Battle of Raymond

"The next stop along our journey up the Natchez Trace Parkway from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee is the exhibit for BATTLE OF RAYMOND.

"Before the time of the American Civil War the Natchez Trace had already lost its use as a national road, so the role it played in the war was a small one. One section that was still used ran between Port Gibson and Jackson. General U. S. Grant was planning his siege of Vicksburg when he crossed the Mississippi River and took Port Gibson in the spring of 1863. Grant marched up the old road with his union army from Port Gibson and on May 8th a Confederate brigade located on the south of Raymond, and commanded by brigadier General John Gregg, fired upon the Union soldiers. The Battle of Raymond lasted a day before the Confederates were forced to retreat to Jackson. This battle convinced Grant that the city of Jackson had to be taken before his siege of Vicksburg.

"Following the Battle of Raymond on May 12th, Grant made his headquarters at Dean's Stand which lies 5 miles to the south of this exhibit.

"Join us next time when we'll visit LeFleur's Bluff, the site of present day Jackson, Mississippi. I'm Frank Thomas, your guide along the Natchez Trace, a road through the wilderness."

For more about Natchez Trace: A Road Through the Wilderness, visit eddieandfrank.com