The Battle of Jackson, Mississippi, May 14, 1863

by Chris Mackowski PhD

Overview

Jackson, Mississippi, played an important role in the decisive Vicksburg Campaign and was the third Confederate state capital to fall to the Union when Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant captured the important rail junction in May of 1863. Drawing on dozens of primary sources and contextualized by the latest scholarship, Chris Mackowski’s The Battle of Jackson, Mississippi, May 14, 1863, offers the most comprehensive account ever published on the subject.

General Grant had his eyes set not on Jackson but on Vicksburg, the “Gibraltar of the Confederacy,” the invaluable prize that had eluded him for the better part of a year. After several failures, he marched south on the far side of the Mississippi River and crossed into the Magnolia State to approach Vicksburg from the south. As he drove through the interior of the state, a chance encounter with a small Confederate force at Raymond alerted Grant to a potential threat massing farther east in Jackson under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, one of the Confederacy’s most respected field officers. Jackson was a vital transportation and communications hub and a major industrial center. Its fall would remove vital logistical support for the Southern army holding Vicksburg and block future reinforcement attempts.

Grant turned on a dime and made for the capital to confront the growing danger, unaware that Johnston was already planning to abandon the city. The Southern general’s behavior has long puzzled historians, and some believe his stint in Jackson was the nadir of his long career. The loss of Jackson isolated Vicksburg and set the stage for a major confrontation a few days later at Champion Hill, one of the most decisive battles of the entire war. The capital’s fall demonstrated that Grant could march into Jefferson Davis’s home state and
move about with impunity.

This well-written and deeply researched account is a welcome addition to the campaign literature and the second book in Savas Beatie’s new Battles & Leaders Series.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611216554
Publisher:	Savas Beatie
Publication date:	09/08/2022
Series:	Savas Beatie Battles & Leaders Series
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Chris Mackowski, Ph.D., is the editor-in-chief and a co-founder of Emerging Civil War. Chris is a writing professor at St. Bonaventure University, where he also serves as the associate dean for undergraduate programs, and is the historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge, a historic property on the Spotsylvania Court House battlefield.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments viii

Foreword Terrence J. Winschel x

Introduction xiii

Chapter 1 Old Joe 1

Chapter 2 Days of Scramble 9

Chapter 3 Hour of Trial Is On Us 19

Chapter 4 The Head-Quarters of Everything 29

Chapter 5 The Decision to Move on Jackson 39

Chapter 6 A Show of Saving the City 47

Chapter 7 Life No Charm, Death No Horror 60

Chapter 8 All Fire and Spirit 78

Chapter 9 Good-Night at the Stars 97

Chapter 10 Destruction of the City 110

Chapter 11 Whose Hearts Should Be as Brothers 124

Chapter 12 The Jackson Battlefield 135

Order of Battle 160

Sources 163

Index 167

About the Author 172

Editorial Reviews

For too long, Jackson’s important role in the overall Vicksburg Campaign has played second fiddle to other engagements, but no more! Chris Mackowski’s very entertaining and enlightening study of the battle of Jackson is a real treat and hits all the right notes.

Jim Woodrick

Some battles are small, but hardly insignificant. Chris Mackowski’s new The Battle of Jackson, Mississippi, May 14, 1863, highlights this action’s crucial role in Grant’s Vicksburg Campaign. This study is packed with vivid descriptions and solid analysis, and it is a tremendous addition to Savas Beatie’s line of important Civil War studies, in general, and its new Battles & Leaders Series, in particular.

David A. Powell

"Jackson: long ignored by historians, Chris Mackowski has written a comprehensive, eminently readable, lavishly illustrated, and historically accurate account of the Battle of Jackson fought May 14, 1863.... He tells the story in his clear, engaging style, replete with primary source material and including the battle’s human side.... This book is highly recommended as a must have on the shelf of any historian interested in the western theatre or the fall of Vicksburg.

Civil War News

Most authors lift the “fog of war”, the better to make their conclusions; Makowski keeps it in place, which actually results in a greater understanding of what the soldiers and civilians of the time knew and what they did not. I highly recommend this book and his website for any ACW reader.

The NYMAS Review

The May 1863 battle of Jackson had huge ramifications on the Vicksburg Campaign, but little has been written on the fight. Overshadowed by larger battles, such as Champion Hill, and reduced in popular mind by being small in terms of casualty counts and numbers engaged, the fight on May 14 still produced mammoth results. Chris Mackowski has done a wonderful job of bringing the battle to life for readers and placing it in its important context amid so many other significant events. Well-written, informative, and highly entertaining, The Battle of Jackson, Mississippi, May 14, 1863, is a delightful addition to the Vicksburg Campaign literature.

Timothy B. Smith