Battle of Port Gibson
Port Gibson, Mississippi, USA
What happened
Ulysses S. Grant's Union army, with John A. McClernand's troops doing most of the fighting, faced a Confederate division under John S. Bowen. Grant's army had just crossed the Mississippi River south of Vicksburg. Bowen's smaller Confederate force tried to stop it on two roads near Port Gibson. McClernand's troops pushed them back all day, and by evening Bowen withdrew north.
Why it matters
It was the first of several Union victories in May 1863 that led to the siege of Vicksburg. It gave Grant a secure foothold on the east side of the river.
What came next
Grant turned northeast, won at Champion Hill on 16 May, and surrounded Vicksburg, which surrendered on 4 July 1863.
Did you know?
After crossing, Grant wrote that he was 'on dry ground on the same side of the river with the enemy', which he saw as the goal of all his earlier campaigning.
Timeline
- 1 May 1863Battle of Port Gibson.
- 2 May 1863McClernand occupies Port Gibson.
- 16 May 1863Battle of Champion Hill.
- 4 July 1863Vicksburg surrenders.