Listing of all day-by-day events of the American Civil War related to the state of Mississippi.
The American Civil War crossed borders throughout many states as the nation was plunged into turmoil. Key battles were fought throughout the land with the most being recorded in the state of Virginia followed by the state of Tennessee. The war stretched into loosely established territories in the West as well and involved actions in international waters and support from foreign powers. In the end, the fractured country required decades of healing and its scars can still be seen today.
There are a total of (73)Civil War Events by State - Mississippi events in the CivilWarTimeline.net database. Entries are listed below by date-of-occurrence ascending (first-to-last). Other leading and trailing events are also included for perspective.
Day-by-Day Timeline of Events
January 9, 1861
The state of Mississippi moves to secede from the Union, strengthening the growing Confederacy in the south.
September 3, 1861
Confederate forces move into Western Kentucky and take Columbus along the all-important Mississippi River.
September 7, 1861
Ship Island, off the coast of Biloxi, Mississippi, is claimed by Union forces.
September 17, 1861
Ships of the United States Navy move in to secure Ship Island off the coast of Mississippi.
February 20, 1862
Union Captain David Farragut arrives outside of New Orleans, Louisiana with his naval forces in tow. He takes up position at Ship Island near Biloxi, Mississippi. This is part of the campaign to retake the strategically important port city.
February 20, 1862
Union Captain David Farragut takes command of the West Gulf Squadron.
March 5, 1862
The Department of the Mississippi is given to Confederate General Beauregard.
March 11, 1862
Union General Henry Halleck is named in charge of the Department of the Mississippi.
March 23, 1862
Union General Benjamin Butler arrives at Ship Island, Mississippi to join in the plans for the ultimate battle to take New Orleans.
April 4, 1862
Gneeral John Pope's Union forces at New Madrid, Missouri, complete the construction of a canal intended to bypass Confederate firepower along the Mississippi River at Island Number Ten.
April 7, 1862
Union General Pope and his men cross the Mississippi River.
April 7, 1862
Island Number Ten along the Mississippi River, south of New Madrid, Missouri, is given up by the defending Confederate garrison.
April 28, 1862
Union forces lay siege to Corinth, Mississippi.
May 5, 1862
A Confederate river fleet voyages out of Memphis, Tennessee and meet a Union squadron - Southern forces are repelled in the ensuing battle.
May 12, 1862
Natchez, Mississippi is claimed by Union forces.
May 30, 1862
Falling to Union pressure, General Beauregard orders a withdrawal from Corinth, Mississippi.
June 24, 1862
Construction on a canal is started by Union engineers along the Mississippi River near heavily-defended Vicksburg. General Thomas Williams directs.
June 28, 1862
Union Navy boats pass under the guns of Vicksburg to reach friendly forces up the Mississippi River.
July 1, 1862
The Battle of Booneville is fought at Booneville, Mississippi. Losses are light for both sides with the Union claiming the victory.
July 15, 1862
Confederate warship CSS Arkansas engages Union ships north of Vicksburg, Mississippi.
September 19, 1862
The Union Army claims a victory at the Battle of Iuka, driving off the now-retreating Confederates. The battle takes place near Iuka, Mississippi and involves 4,500 Union and 3,179 Confederates.
October 3, 1862
Union forces gain the upper hand against the Confederates at Corinth, Mississippi. The battle marks one of the few uses of the bayonet charge in the whole of the war.
December 12, 1862
USS Cairo is sunk by an electrically-detonated Confederate naval mine. The action takes place at Yazoo River near Haines Bluff, Mississippi.
December 17, 1862
General Grant forces out all merchant Jews under his district control due to Treasury violations (black market dealings involving cotton). This is known as General order No.11 and includes Jews in Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky.
December 20, 1862
Confederate forces destroy General Grant's base at Holly Springs in Mississippi.
December 26, 1862
In a speech to Mississippi lawmakers, President Davis details Northern aggression and violations of southern women and property.
December 26, 1862
Union forces are beaten back at Chickasaw Bayou in Vicksburg, Mississippi. This two-day engagement marks the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou. Again, a much smaller Confederate force bests a larger Union army. The battle spans into December 29th.
January 30, 1863
General Ulysses S. Grant assumes command of Union forces near Vicksburg, Mississippi.
February 24, 1863
USS Indianola is grounded by Confederate warships and taken over. The action takes place near Warrenton in Mississippi.
March 8, 1863
The under-construction Union canal at Vicksburg, Mississippi is flooded out due to a levee break.
March 11, 1863
In an action at Greenwood, Mississippi, Union warships fail to neutralize Fort Pemberton.
March 14, 1863
Steele's Bayou Expedition is begun. The operation sees a combined Union force directed by General Grant and Rear Admiral Porter attempt to reach the rear of Vicksburg, Mississippi. The expedition would last until March 27th.
March 17, 1863
Confederate forces at Fort Pemberton block General Grant's passage along the Yazoo River in Mississippi.
March 27, 1863
Union forces attempting to reach Vickerburg's rear are repulsed as part of Steele's Bayou Expedition. Union leaders included General Grant and Admiral Porter.
April 17, 1863
Union Navy boats attempt to bypass the guns of Vicksburg through night time voyages.
April 27, 1863
Confederate forces are successful in driving back a Union navy attack at Grand Gulf, Mississippi.
May 1, 1863
Union troops are victorious at Port Gibson in Mississippi.
May 3, 1863
Grand Gulf, Mississippi is evacuated.
May 7, 1863
General Grant departs the Grand Gulf, Mississippi region.
May 9, 1863
Confederate General Joseph Johnson is named commander of Mississippi forces.
May 12, 1863
Union forces outside of Jackson, Mississippi are victorious at Raymond (Battle of Raymond). General James McPherson is the commander of the Army of the Tennessee and heads a force 12,000 strong against 4,400 Confederates (under John Gregg). Losses are 446 Union to 820 Confederates.
May 13, 1863
Union forces reach Clinton, Mississippi.
May 14, 1863
General Grant captures Jackson, Mississippi (Battle of Jackson, Mississippi). Losses include 286 Union and 850 Confederates.
May 16, 1863
The Battle of Champion Hill (Baker's Creek) is a one-day engagement between the Army of the Tennessee under General Grant and the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. Force strength includes 32,000 and 22,000 respectively. Losses amount to 2,457 and 3,840 respectively. It is a Union victory.
May 17, 1863
Confederate forces are pushed back over Big Black River in Mississippi.
May 19, 1863
The Confederate defenders at Vicksburg (Mississippi) repel a Union push.
May 22, 1863
General Grant attempts, and fails, to take Vicksburg in a second offensive.
May 23, 1863
Vicksburg, Mississippi is besieged by Union forces.
May 27, 1863
The guns of Vicksburg aid in the sinking of USS Cincinnati.
June 25, 1863
Despite an attempt by Union engineers to destroy the Vicksburg defenses from below, Vicksburg remains under Confederate control.
July 1, 1863
Union engineers attempt a second demolition of Union defenses at Vicksburg, Mississippi. This attempt also fails to make progress.
July 4, 1863
Vicksburg, Mississippi finally surrenders to General Grant and his Union forces. Some 30,000 prisoners are granted release with the promise not to engage the Union militarily again.
July 9, 1863
Port Hudson, Mississippi is given up by Confederate defenders after a siege lasting six long weeks. This gives the Union a vast amount of control concerning the Mississippi waterway.
July 9, 1863
Jackson, Mississippi is under siege from forces directed by Union General William Sherman.
July 12, 1863
Union forces at Jackson, Mississippi, attempt to overtake Confederate positions but are heavily repulsed. General Jacob Lauman directs the unsuccessful Union charge.
July 13, 1863
Union forces take Yazoo City, Mississippi.
July 16, 1863
With Jackson, Mississippi fallen to Union forces, General Joseph Johnson's Confederate forces abandon the area.
July 16, 1863
The Mississippi River waterway is firmly in control of Union forces.
July 18, 1863
The Confederate's Army of Mississippi cavalry forces command is given to General Joseph Wheeler.
February 3, 1864
Union General Sherman begins the Meridian Campaign, the taking of Meridian, Mississippi.
February 5, 1864
Union forces, under General Sherman, meet Confederate forces at Clinton and Jackson, Mississippi.
February 6, 1864
General Sherman reaches Jackson, Mississippi. The city is razed.
February 11, 1864
A Union Army from Memphis, Tennessee crosses into Mississippi and marches on, destroying crop fields along their path.
February 14, 1864
General Sherman's force takes Meridian, Mississippi and destroys much of its infrastructure.
February 21, 1864
West Point, Mississippi is the site of a Confederate victory over a much larger Union force. Confederate General Nathan Bedford leads the victors.
February 22, 1864
The Battle of Okolona takes place in Chickasaw County, Mississippi. Confederate forces, numbering 2,500 under the leadership of General Forrest, is victorious against a larger Union contingent of 7,000 under the direction of William Sooy Smith.
March 5, 1864
With the Meridian Campaign completed, General Sherman makes his return to Union-held Vicksburg in Mississippi.
April 12, 1864
Fort Pillow, Tennessee, is the site of a Confederate victory by General Nathan Bedford. Black soldiers fighting for the Union are executed.
May 7, 1864
The Division of West Mississippi is created under the Union banner.
June 10, 1864
The Battle of Brice's Crossroads is recorded. A smaller Confederate force of 3,500 cavalry is victorious against a Union army consisting of 4,800 troops, 3,300 cavalry, and 22 field guns. General Nathan Forrest directs the victors over General Samuel Sturgis of the Union. The action takes place near Guntown, Mississippi.
July 14, 1864
Harrisburg, Mississippi is the site of a successful Union defense against a Confederate attack. However, Union forces still flee and destroy the town in their wake. The force relocates to Memphis, Tennessee.
May 26, 1865
The last major Confederate force is surrendered to authorities of the North in Galveston, Texas. This involves Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith and his Trans-Mississippi Department. General Edward Canby presides over the event.
November 24, 1865
'Black Codes' are enacted by Mississippi to limit the rights of freed slaves.
