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"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 Hills ...... Six thousand blue and gray-coated men were lying there in the woods, dead or wounded, when the last gun of Champion Hills was fired."

Major S. H. M. Byers, Fifth Iowa Infantry














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RECENT ARTICLES

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The Defense of Vicksburg
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Margie Bearss'

Vignettes of Champion Hill

Now In Audio

Night Music at Champion Hill
Remains of the Charm
Visiting the Hill of Death
Call of the Whippoorwill
Robert Younger: Memoriam

Cistern Quenches Soldier's Thirst
Out of the Mists

Discovering Charm&Paul Jones
Mystery of the Dot
The Roberts Family Cemetery
Brandishing a Fire Poker
Call of the Whippoorwill
The Daffodils of Champion Hill
Thanatopsis
Matilda’s Wartime Letters
Visiting the Hill of Death
Mural Depicted Francis Cockrell
Battle Moves to the Big Black
Finding a Carpet Bag
Frozen Charlotte Dolls
Fascination with Minié Balls
The Lazarus Cook House
The Dueling Pistols
Hiawatha and Tilghman’s Death

Finding a Rebel Belt Buckle
The Perfect Arrowhead
Explosive Miniés
‘Miss Ruth’ Champion
Visiting the Old Home Site

Hundred Trek

'The Hill of Death'

May 16, 2009


By Steve Sanoski

Published, Sunday, May 17, 2009, The Vicksburg Post
 

Brig. Gen. Parker Hills (Ret) and Terry Winschel, Historian of the Vicksburg National Military Park, unveil the historic marker, THE HILL OF DEATH, erected on the Champion Hill battlefield to commemorate the 146th Anniversary of the Battle of Champion Hill. The marker was unveiled on the historic grounds of the Champion Hill Missionary Baptist Church then later transported to its permanent battlefield location on the Hill of Death.The marker was made possible by the Champion Heritage Foundation.

CHAMPION HILL — Longtime battlefield buff Jack Opshinsky had seen just about every significant Civil War site relating to the Vicksburg Campaign before Saturday’s commemoration of the 146th anniversary of the Battle of Champion Hill near Bolton.

“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long, long time, and it kind of completes the story for me,” Opshinsky said as he walked down the Old Jackson Road to the site of a new historical marker commemorating the battle. “I’ve often imagined what it would be like to see this site from on top of the hill, and wondered what those soldiers must have seen and been feeling as they made their way up here.”

Opshinsky was one of roughly 200 Civil War enthusiasts who braved the muggy weather Saturday morning to get an exclusive look at the Old Jackson Road and Champion Hill battlefield, which are normally closed to tourists.

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Photography of the 2009 Anniversary Event

Union infantry commanded by Charles Tucker
on the Hill of Death.

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Anniversary Event Draws Large Crowd

Glenn and Karen Taylor greet guests at the entrance to the Champion Hill Missionary Baptist Church.

On Saturday, May 16, 2009, hundreds of spectators attended the event commemorating the 146th Anniversary of the Battle of Champion Hill. The well-publicized event drew visitors from many states: Michigan, Connecticut, Iowa, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, and, of course, Mississippi.

The event “kick-off” began at 8:00 on the Champion Hill Missionary Church grounds which, in 1863, had been the site of the home of Sid and Matilda Champion. The Champion’s home was burned by the Yankees following the Siege of Vicksburg. Rebecca Drake, opening speaker, mentioned the significance of the church grounds to the crowd saying, “One could say that we are sitting in the Champion’s front yard today and if you use your imagination you might even smell the scent of the roses in bloom.” The Champion’s home had been a large two-story structure nestled within a yard filled with flower and fruit gardens.

Guest speakers Brig. Gen. Parker Hills (Ret), Terry Winschel, historian of the Vicksburg Military Park, and Dr. Timothy Smith, featured speaker from Tennessee, mesmerized the crowd with appropriate comments regarding the historic significance of the day. The event also coincided with Armed Forces Day and all veterans present were honored.

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Champion Hill Anniversary Event: Gun Raffle Winner

Winning the raffle for the Replica 1858 Army Texas .44 Caliber Revolver was Tim Cupit of Brandon. The raffle brought in approximately $550.00 in funds to be used for battlefield preservation at Champion Hill.


 

Announcing

Champion Hill Tours
With Sid Champion V

Tour Champion Hill with Sid J. Champion (Sid V), the great-great-grandson of Sid and Matilda Champion.

  • The Cross Roads

  • Old Jackson Road

  • The Hill of Death

  • Original House Site and Historic Marker

  • Midway Station

  • Family Cemetery and Memorabilia

  • Margie Bearss Memorial

$25 per person (minimum of 2)  Call 601-316-4894

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Collected Stories of the Vicksburg Campaign

By Rebecca Drake and Margie Bearss

<click here to order>


Darwina's Diary: A View of Champion Hill ~ 1865
Edited By
Rebecca Drake and Margie Bearss

<click here to order>


My Dear Wife ~
Letters to Matilda

The Civil War Letters of Sid and Matilda Champion

By Rebecca Drake and Margie Bearss

<click here to order>


In Memoriam
Margie Riddle Bearss

October 22, 1925 — October 7, 2006

Memorials to Margie Bearss
  Matriarch of Mississippi History
Remembering Margie Bearss
  A Photographic Journey
Tribute to Margie
  Rebecca Blackwell Drake
A Photographic Journey
  Clione Rochat & Henry Little
Eulogy to Margie
  Billy Ellis
A Day to Remember
  Rebecca Blackwell Drake
Margie's Scrapbook
  Salvaging Charm & Paul Jones



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Last Modified 5/24/2009
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