Most of the Milliken’s Bend story takes place in Louisiana and Mississippi, around the general vicinity of Vicksburg. In honor of the upcoming Association for the Study of African American Life and History‘s annual meeting (Sept. 24-28) at the Peabody … Continue reading →
Many men from Illinois had a hand in the Milliken’s Bend story, and this seems like a timely subject, in anticipation of the upcoming Decatur Civil War Symposium. In April 1863, Adjutant General Lorenzo Thomas traveled along the Mississippi River, … Continue reading →
Records indicate that only a few wounded Confederates were taken prisoner by the Yankees, sent to Van Buren General Hospital at Milliken’s Bend on June 7. These four men have been identified: Thomas Chandoin (Chandon) (Chadin), Co. D, 17th Texas … Continue reading →
Elisha DeWitt’s heart must have swelled with patriotism. In August 1861, just eighteen years old, he signed on with the 7th Missouri Infantry (U.S.) at Rolla. Enlisting early in the war when the eagerness of youth and lofty patriotic ideals … Continue reading →
In September 1863, two of the Confederate generals who had been involved, at a distance, in the battle of Milliken’s Bend began to consider the unthinkable – arming slaves. In the immediate aftermath of the battle in June, Trans-Mississippi commander … Continue reading →