Map showing Milliken’s Bend, Louisiana;
Vicksburg, Mississippi (across from pennisula); and vicinity, 1863.
Source: eHistory, Ohio State University (click image for link)
Originally a Map 4 of Plate XXXV, Official Atlas to Accompany the Official Records…
Milliken’s Bend was a small community in Louisiana located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, about 15 miles above Vicksburg. It was near the border of Madison and Carroll Parishes [now East Carroll Parish]. Cotton and corn were the primary crops, and hundreds of slaves toiled on numerous plantations in the area. Indeed, African-Americans composed between 75% and 90% of the population in this region of Louisiana.
In 1860, Milliken’s Bend had a population of about 200 people and aspired to greatness. A local merchant even stocked goods from Paris. Its proximity to the River, including easy access to the major centers of commerce, such as Vicksburg, Natchez, and ultimately, New Orleans, enabled its small population to thrive – except when overwhelmed by occasional levee breaks or flooding.
By early 1863, Milliken’s Bend had become one of several Louisiana staging areas for the Union Army as General U.S. Grant gathered his forces and made plans for the spring campaign against Vicksburg.
Today, Milliken’s Bend is gone – washed away in a flood in the early 20th century. Its story is all but forgotten.
Former site of Milliken’s Bend, Louisiana, yellow dot at upper right.
Tallulah is community at lower left, under the compass.
Mississippi River is at upper right corner.
(some color enhancements have been made to the original)
NOTICE: Many comments which were previously on this page have now been MOVED to the appropriate section of the Descendants Pages: https://www.millikensbend.com/descendents-pages/ . Comments which focus on the geographical aspects of Milliken’s Bend have remained.
If you have comments or inquiries about individual people associated with the Milliken’s Bend story, please comment in the appropriate section of this website. Thank you.
Thank you guys for creating this website, I am elated to learn of my rich history which is the untold story of America. Do you have an enhanced jpeg copy of the picture that displayed here?
Thanks for stopping by and I’m glad you find the website helpful and interesting. If you’re talking about images of the maps, if you click on the map itself, it should take you to the resource where I got it. If instead you are referring to the image of the battle which appears on the header of the website, that image came from the Library of Congress website:
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002706899/
It is a sketch from Harper’s Weekly illustrated newspaper, and appeared on July 4, 1863.
Just wandered thru. History channel email mentioned this battle today.
Nice site. Learned something new.
Thank you so much, Judy. I appreciate your comments, and glad you found my website helpful.
Why was this area called “Milliken”? Just wondered, since my wife’s great great great ancestor’s name was a Milliken. Thanks :)
Sorry about the delay, Michael. A list of earliest landowners of Madison Parish, Louisiana, compiled by Richard P. Sevier http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lamadiso/articles/patentees/patentees.htm indicates that John Millikin was the founder of Milliken’s Bend, owning more than 2000 acres of land. A descendent and namesake, John Millikin Parker, later became a Louisiana governor in the 1920s.
Sevier’s work is very good. It was suspected by G.T. Ridlon that John Milliken was the grandson of Charles Milliken of the Connaught Province in Ireland. John is said to have come to the area having done early survey work in Kentucky. He definitely did survey work in the Madison Parish area. He was granted several federal land patents as well.
As best as I can determine, John only had one child a daughter who married John Porter Parker and one of their sons was John Milliken Parker (the future governor). The Parker family were very heavily involved in the cotton business in New Orleans as well.
If your wife is from the same Milliken line then she and I are cousins. You should be aware that there was also another line of Millikens near New Orleans that grew cotton and sugar cane becoming very financially secure. I don’t think they are related, but I have not traced their ancestry back (yet).
Please feel free to contact me.
Not all of mi likens bend is under water, yes probably 95% to 99% is but we hunted where some action happened. To just be where soldiers and solves fought was an honor. We found buttons, bullets, we even found a human bone that was amputated. Here is a couple of finds from the hunt.
https://youtu.be/DNkay6-Md34
Wow – Thanks for sharing this report and the video, Kevin (too bad it was so windy). Yikes! on the bone. Please do stay in touch if you do any more work in that area!
Some friends and I were considering visiting this area to search for Civil War relics. We thought the treeline just north of Milliken’s Bend along the river may be a good place to find items from Union campsites? Would you have any recommendation on a specific area to search?
Reagan – you may want to contact Kevin Strahan, above, who has done some searching in the area. I am generally, but not specifically, familiar with the area, so I can’t give you concrete advise.
However, I can tell you that Milliken’s Bend was a major, huge, supply and troop depot early in 1863, with at least a division of Union troops there… and possibly more. There were two hospitals there, as well. Given the nature of the river, I would think that probably anywhere you search – especially perhaps slightly *south* of the old site (due to river flow) might be productive, as anything that didn’t wash all the way to Natchez or the Gulf (who knows?) might have washed “slightly” downstream. I would think that chances are equal about whether you might find anything or not, just because of the many floods and overflows and channel changes.
It might also be wise to reach out to the Hermione House Museum in Tallulah. http://www.knoe.com/home/headlines/Museum-Mysteries-The-Hermione-Museum-301291241.html They are an excellent source of local history, and its possible that they might be able to tell you more about where finds have been made in the past and/or local landowners who are amenable to relic hunters. Also – because these are levees right on the Mississippi, I don’t know what, if any role the Corps of Engineers might play in any efforts to get permission.
Best of luck, and would love to hear a report if you do this. Thanks for stopping by the website.
NOTICE: Many comments which were previously on this page have now been MOVED to the appropriate section of the Descendants Pages: https://www.millikensbend.com/descendents-pages/ . Comments which focus on the geographical aspects of Milliken’s Bend have remained.
If you have comments or inquiries about individual people associated with the Milliken’s Bend story, please comment in the appropriate section of this website. Thank you.
What year was the town swallowed by the river? I would like more details about it’s demise. Thank you
I don’t believe I was ever able to confirm precisely when this happened. Prior to researching, I had always suspected that it had occurred during the Great Flood of 1927, but I seem to recall finding varying information when I was doing my research. One essay, entitled “Curtains for the Bend” provides a historical sketch about the town itself, and implies that it died through attrition, rather than floodwaters. A series of maps (choose Sheet 10) showing various floods does not, for me, answer your question. I will keep checking to see if I can find something more definitive.
My great-great-grandfather, Andrew Jackson (Jack) Given, died from disease, 07 March 1863 at Van Buren Hospital, Milliken’s Bend, Madison Parish, LA. (This was three months before The Battles of Milliken’s Bend and Vicksburg.) He was a private with Company H, 4th (W)VA Infantry. (Upon arrival at Milliken’s Bend, this outfit fell under the command of General U. S. Grant.) This immediately followed his having marched over eight hundred miles from Charleston, (W)VA. He was twenty-eight years of age, married with one four-year-old daughter, my great-grandmother. In 1866, his widow was awarded the West Virginia Civil War Medal in his honor.
He was interred in a mass burial site, unknown location and probably, now, beneath the Mississippi River.
Does anyone have further information about those hundreds of young men who died of disease and their interment site?
As to the earlier discussion of finding artifacts, one would surmise that what the river current must have done to the mass burial site, there may be many to surface.
Thank you for providing this very useful website!
Thank you very much for your comment, Frances. As to the Federal burials from the hospital, it is my understanding that many men were reinterred at Vicksburg National Cemetery. Probably many are in graves marked simply “unknown.”
I would love to find pictures or drawings of the plantations there that border the river.
Pauline descendant of HP Morancy.
Pauline – Thank you for visiting. You may already be aware that some documents relating to the Morancy plantation are held at the LSU Special Collections. I mention that briefly in this post: Archives Month – LSU . You might also want to add your information to my Civilian Descendants page for Madison Parish. Dick Sevier has some good maps at his site.
I would like to know more about John Milliken, as my great grandfather was John Milliken Parker, Governor of Louisiana 1920-1924. Therefore John Milliken was my Great, Great, Great Grandfather. Gov. owned a Cotton farm in East Carroll Parish. He was a dear friend of Teddy Roosevelt, and had an area near his farm named Roosevelt, LA in his honor. Any history of my family would be welcome!
Hi Mimi – Thanks for dropping by and sharing this story. I don’t have any information on the Milliken family, but I would suggest you contact the Madison Parish Public Library or the Hermione House Museum in Tallulah. Or maybe more appropriately, (and which I have less personal experience with) the library or other historical groups in Lake Providence, since that is in East Carroll Parish. I recommended the places in Tallulah (Madison Parish) because I know they have information and exhibits about the area, and Tallulah hosts a Teddy Bear festival to commemorate TR’s hunt in the area.
Thanks for the history. I’m part-way through Bruce Carton’s ‘Never Call Retreat’ and Milliken’s Bend is front and center, which brought me here. A friend lent me the first volume of three, ‘The Coming Fury’, that objectively clarifies the real reasons for the war. Was it slavery? Trade? Succession? Yes. Read the book if you’re unclear about it like I was. I jumped into the third volume that covers Dec 1862 forward because vol 2 is still enroute. It’s amazing that either side won; moments of brilliant strategy on each side diluted by “General” incompetence. Volume 1 reminded me frighteningly of today’s climate. They’re used on Amazon for a few dollars and informative reading!
Thanks again for your work and best to you in everything you do.
Thanks Alan for stopping by and letting people know about Catton’s trilogy. His well-crafted writing was part of what got me interested in the war, decades ago. I told someone not long ago that “I can still taste the red dust of Virginia” from A Stillness at Appomattox – a book I haven’t read in more than 30 years. That’s how memorable his work is. So much more deep research has been done since he wrote these, but his craft as a writer “puts you there” in a way that few have matched, since.
The Smithsonian article on mapping the Mississippi in July issue prompted me to look up Milliken’s Bend. What a wealth of infirmation you have!
Pauline commented here 6/22/2020 and said she is relative of HP Morancy! I too am related to HP. Are you able to connect us?
Evelyn Morancy Perkins
Evelyn – Thank you for your comment and thanks for sharing about the Smithsonian article. I will have to take a look at that! I also wonder – are you related to the Perkins of Perkins Plantation, just downriver a bit from Milliken’s Bend? I have a post on a fight that happened there just a few days before Milliken’s Bend.
I will respond privately to your inquiry about making connections. But meanwhile, you may wish to post some of your family information on my Civilian – Descendents page.