Preserving The Battle Of Raymond’s
Historic Battlefield
The Battle of Raymond, fought on May 12, 1863, was one of five major battles of General Ulysses Grant’s Final Offensive of the Vicksburg Campaign. When one of Grant’s three maneuvering corps of almost 12,000 soldiers met a lone Confederate brigade of 3,000 troops in the fields south of Raymond, Mississippi, six hours of intense combat forced the Confederates to retreat through Raymond towards Jackson. That night, when Grant learned from his spies that Confederate reinforcements from South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, and Tennessee were arriving in Jackson by rail, he boldly changed his scheme of maneuver and made plans to pivot his army eastward to Jackson early the next day in order to meet this new threat. The Battle of Jackson was fought on May 14, and the result was the Union capture of the third of the South’s eleven state capitals, as well as the prevention of the junction of Confederate General Joseph Johnston’s reinforcements with General John Pemberton’s Confederate army in the Vicksburg area.
Meanwhile, following the Battle of Raymond, the courthouse, churches, and many of the homes of the town became an immense hospital for almost 1,000 casualties. Grant was moving too fast to take his wounded with him, and he counted on the kindness of local citizens to care for his soldiers. He was not disappointed.
For 135 years the battlefield at Raymond remained in the hands of local farmers and was cultivated in cotton, corn, and soybeans. No battlefield acres were preserved for posterity and by 1998 the proximity of Jackson and the growth of Raymond had placed the hallowed grounds in danger of development. Leading citizens of Raymond became aware of this threat to their history, and Friends of Raymond was founded to preserve the history of Raymond and the Raymond battlefield. Through the efforts of this 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, since 1998 almost 200 acres have been acquired and this acreage has been continually maintained by the all-volunteer efforts of Friends of Raymond.
Continued on the next column……
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Preserving The Battle Of Raymond’s Historic Battlefield (Continued)
Archaeological work was conducted on the Raymond battlefield from 2011 to 2015, and this work revealed that the battle took place in a smaller area than was previously believed. Of course, with almost 15,000 soldiers contesting a small area, the fighting was particularly intense and in extremely close quarters. The battlefield interpretation reflects this., and there are 23 metal troop markers and 37 illustrated fiberglass markers in the appropriate locations, both on the battlefield and in the town. All of the cannon that fought at Raymond—22 Federal and three Confederate—have been reproduced in the accurate caliber and have been placed on the battlefield in the proper site. In addition, a cannon caisson and a limber are on the battlefield to interpret how the guns were moved and how they were resupplied with ammunition.
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