The Campaign Turns East

By late afternoon, as Brigadier General John Gregg, his officers, and soldiers realized they were seriously outnumbered, they extricated themselves from the fight and withdrew through Raymond to Jackson. The road visible from here follows the historic route west to Dillon’s plantation, seven miles away, where Major General Ulysses S. Grant and Major General William T. Sherman were camped and heard the sounds of battle coming from Raymond. When the reports came in, Grant realized he was between two Confederate armies and immediately determined to attack Jackson before advancing on Vicksburg. Soldiers recalled that the Confederates edged away until there was nobody left to shoot, that the fighting against the Texans had lasted nearly two and a half hours, that one company of thirty-two men came out with only sixteen unwounded, and that the day was unusually hot and dusty and left men too thirsty even to stop for water brought out by the ladies of Raymond. Afterward, the Confederate force fell back to Raymond and immediately began its retreat, while Doctor Bowers remained at Raymond with the wounded. Local citizens of Raymond assisted the wounded of both armies after the battle.

Mississippi · United States