The Diary of
Lt. W.R. Eddington
97th
Illinois Infantry Volunteers
The battle of Champion Hill, Mississippi was fought May
16, 1863 on Mrs. Champion’s farm near Edward station, Mississippi. The
Lord was good to us that night. Just before dark a bunch of hogs ran
through our company and we got one for Company A so we had something to
eat. This was the 16th day on five day rations and we were beginning to
feel a little bit slim. I have Mrs. Champions picture.
That night the Rebels fell back about seven miles to
Black River Bridge where they had more fortifications on the east side
of Black River. Where they built the railroad bridge over the river,
they had to go way back to start so the grade would not be too steep. It
was a very long bridge built up on trussel [sic] work with a plank floor
laid on it for wagons.
Sketch of the temporary "Cotton Bale Pontoon Bridge"
over the Big Black River by Theodore Davis
click for more >>>
Letters & Memoirs of
Sgt. S. A. Rollins
97th
Illinois Infantry Volunteers
"This Unnatural War"
The night after the Battle of Jackson, the 97th Illinois
bivouacked in mud and rain and foraged enough to eat from the frightened
citizens of Jackson. Afterwards they went into the city and viewed the
State-house and other public buildings.
“On May 15 our army “changed front,” and marched back through Clinton
towards Vicksburg, and bivouacked near Bear Creek. The next day we
marched four miles and encountered the enemy in force at Champion
Hills. Our regiment ran about a mile under a burning sun to get into
position, and threw out skirmishers to protect the right flank of the
army. We immediately advanced with the division [Logan] to the support
of General Hovey who was being very hard pressed by the overwhelming
force of the enemy. We quickly got into the thickest of the fight and
opened fire.
click for more >>>
The Diary of
Brig. Gen. Joseph Stockton
72nd
Illinois Infantry Volunteers
May
16. Started at four a.m. Reached Raymond by ten o'clock. The churches were full
of the wounded rebels and our men, for there had been quite a fight here, as
well as at Port Gibson. We had cleaned the rebels out and our men were in the
best of spirits. While resting here, heard firing in the distance. Started at
quick time ; men were drawn up in line of battle about five miles from Raymond,
across a road, but the enemy had gone around us. Orders came to move forward in
a hurry. Met some brigades resting on the road, but General Wilson of Grant's
staff hurried us forward across fields and arrived at Champion's Hill just as
the enemy fled. We were pushed forward to the front and slept on the field of
battle. Dead rebels and Union soldiers were lying all around us. The enemy had
fled across the Big Black River. Our victory had been complete, captured over
two thousand men, seventeen pieces of artillery and a number of battle flags.
Marched twenty-five miles today.
click for more >>>
The End of the Story:
Mary Elizabeth Champion
By Rebecca
Blackwell Drake
Matilda Champion at age 77 years
Mary Elizabeth Champion was the
first child born to Sid and Matilda Champion of Champion Hill. She
was born in 1855 and was followed by three brothers in the ensuing
years: Wallace Montgomery, William Balfour; and Sid Champion Jr.
Mary was only six years old when her father enlisted with the 28th
Mississippi Cavalry and left for Vicksburg where his regiment was
assigned to protect the river city.
The war took an enormous toll on the
Champion family. They lost most of their possessions, including
their home and most of their slaves. In July of 1863, after the
family home was burned, Matilda took the children to a rural site in
Rankin County where she and the children lived until the end of the
war. Matilda referred to the temporary home as her refuge home.
click for more >>>
I Was There: The Battle of
Champion Hill
By Bertha
Lewis
A Memorial Poem Read at the Sesquicentennial of the Battle of
Champion Hill
For almost half a century, Bertha Lewis
has felt the ghost of the soldiers who fought on the land she calls
home. Home for Bertha is Champion Hill where Blue met Gray on
May 16, 1863, in a pivotal battle that turned the tide for the Union
Army. Her poem “I Was There: The Battle of Champion Hill” was
written for the Sesquicentennial of the Battle of Champion Hill.
Bertha's
desire was to honor those who fought and died and their ancestors who
received honorary medallions in their memory.
Ed
Shelnut, actor and performer, read “I Was There: The
Battle of Champion Hill” at the
Sesquicentennial event. Ed is a graduate of the Guildhall School of
Music and Drama, London and a former member of the Screen Actors
Guild. He has appeared in three feature films and numerous radio &
TV shows. Ed is presently an instructor at the Mississippi School
for the Blind.
click for more >>>
Sesquicentennial Event a
Grand Success
By Rebecca
Blackwell Drake
On May
18th, 2013, over 600 visitors arrived at Champion Hill to be a part
of the 150th Anniversary Commemoration. The visitors came from 22
states and more than 200 of those present were descendants of those
who fought in the battle.
The Champion Hill
Road leading from Bolton to the battlefield set the stage for those who had
never visited the historic site. Sections of the Old Jackson-Vicksburg Road,
Grant’s 1863 pathway to Champion Hill was visible nearby. Magnolia trees were in
full bloom, just as they were on May 16, 1863, when the battle was fought. Union
soldiers were taken with the magnolia trees, describing them as white flowers
whose blooms were the size of a hat. The picturesque sunken road was draped with
arching tree limbs, forming a sight almost comparable to that of
Oak Alley
in
Louisiana.
|
Bertram Hayes-Davis shakes the hand of Joshua C.
Eddington (Illinois) during the Honorary Medallion presentation. Sid Champion V,
Rebecca Blackwell Drake and Reverend Billie Abraham presented medallions to
recipients from twenty-two states during the morning ceremony.
|
click for more >>>
Photography from 150th Anniversary Event
May 18, 2013
RECENT ARTICLES
Visit us on facebook
