Battle of Jackson 1863
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Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 14 May 1863 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1863 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | American Civil War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Confederate States of America, United States | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 32.2875, -90.2000 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Jackson was fought on May 14, 1863, outside Jackson, Mississippi, during the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. As part of a campaign to capture the strategic Mississippi River town of Vicksburg, Mississippi, Major General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union Army began moving his force east across the river on April 30, 1863. This beachhead was protected by a victory at the Battle of Port Gibson on May 1. Moving inland, Grant intended to wheel his army north to strike the railroad between Vicksburg and the Mississippi capital of Jackson. On May 12, the Union XVII Corps of Major General James B. McPherson defeated Confederate troops commanded by Brigadier General John Gregg at the Battle of Raymond. This alerted Grant to the presence of a potentially dangerous Confederate force at Jackson, leading him to change his plans and swing towards Jackson with McPherson's corps and Major General William T. Sherman's XV Corps.
General Joseph E. Johnston was ordered to take command of the growing Confederate force at Jackson, but after arriving at the city quickly decided that it could not be held. Johnston's decision to abandon Jackson has since been criticized by historians.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Jackson (revision 1370266219), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Raymond 1863 · 24 km
- Battle of Champion Hill 1863 · 31 km
- Battle of Big Black River Bridge 1863 · 48 km
- Battle of Snyder's Bluff 1863 · 61 km
- Siege of Vicksburg 1863 · 62 km
- Battle of Chickasaw Bayou 1862 · 62 km
Other battles of the American Civil War
- Siege of Fort Macon 1862
- Siege of Fort Pulaski 1862
- Skirmish at Paint Rock Bridge 1862
- Skirmish of the Brick Church 1862
- Van Buren raid 1862
- Action off Galveston Light 1863
- Battle of Aldie 1863
- Battle of Arkansas Post 1863
- Battle of Baxter Springs 1863
- Battle of Bayou Bourbeux 1863
All 498 battles of the American Civil War →
Browse more: battles in United States · North America · 19th century battles