Battle of Port Gibson 1863
.jpg){kind=link}
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 1 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 |
| Coordinates | 31.9557, -91.0228 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Port Gibson (May 1, 1863) was fought between a Union Army commanded by Major General Ulysses S. Grant and a reinforced Confederate States Army division led by Major General John S. Bowen. Though the outnumbered Confederate soldiers fought stubbornly, they were steadily pressed back during the day by Major General John A. McClernand's troops. Bowen eventually conceded the field by withdrawing north toward Vicksburg, Mississippi. The battle occurred near Port Gibson, Mississippi, during the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War.
Starting in November 1862, Grant tried various strategies in order to attack Vicksburg, and in each case, his army was unsuccessful. Finally, Grant ordered his army to march through swampy terrain on the west bank of the Mississippi River in an attempt to get south of Vicksburg. The Union commander gambled that the Union Navy under Acting Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter could safely pass the Vicksburg batteries. The operation was successful, and Porter's gunboats and river transports carried the first two army corps of Grant's army to the east bank. Meanwhile, Grant's third corps threatened Vicksburg from the northwest. The Confederate commander Lieutenant General John C.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Port Gibson (revision 1370272127), 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 Grand Gulf 1863 · 9 km
- Siege of Vicksburg 1863 · 46 km
- Battle of Richmond, Louisiana 1863 · 51 km
- Battle of Chickasaw Bayou 1862 · 53 km
- Battle of Big Black River Bridge 1863 · 53 km
- Battle of Milliken's Bend 1863 · 54 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