Confederate General John C. Pemberton, commanding the troops in Vicksburg, attempted to cut Grant’s supply line to the southeast. Leaving some troops in Vicksburg, Pemberton’s army was met by Grant’s fast-moving army at Champion Hill, near Edwards. After a bloody engagement, Pemberton retreated with most of the army intact across the Big Black River.
Image: The Coker House, built in 1852, is located on the southern portion of the Champion Hill Battlefield. It sustained fire from both Federal and Confederate artillery and served as a field hospital. The house was restored in 2008 by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Visitors are welcome at the site which is located three miles east of Edwards on Highway 467 in front of the Cal-Maine Foods plant. For more information, call 601-446-6502.