Battle of Chickasaw Bayou
The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, also called the Battle of Walnut Hills, fought December 26–29, 1862, was the opening engagement of the Vicksburg Campaign during the American Civil War. Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton repulsed an advance by Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman that was intended to lead to the capture of Vicksburg, Mississippi.
| Battle of Chickasaw Bayou | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the American Civil War | |||||||
"Where Sherman failed" (from the Photographic History of The Civil War) | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| United States (Union) | CSA (Confederacy) | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| William T. Sherman |
John C. Pemberton Stephen D. Lee | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
Army of the Tennessee Mississippi River Squadron | Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 30,720 | 13,792 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
1,776 (208 killed, 1,005 wounded, 563 captured/missing) |
187 (57 killed, 120 wounded, 10 missing) | ||||||
On December 26, three Union divisions under Sherman disembarked at Johnson's Plantation on the Yazoo River to approach the Vicksburg defenses from the northeast while a fourth landed farther upstream on December 27. On December 27, the Union army pushed their lines forward through the swamps toward the Walnut Hills, which were strongly defended. On December 28, several futile attempts were made to get around these defenses. On December 29, Sherman ordered a frontal assault, which was repulsed with heavy casualties, and then withdrew. This Confederate victory and the victory against Grant at Holly Springs frustrated Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's attempts to take Vicksburg by a direct approach.