Mississippi in the American Civil War

• 1. The Second State To Leave

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  Mississippi became the second southern state to declare its secession from the United States on the 9th of January 1861. It joined with six other southern states to form the Confederacy just twenty-six days later on the 4th of February 1861. The political climate leading up to this decision was heavily influenced by the institution of slavery and the decline of the Whig party. During the 1860 presidential election, the state supported Southern Democrat candidate John C. Breckinridge with 40,768 votes. This represented 59.0% of the total 69,095 ballots cast in the state. Abraham Lincoln did not appear on the ballot for Mississippi voters. A Mississippian newspaper in the late 1850s described the region as a hotbed of secessionist sentiment. Fulton Anderson delivered a speech to the Virginian secession convention in 1861 declaring that grievances over slavery were the primary catalyst for leaving the Union. Jefferson Davis, who would become Confederate president, operated a large cotton plantation within the state. He stated that the theory all men are created free and equal threatened the existence of their society. Alexander Hamilton Handy, a Mississippian judge, shared this view regarding the Republican Party. William L. Harris told a meeting of the Georgian general assembly that Republicans wanted equality between white and negro races. Mississippi joined South Carolina as one of only two states where the majority of the population were slaves.

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• 2. The Free State And The River

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  Small pockets of Unionist citizens remained sympathetic to the Union throughout the conflict. The most famous group was known as The Free State of Jones in Jones County. Newton Knight led these Unionists against the Confederate cause. Around 80,000 white Mississippians served in the Confederate Army during the war. In stark contrast, some 545 white Mississippians joined Union Forces. Regional variations existed in how men volunteered for service. The likelihood of volunteering increased with a person's amount of personal property owned. Men living near the Mississippi River were less likely to join the army than those in the interior. Many military-age men in western counties had moved elsewhere before the fighting began. Union control of the river made neighbors especially vulnerable to invasion. More than 17,000 black Mississippian slaves and freedmen fought for the Union. They formed United States Colored Troops and similar black regiments. A Loyal League formed in Choctaw County to break up the war by advising desertion. This group robbed families of soldiers who remained in the army. They kept Federal authorities advised on local movements. The strategic importance of the state lay along the lengthy Mississippi River itself.

• 3. Emancipation And Black Regiments

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  Portions of northwestern Mississippi were under Union control on the 1st of January 1863 when the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. All of Mississippi had been declared in rebellion in that document. Union forces accordingly began to free slaves in U.S.-controlled areas immediately. A Confederate lieutenant from Mississippi stated that slavery was the cause for which the state declared secession. He argued that the country without slave labor would be completely worthless. Greenville became a pivotal village for Grant's northern operations during the Vicksburg campaign. General Frederick Steele led an expedition beginning at the end of March 1863. His men seized almost 1000 head of livestock including horses and mules. They burned 500,000 bushels of corn during their foray. Union soldiers acquired several hundred slaves who wished to escape bondage. These individuals left their plantations and followed troops back to Greenville. General Ulysses S. Grant determined that any slaves crossing lines could become U.S. soldiers. The first black regiments formed during this specific expedition. By the end of the operation nearly 500 ex-slaves learned the school of the soldier.

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• 4. The Siege And The River

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  Corinth held strategic importance due to its location at the junction of two railroads. Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard retreated there after the Battle of Shiloh. He abandoned the town when Union Maj. Gen. Henry W. Halleck approached. The Siege of Corinth lasted over a month as Halleck dug entrenchments at every stop. The Battle of Corinth took place on the 3rd of October 4, 1862. Confederate Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn attempted to retake the city but was forced out by reinforcements. Vicksburg became the site of a decisive victory for Union forces. The battle consisted of a long siege necessary because the town sat on high ground. Some 30,000 Confederates surrendered during the campaign rather than being sent to prison camps. They were paroled and sent home until they could be exchanged for Union prisoners. The hardships of civilians were extreme with heavy shelling and starvation surrounding them. Greenville served as the breadbasket providing corn and beef for Vicksburg's military. Union soldiers deprived Vicksburg of this important source of supplies and animals. Commander Selfridge ordered ashore 67 marines and 30 sailors near Chicot Island in May 1863. Their orders were to put to the torch all homes aiding Confederate forces.

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• 5. Burning Cities And Logistics

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  On the 22nd of August 1864, the city of Oxford burned to the ground by General A.J. Smith. Only the University of Mississippi and two shops remained standing after the fire. This action occurred because Nathan Bedford Forrest had taken refuge there. Jackson became a strategic center of manufacturing for the Confederacy despite its small population. Union forces captured Jackson during two battles in May 1863. On May 15 Union troops under William Tecumseh Sherman burned key facilities in the city. After driving Confederates out, Union forces turned west to place Vicksburg under siege. Meridian held a major railroad junction making it a hub for Confederate operations. It housed an arsenal, hospital, and prisoner-of-war stockade. In February 1864, Sherman's army reached Meridian and destroyed railroads. They burned much of the area to the ground before leaving. Sherman is reputed to have said that Meridian no longer existed. The disastrous Chunky Creek Train Wreck happened thirty miles from Meridian in 1863. A makeshift shipyard was established on the Yazoo River at Yazoo City but destroyed in 1863. Union forces retook the city the following year and burned most buildings.

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• 6. Elite Women And Occupation

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  The Mississippian city of Natchez remained largely undamaged compared to other locations. The city surrendered to Flag-Officer David G. Farragut after New Orleans fell in May 1862. One elderly civilian died when a Union ironclad shelled the town in September 1863. He promptly died of a heart attack during the bombardment. Ellen Shields wrote a memoir revealing a Confederate woman's reactions to Union occupation. Her account points to the upheaval of Confederate society during the war. Historian Joyce Broussard notes that absent men were seen as having failed in their homes. This forced women to use class-based femininity and sexuality to deal with the Army. The 340 planters who each owned 250 or more slaves were not enthusiastic Confederates. These slaveholders held social and economic ties to the Union before the war started. Many of their sons and nephews joined the Confederate army anyway. In 1864, Catholic bishop William Henry Elder refused to obey a Union order. He was arrested and jailed briefly for compelling parishioners to pray for the president. White Natchez became much more pro-Confederate after the war ended. Elite women played an important role in establishing memorials like the Civil War Monument dedicated on Memorial Day 1890.

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