The Confederate army in Vicksburg
and Johnston's Army of the 
Mississippi attempted to unite 
at the town of Clinton, 
Mississippi.  The calvary and 
pickets of General Pemberton's 
corps, while marching towards 
the junction point, encountered 
heavy resistance from General 
Grant's forces which were 
marching towards Vicksburg.

Realizing that battle was 
inevitable, Pemberton looked 
for suitable defensive ground.  
He set up his position on a 
seventy foot ridge, known 
locally as Champion Hill.  It 
straddled the three roads that 
led from Bolton and Raymond and 
lay in the bend of Baker's 
Creek.

The Union Corps Commanders, 
McClemand and McPherson, seeing 
Pemberton's men, had very 
different ideas about how to 
handle the situation.  
McPherson's line advanced 
with heavy losses but was 
repulsed by a savage Confederate 
counterattack.  General Grant, 
arriving in the midst of 
McPherson's assault, authorized 
one division to lengthen the 
right flank of the line 
northward.  At that point, 
Pemberton's line was flanked.  
Grant later remarked that if 
McClemand had advanced as well, 
Pemberton's army would have been 
destroyed completely.

Lovey, the commander of the 
right flank brigade, realized 
that the way was open to the 
rear of the Confederate army.  
Pemberton, realizing his 
situation, began to withdraw 
his threatened troops.  
Unfortunately, the man in the 
Confederate left flank had had 
enough.  The withdrawl turned 
into a full fledged retreat.  
The left flank disintegrated.

At that point, Pemberton was 
forced to withdraw his center 
and right flank in order to 
cover the retreat of the left.  
They held the Union advance 
long enough to make an orderly 
retreat across Baker's Creek, 
at which point they blew the 
bridge.

The majority of the Confederate 
army was able to make good its 
escape but they failed in their 
attempt to join up with 
Johnston's army.

Casualties for the Confederates 
were 3,600 while the Federals 
lost 2,400.