Prelude
In late summer and early autumn of 1862, after the battles of Iuka (Sept. 19) and Corinth (Oct. 3-4) in north Mississippi, the initiative swung to Union forces under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. Grant's objective was the Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River - Vicksburg. To seize this important point he proposed splitting his force in two. One wing, consisting of 40,000 troops under Grant's personal command, was to march south along the line of the Mississippi Central Railroad from Grand Junction, Tennessee, and into north Mississippi. His wing was to draw Confederate troops into the northern portion of the state and keep them pinned along the Yalobusha River near Grenada. The other wing, consisting of 32,000 soldiers under Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, was to make an amphibious thrust down the Mississippi River and capture Vicksburg.Grant's column started the march on November 26 and slowly moved south through Holly Springs and Oxford toward Grenada. Although he had detached troops to guard his lengthening communications and supply lines, the lines remained exposed and vulnerable. On December 20, raiding Confederate cavalry commanded by Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn captured the Union supply base at Holly Springs and destroyed more than a million dollars worth of supplies. Another successful raid was conducted by Confederate Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest into West Tennessee in which 60 miles of railroad vital to Grant were [sic] broken up. The raids compelled Grant to abandon his operations and fall back on memphis.
On the same day as the raid on Holly Springs, the lead elements of Sherman's Expeditionary Force boarded transports at Memphis and headed south toward Vicksburg. The next day, Sherman was notified of the disaster at Holly Springs but continued the movement toward Vicksburg. The flotilla numbered seven gunboats and fifty-nine transports. The boats arrived at Milliken's Bend, Louisiana, (just above Vicksburg) on Christmas Eve and tied-up for the night.
On Christmas Eve, the ranking officers of the Vicksburg garrison attended a gala ball hosted by Dr. William Balfour and his wife Emma. The Confederate officers were unaware of the fleet's approach and revelled in a false sense of security. As the officers danced with their ladies, a courier arrived with startling news and informed Maj. Gen. Martin Luther Smith that the enemy was approaching Vicksburg. Smith exclaimed, "This ball is at an end; the enemy are coming down the river, all non-combatants must leave the city." The garrison was called to arms and prepared to do battle.
(Text Adapted From: Chickasaw Bayou: A Battlefield Guide, Terrence J. Winschel's pamphlet available at the Vicksburg National Military Park.)