s campaign. For the Confederacy, the day was a disaster for Pemberton. His army suffered 381 killed, 1,018 wounded, and 2,441 missing out of the 23,000 men he led into battle, coupled with the loss of 27 artillery pieces.
Following the Battle of Champion Hill, more than 20,000 Confederate troops retreated westward towards Vicksburg, unaware of the impending battle at the Big Black River, just a few miles away.
Today, the Champion Hill area retains much of its original character. The battlefield and several of the original roads are remarkably well-preserved. While no original buildings remain, thousands of acres of the core battlefield are privately owned, and the State of Mississippi owns an additional 800 acres of the outlying area. The Civil War Preservation Trust has protected an additional 402 acres through conservation easements and land purchases. There are ongoing efforts to incorporate parts of these properties into an extension of the Vicksburg National Military Park. However, access to many of the sites remains restricted, and there are currently no official guide maps available.
Visitors can arrange private tours of the Champion Hill Battlefield with a descendant and property owner, offering a unique perspective on the battle and its historical significance.
The Battle of Champion Hill stands as a testament to the strategic brilliance of Ulysses S. Grant and the tenacity of the Union army. It was a crushing defeat for the Confederacy, effectively sealing the fate of Vicksburg and paving the way for the Union’s control of the Mississippi River. The battle remains a significant landmark in American Civil War history, a place where thousands of soldiers clashed in a struggle that would ultimately reshape the nation.