In May of 1863, as Major General Ulysses S. Grant’s army was advancing on Vicksburg, Mississippi, another Federal force was surrounding the only other Confederate stronghold left on the Mississippi River at Port Hudson, Louisiana, about 110 miles to the south. Major General Nathanial Banks’ 19th Corps with over 30,000 troops, faced roughly 7,000 Confederates [...]
Continue reading about The 8th New Hampshire Infantry at Port Hudson
After the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect in January 1863, the northern states began recruiting African American regiments for military service. The first northern regiment of African American soldiers to head south was the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, the unit featured in the 1989 film Glory. Although the enlisted men in these regiments were black, the [...]
Key Battle in the Vicksburg Campaign After crossing the Mississippi River at Bruinsburg, Mississippi on April 30th, the Union Army of Major General Ulysses S. Grant marched inland in a northeasterly direction. Grant’s forces engaged the Confederates at Port Gibson on May 1st, at Raymond on May 12th, and at Jackson on May 14th. The [...]
Continue reading about General Alvin P. Hovey’s Division At the Battle of Champion Hill
