The Battle of Milliken's Bend was fought on June 7, 1863, as part of the
Vicksburg Campaign
The Vicksburg campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi Riv ...
during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
.
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
of the
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
had placed the strategic
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
city of
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856.
Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vic ...
, under siege in mid-1863.
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
leadership erroneously believed that Grant's supply line still ran through Milliken's Bend in Louisiana, and Major General
Richard Taylor was tasked with disrupting it to aid the defense of Vicksburg. Taylor sent
Brigadier General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
Henry E. McCulloch
Henry Eustace McCulloch (December 6, 1816 – March 12, 1895) was a soldier in the Texas Revolution, a Texas Ranger, and a brigadier general in the army of the Confederate States during the American Civil War.
Early life
McCulloch was born in ...
with a
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
Br ...
of
Texans to attack Milliken's Bend, which was held by a brigade of newly-recruited
African American soldiers. McCulloch's attack struck early on the morning of June 7, and was initially successful in close-quarters fighting. Fire from the Union
gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.
History Pre-steam ...
USS ''Choctaw'' halted the Confederate attack, and McCulloch later withdrew after the arrival of a second gunboat. The attempt to relieve Vicksburg was unsuccessful. One of the first actions in which African American soldiers fought, Milliken's Bend demonstrated the value of African American soldiers as part of the Union Army.
Background
In the spring of 1863,
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
of the
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
began a campaign against the strategic
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
-held city of
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856.
Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vic ...
. Grant's troops crossed the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
from the
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
side into
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
at a point south of Vicksburg in late April. By May 18, the Union army had fought its way to Vicksburg, surrounded it, and initiated the
Siege of Vicksburg
The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Missis ...
. During the campaign, Grant had kept a supply base at Milliken's Bend in Louisiana as part of his supply line. Soldiers had been housed at the site before being deployed in the campaign, and a number of hospitals had been established there. During the siege, however, Grant had a different supply line opened: the
Union Navy
), (official)
, colors = Blue and gold
, colors_label = Colors
, march =
, mascot =
, equipment =
, equipment_label ...
took control of part of the
Yazoo River
The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi. It is considered by some to mark the southern boundary of what is called the Mississippi Delta, a broad floodplain that was cultivated for cotton plantations before the ...
in the
Chickasaw Bayou Chickasaw Bayou is a stream in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is a tributary to the Yazoo River.
Chickasaw Bayou derives its name from the Chickasaw tribe.
The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou
The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, also called the Battle ...
vicinity and established a point from which supplies could be sent overland behind the Union lines. While a position at Milliken's Bend was still held, its importance was greatly reduced, since the Yazoo River position had become Grant's primary supply depot.
Meanwhile, Confederate
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...
was pressuring
General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
E. K. Smith, commander of the
Trans-Mississippi Department
The Trans-Mississippi Department was a geographical subdivision of the Confederate States Army comprising Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, western Louisiana, Arizona Territory and the Indian Territory; i.e. all of the Confederacy west of the Mississ ...
, to attempt to relieve Vicksburg's garrison. Smith was unaware that Grant had moved his supply line to the Yazoo River, and still believed that Milliken's Bend was a primary Union supply depot. Immediate command of the offensive fell to Major General
Richard Taylor, who was given a
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
of
Texans known as
Walker's Greyhounds
Walker's Greyhounds was the popular name for a division of the Confederate States Army under Major-General John George Walker, composed exclusively of units from Texas. It fought in the Western Theater and the Trans-Mississippi Department, gainin ...
. Taylor moved the 5,000-man force to
Richmond, Louisiana
Richmond is a village in Madison Parish, Louisiana, United States, located on Roundaway Bayou. The population was 577 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Tallulah Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
During the American Civil War, Unio ...
, but did not believe that the coming expedition had any real chance of disrupting Grant's siege of Vicksburg. On June 5, Taylor learned that Milliken's Bend was no longer a significant supply point, but the planned offensive continued, with hopes of retaking control of the west bank of the Mississippi River and gaining the ability to send food across the river into Vicksburg. At Richmond, on June 6, Taylor detached the
13th Louisiana Cavalry Battalion on a raid against
Lake Providence, Louisiana
Lake Providence is a town in, and the parish seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. ...
, while Walker's Greyhounds continued to the site of Oak Grove Plantation, where there was a road junction. One Confederate brigade split off to move against a Union position at Young's Point, while Brigadier General
Henry E. McCulloch
Henry Eustace McCulloch (December 6, 1816 – March 12, 1895) was a soldier in the Texas Revolution, a Texas Ranger, and a brigadier general in the army of the Confederate States during the American Civil War.
Early life
McCulloch was born in ...
's brigade advanced against Milliken's Bend. A third brigade was held in reserve at Oak Grove.
![Uss choctaw h55218](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Uss_choctaw_h55218.jpg)
The Union posts at Milliken's Bend, Young's Point, and Lake Providence had become training grounds for
African American soldiers. These soldiers were primarily newly-recruited freed slaves. Union leadership's plan had been to use these soldiers as laborers and camp guards rather than front-line soldiers, so they had only received basic military training. At this time, the
Colored Troop units were commanded by white officers. Mustering these soldiers into the Union Army faced some opposition, with some believing that they would not fight. The support of several officers, including Major General
John A. Logan
John Alexander Logan (February 9, 1826 – December 26, 1886) was an American soldier and politician. He served in the Mexican–American War and was a general in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He served the state of Illinois as a st ...
, however, helped to reduce some of the resistance. The soldiers at Milliken's Bend had no prior experience with firearms before joining the Union Army, and demonstrated very poor marksmanship during training. Colonel
Hermann Lieb commanded the camp, which was manned by an infantry brigade of African American soldiers and some
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
from Illinois.
Both Lieb and Brigadier General
Elias Dennis, who commanded the Union troops in the area, suspected that the Confederates were preparing to attack Milliken's Bend. Lieb's
9th Louisiana Infantry Regiment and
10th Illinois Cavalry Regiment had encountered Confederates near
Tallulah on June 6 during an expedition towards Richmond. Lieb requested reinforcements, and the
23rd Iowa Infantry Regiment and the
ironclad
An ironclad is a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by Wrought iron, iron or steel iron armor, armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships ...
USS ''Choctaw'' were sent to Milliken's Bend.
Battle
![Battle of Milliken's Bend- Hillen 1864 (14576291300) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Battle_of_Milliken%27s_Bend-_Hillen_1864_%2814576291300%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
On June 7, McCulloch's 1,500 Confederates marched to Milliken's Bend in the cooler nighttime, and by 02:30 arrived within 1.5 miles of Milliken's Bend.
By 03:00, they were within of the Union position. Lieb's 1,100 Union soldiers had constructed a defensive position by forming a
breastwork out of cotton bales on top of a
levee
A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually soil, earthen and that often runs parallel (geometry), parallel to ...
. The Union
pickets were quickly driven back by the Confederates. McCulloch aligned his regiments with the
19th Texas Infantry Regiment
The 19th Texas Infantry Regiment was a unit of volunteers recruited in Texas that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment began organizing in February 1862 and elected its officers in May 1862. It spent it ...
,
17th Texas Infantry Regiment, and the
16th Texas Cavalry Regiment
The 16th Texas Cavalry Regiment was a unit of mounted volunteers from Texas that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was recruited in early 1862 and mustered into Confederate service in April 1862. The ...
, from right to left; the
16th Texas Infantry Regiment
The 16th Texas Infantry Regiment was a unit of volunteers recruited in Texas that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. George Flournoy, the former Attorney General of the state of Texas, organized the regiment at ...
was held as a reserve. Lieb's defensive line was held by the
23rd Iowa Infantry Regiment and the U.S. Colored Troops of the
8th Louisiana Infantry Regiment, the 9th Louisiana Infantry Regiment, the
10th Louisiana Infantry Regiment, the
11th Louisiana Infantry Regiment, the
13th Louisiana Infantry Regiment
In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the Musical note, note thirteen scale degrees from the root (chord), root of a chord (music), chord and also the interval (music), interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be ...
, and the
1st Mississippi Infantry Regiment.
The main Union line fired a
volley that temporarily slowed the Confederate attack, but the poorly trained African American soldiers were largely unable to reload their weapons before the Confederate charge continued and became close-quarters fighting.
Bayonet
A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...
s were used in the fighting, and the Union defenders were driven back. Lieb's men fell back to a second levee, and the Confederates charged, yelling that no mercy would be given.
During this stage of the fighting, few shots were fired, as the use of
rifles as blunt weapons and bayonets was more common. By 04:00, the Confederates seemed to have victory, but they then made the mistake of exposing themselves on the top of the levee. Heavy fire from the large guns of USS ''Choctaw'' drove McCulloch's men back off the levee. Confederate leadership was unable to get the Texans to attack the levee again. McCulloch requested reinforcements to continue the fighting, but another Union vessel, the
timberclad USS ''Lexington'', arrived around 09:00. McCulloch withdrew his men off the field back to Oak Grove Plantation in the face of the gunboats.
Aftermath and preservation
![Milliken%27s_Bend_Battlefield_Louisiana](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Milliken%27s_Bend_Battlefield_Louisiana.jpg)
The fight at Milliken's Bend cost the Union 652 men: 101 killed, 285 wounded, and 266 missing. Many of the missing men were African American soldiers who had been captured and returned to slavery. All but 65 of the Union casualties were incurred by the Colored Troops, with the 9th Louisiana Infantry suffering the worst with 68 percent of its strength becoming casualties. The Confederates lost 185 men. Rumors of the execution of captured Union soldiers reached Grant, who asked Taylor about the reports. Taylor denied that any executions occurred.
The other two prongs of the coordinated Confederate attacks accomplished little at the
Battle of Young's Point and the
Battle of Lake Providence
The Battle of Lake Providence was fought on June 9, 1863, during the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. Confederate troops from the Trans-Mississippi Department were trying to relieve Union pressure during the Siege of Vicksburg. Ma ...
. The column sent to Young's Point was delayed by bad guides and a washed-out bridge, and did not reach the Union camp until 10:30. After watching additional Union troops arrive at the camp, along with the gunboats, the Confederates withdrew without a fight. After Milliken's Bend, the Confederates fell back to
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe (historically french: Poste-du-Ouachita) is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and parish seat of Ouachita Parish. With a 2020 census-tabulated population of 47,702, it is the principal city of the Monroe metropolita ...
, and Taylor travelled to
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is the ninth-largest city in the state of Louisiana and is the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the prin ...
, where he focused more attention on the Union forces at
, than Vicksburg. Smith and the Trans-Mississippi Confederates no longer were able to influence the outcome of the Siege of Vicksburg. The city surrendered on July 4. The position at Milliken's Bend had fallen out of relevance not long after the battle when the men and supplies stored there were transferred to Young's Point.
Parts of the site of the battle have been destroyed by changes in the course of the Mississippi River.
A 2010 study by the
American Battlefield Protection Program
The American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) is a United States federal government program created by the Secretary of the Interior in 1991, with the aim of preserving historic battlefields in the United States. In 1996, Congress signed into ...
found that of the over of the battlefield, about were potentially eligible to be listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. At the time of the study, there was no public interpretation of the battle at the site. , a commemorative plaque for Milliken's Bend exists on a roadside near Richmond, and exhibits discussing the battle are present at
Vicksburg National Military Park
Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. The park, located in Vicksburg, Mississippi (flanking the Mississippi River), also commemorates the greater ...
.
Additionally, an interpretive exhibit exists at
Grant's Canal
Grant's Canal (also known as Williams's Canal) was an incomplete military effort to construct a canal through De Soto Point in Louisiana, across the Mississippi River from Vicksburg, Mississippi. During the American Civil War, United States Nav ...
in Louisiana.
Significance and legacy
Leaders on both sides noted the performance of the African American troops at Milliken's Bend. Unionist
Charles Dana reported that the action convinced many in the Union Army to support the enlistment of African American soldiers. Dennis stated "it is impossible for men to show greater gallantry than the Negro troops in this fight." Grant described the battle as the first significant engagement in which the Colored Troops had seen combat, described their conduct as "most gallant" and said that "with good officers they will make good troops." Confederate leader McCulloch later reported that while the white Union troops had been
rout
A rout is a panicked, disorderly and undisciplined retreat of troops from a battlefield, following a collapse in a given unit's command authority, unit cohesion and combat morale (''esprit de corps'').
History
Historically, lightly-equi ...
ed, the Colored Troop had fought with "considerable obstinacy." One modern historian wrote in 1960 that the fighting at Milliken's Bend brought "the acceptance of the Negro as a soldier", which was important to "his acceptance as a man."
U.S. Secretary of War
Edwin M. Stanton
Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize ...
also praised the performance of black U.S. soldiers in the battle. He stated that their competent performance in the battle proved wrong those who had opposed their service:
Notes
References
Sources
*
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*
*
*
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*
*
Further reading
*
*
* Lowe, Richard G. "Battle on the Levee: The Fight at Milliken's Bend." In ''Black Soldiers in Blue: African American Troops in the Civil War Era,'' edited by John David Smith, 107–135. University of North Carolina Press, 2002.
* Sears, Cyrus. ''Paper of Cyrus Sears (The Battle of Milliken's Bend)'', Columbus, OH: F.J. Heer Printing, 1909.
* Winschel, Terrence J. "To Rescue Gibraltar: John Walker's Texas Division and Its Expedition to Relieve Fortress Vicksburg." ''Civil War Regiments'' 3, no. 3 (1993): 33–58.
External links
Milliken's Bend: A Civil War Battle in History and MemoryPBS' Timeline: African Americans in the Civil War; see June 7, 1863: Milliken's Bend-Louisiana– Pantagraph (Bloomington, IL newspaper)
{{authority control
Milliken's Bend
The Battle of Milliken's Bend was fought on June 7, 1863, as part of the Vicksburg Campaign during the American Civil War. Major General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union Army had placed the strategic Mississippi River city of Vicksburg, Mississipp ...
Milliken's Bend
The Battle of Milliken's Bend was fought on June 7, 1863, as part of the Vicksburg Campaign during the American Civil War. Major General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union Army had placed the strategic Mississippi River city of Vicksburg, Mississipp ...
Milliken's Bend
The Battle of Milliken's Bend was fought on June 7, 1863, as part of the Vicksburg Campaign during the American Civil War. Major General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union Army had placed the strategic Mississippi River city of Vicksburg, Mississipp ...
Millikin's Bend
Madison Parish, Louisiana
June 1863 events
1863 in Louisiana