The body of soldier John Jackson bore the scars of the vicious fighting at Milliken’s Bend: two gunshots in the head, one in the right arm, and a fractured thigh from a musket butt.

Even that didn’t stop him from serving. After a six-month stint in the hospital, he rejoined his regiment and soldiered on. In the summer of 1864, he served as a company cook, duties which he performed until the end of 1864. Even that, although considered “light duty,” was too much for him, eventually forcing him to be discharged. The examining surgeon put it bluntly: “this soldier has been unfit for duty since June 7, 1863….He has never recovered from his wounds.” John Jackson had continued to serve nearly 18 months since the fighting at Milliken’s Bend. The surgeon continued, “Though assisting at light duties, he is wholly unable to do military duty and will never be able bodied again.”

Clearly, John Jackson was a dedicated and devoted patriot. He surely must have believed deeply in the cause for which he was fighting, the cause of Freedom.

Like many of the Milliken’s Bend veterans, Jackson bore the scars of war on his body for the rest of his life. His is just one story, one testimony as to the brutal, hand-to-hand nature of the fighting. Today, pause for just a minute to remember all those who fought at Milliken’s Bend, and reflect upon their sacrifice and legacy.