Battle of Big Black River Bridge
May 17, 1863

By Rebecca Blackwell Drake

Reeling from their defeat at Champion Hill on Saturday, May 16, 1863, the Confederates quickly retreated westward and reached the Big Black River bridge that night. General Pemberton ordered General Bowen and his three brigades to prepare fortifications on the east side of the river in an attempt to halt the Union pursuit.

Prior to the Battle of Champion Hill, Major Samuel Lockett, Confederate engineer, had already prepared make-shift bridges over the Big Black should there be a need for an escape route. "In addition to the railroad bridge, which I had caused to be floored for the passage, even of artillery and wagons, the steamer Dot, from which the machinery had been taken, was converted into a bridge, by place her fore and aft across the river." Three Confederate steamers, Dot, Charm and Paul Jones, were located at the boat bridge, approximately 800 feet south of the railroad bridge.

The Union advance got an early start on Sunday, May 17 as they began their march from Edwards Station to the Big Black. Grant wrote of the pursuit in his Personal Memoirs: "The advance division, Carr's (McClernand's corps), resumed the pursuit at half-past three a.m. on the 17th, followed closely by Osterhaus, McPherson bringing up the rear with his corps. As I expected, the enemy was found in position on the Big Black."

Expecting the Yankees to follow closely on their heels, the Rebels quickly constructed a line of defense along the banks of a bayou in front of the Big Black. Grant described the Big Black battlefield and the Union deployment: "The bayou was grown up with timber, which the enemy had felled into the ditch. At this time there was a foot or two of water in it. The rebels had constructed a parapet along the inner bank of this bayou by using cotton bales from the plantation close by and throwing dirt over them. The whole was thoroughly commanded from the height west of the river. At the upper end of the bayou there was a strip of uncleared land which afforded a cover for a portion of our men. Carr's division was deployed on our right. Lawler's brigade forming his extreme right and reaching through these woods to the river above. Osterhaus' division was deployed to the left of Carr and covered the enemy's entire front. McPherson was in column on the road, the head close by, ready to come in wherever he could be of assistance."

Early Sunday morning, the Union made their advance toward the Confederates' line that formed an arc with its left flank resting on the Big Black River and the right flank on Gin Lake. A bayou of waist-deep water fronted a portion of the line and eighteen cannons were placed to sweep the flat open ground to the east. When the firing began the Confederates were overwhelmed. They threw down their rifle-muskets and fled toward the bridge. Grant recalled the moment of victory: "I heard great cheering to the right of our line and, looking in that direction, saw Lawler in his shirt sleeves leading a charge upon the enemy. I immediately mounted my horse and rode in the direction of the charge." The Rebels, already torn and tattered from their loss at Champion Hill, fled their cover and either retreated or surrendered.

From a hill on the west bank of the river Lockett observed the chaos on the battlefield and decided the time had come for him to order the railroad and boat bridge torched to slow down the pursuing Yankees. A large number of the Confederates made it safely across but others were not so lucky. Approximately 1700 were stranded on the east bank and taken prisoner while others drowned as they attempted to swim the rain-swollen river. Lockett later wrote of the burning of the bridges: “I made preparations for firing the railroad bridge by piling rails and loose cotton at intervals, and had a barrel of turpentine prepared on the boat bridge. At about 9 a.m. our troops on the left were stampeded, and, leaving the trenches, came pell-mell toward the river. I stationed an officer at each bridge, and after seeing that all our men were across, I gave a signal to apply the torch. In a few moments both bridges were in flames, and were quickly and thoroughly burned.” By mid-morning, the Dot, Charm, and Paul Jones had been burned and sunk.

Col. W. H. Raynor, 56th Ohio Infantry, mentioned the battle in his diary: “The main body of our army at daylight this morning, pressed forward, fought at Big Black Bridge where the enemy offered but feeble resistance. Thousands of them were captured with several pieces of artillery. The Rail Road Bridge was burned by the enemy, together with 3 or 4 steamboats…..the Paul Jones, Dot, and Charm, the remains of which lay below us. These boats were run up from Grand Gulf and fearing they might be made useful to us, the enemy Confederates burned them.”

General Grant hailed the success of the battle at the Big Black: "The assault was successful. But little resistance was made. The enemy fled from the west bank of the river, burning the bridge behind him and leaving the men and guns on the east side to fall into our hands. Many tried to escape by swimming the river. Some succeeded and some were drowned in the attempt."

As a result of the Confederate loss at Champion Hill and the Big Black Bridge, Pemberton felt the ultimate weight of defeat. While traveling back to Vicksburg, he admitted his humiliation to Lockett: "Just thirty years ago I began my military career by receiving my appointment to a cadetship at the U. S. Military Academy, and today- the same date - that career is ended in disaster and disgrace."

Ultimately, the battles of the Champion Hill and Big Black River changed the course of the war. Grant was handed his victory in Vicksburg.

Copyright (c) James and Rebecca Drake, 1998 - 2006.  All Rights Reserved.