Near Champion Hill in Hinds County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
Chicago Mercantile Battery Artillery in the Yard
Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 24, 2017
1. Chicago Mercantile Battery - Artillery in the Yard Marker
One of the two Union artillery units in the Coker House yard was the Chicago Mercantile Battery, an elite unit sponsored by Chicago businessmen. Among the members, six received the Medal of Honor for their actions during the second assault on Vicksburg on May 22, six days after the Battle of Champion Hill.
"I took four guns up the road... We passed the line of infantry, who were lying down on either side of the road and went into battery on the left in front of a planter's [Coker's] house, which set back from the road about 300 feet. On the next ridge, which was 330 yards from us, the rebel batteries and infantry were posted. Their batteries were plowing the ground around us. We unlimbered and ran the guns by hand nearly to the top of the ridge so as to not expose the horses."
Capt. Pat White, Chicago Mercantile Battery
The Chicago Mercantile Battery was organized in August 1862, and most recruits were "well-born, well-bred, well-educatėd... Some
this page online
Mary Livermore, from Chicago's Battery Boys
by Richard Brady Williams
[Photo captions]
Bottom middle: Typical 3-inch ordnance crew and a six-pounder field cannon, both of which had been supplied by the Chicago Mercantile Battery sponsors.
Bottom right: Flag of Company G, 1st Mississippi Light Artillery which engaged the Chicago Mercantile Battery.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is May 22, 1862.
Location. Marker is missing. It was located near 32° 18.261′ N, 90° 33.692′ W. Marker was near Champion Hill, Mississippi, in Hinds County. It was on Adams Lane south of State Route 467, on the left when traveling south. Located in front of Cal-Maine Foods on the grounds of the Coker House. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: Adams Lane, Edwards MS 39066, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker was in Natchez Trace Corridor and in Greater Jackson. It was also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it was in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: A Narrow Escape (a few steps from this marker); Artillery Duel (within shouting distance of this marker); The Vicksburg Campaign (within shouting distance of this marker); Indecision! Indecision! Indecision!
Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 24, 2017
2. This marker is just in front of the tree.
Other markers no longer nearby. The Death of General Tilghman (was a few steps from this marker but has been confirmed missing); A Refugee Family (was a few steps from this marker but has been confirmed missing); Architecture and Renovations (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing); The Coker House and the Battle of Champion Hill (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing).
Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 24, 2017
3. Marker is on the grounds of the Coker House.
Once one of the few remaining structures associated with the Battle of Champion Hill, the Coker House was a one-story Greek Revival house, built around 1852 by H. B. Coker, a popular citizen and farmer. The interior layout followed the traditional central hall plan, having two rooms on each side. Bullet holes in the front door and jambs and cannonball holes on the west side of the structure provided evidence of this bloody and decisive battle. Falling into extreme disrepair, the Coker House was restored by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in 2008.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 11, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 3, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 856 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 3, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
