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Crossing at Bruinsburg
April 30--May 1
| Undaunted by his failure at Grand Gulf, Grant moved farther south in
search of a more favorable crossing point. Looking now to cross his army at Rodney,
Grant was informed that there was a good road ascending the bluffs east of Bruinsburg.
Seizing the opportunity, the Union commander hurled his army across the mighty river and
onto Mississippi soil at Bruinsburg on April 30--May 1, 1863. In the early
morning hours of April 30, infantrymen of the 24th and 46th Indiana Regiments stepped ashore on Mississippi soil at
Bruinsburg. The invasion had begun. |
State Historical Marker in Port Gibson |
| The landing was made unopposed and, as the men came ashore, a band aboard U.S.S.
Benton struck up "The Red, White, and Blue." The Hoosiers were
quickly followed by the remainder of the XIII Union Army Corps and portions of the XVII
Corps--17,000 men. This landing was the largest amphibious operation in American history
until the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II. Elements of the
Union Army pushed inland and took possession of the bluffs thereby securing the landing
area. By late afternoon of April 30, 17,000 soldiers were ashore and the march inland
began. Having pushed inland from the landing area at Bruinsburg, Union soldiers
rested and ate their crackers in the shade of the trees on Windsor
Plantation. Late that afternoon the decision was made to push on that night by a
forced march in hopes of surprising the Confederates and preventing them from destroying
the bridges over Bayou Pierre. The Union columns resumed the advance at 5:30 p.m.
Instead of taking the Bruinsburg Road, which was the direct
road from the landing area to Port Gibson, Grant's columns swung onto the Rodney Road,
passed Bethel Church and marched through the night. |
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Historic Bethel Church
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Bethel Presbyterian Church is
one of the few remaining landmarks associated with the battle of Port Gibson. Built circa
1826, the church played a significant role in the expansion of Presbyterianism into the
Old Southwest. The present structure dates to the mid-1840s. Although the slave gallery
has been removed and the original pointed steeple destroyed by a tornado (1943), the
church retains the classical symmetry of the Greek Revival style. |
This section of the Rodney Road has changed little since the days of the
Civil War. Imagine if you will, soldiers marching down this road tightly packed in columns
of four; the stillness of the night broken by the sounds of marching feet, clanking
accouterments, and the rumbling of wagons and artillery pieces. It was a clear, moon-lit
night. Tension and fear were in the air for these soldiers were on enemy soil and the
enemy was near, but where? As they marched along in the late night hours many of the
soldiers dozed. One bluecoat recalled the night march as being "romantic in the
extreme."
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The Historic Rodney Road (1998)
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Map-Crossing at Bruinsburg 104k, Large Format
The village of Bruinsburg was established in 1796 and quickly
became a landing of great importance. It was here that young Andrew Jackson, future
President of the United States, established a small trading post. The advent of the Civil
War brought a decline in river traffic which resulted in the economic collapse of
Bruinsburg. By 1865 the town was extinct. The former town site is now private
property..
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Last update: Friday, November 05, 1999
http://www.nps.gov/vick/vcmpgn/crossng.htm
Editor: G. Zeman |
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