Near Edwards in Hinds County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)

Artillery Duel

Vicksburg National Military Park

— National Park Service, U.S.Department of the Interior —

Artillery Duel Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 11, 2024

1. Artillery Duel Marker

Inscription. On the morning of May 16, 1863, Confederate cannon positioned on this ridge engaged Union artillery located nearly a mile east on the Raymond-Edwards Road (to your right). By late afternoon, Confederate positions north of this location were forced to yield ground following repeated Union assaults, placing the Rebel army in danger of being cut off and trapped.

Confederate brigadier general Lloyd Tilghman, ordered to defend the Confederate line of retreat, ordered the Confederate cannon to relocate westward on the ridge in front of you. Union gunners soon took up this position, dropped trails, and the artillery duel continued. The fate of the retreating Confederate army rested upon Tilghman's decision to move his guns and buy time. General Tilghman was killed by a Union shell, however this delaying action enabled the majority of the Confederate army to retreat.

[Captions]
• Captain James Cowen, Company G, 1st Mississippi Light Artillery. Company G occupied this position for most of the battle before displacing to the west to cover the Confederate retreat. The unit went on to fight during the Siege of Vicksburg.
•

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Captain Patrick H. White, Chicago Mercantile Battery. The battery was one of two Union artillery units in the Coker House yard during the latter half of the battle. The battery was an elite unit sponsored by Chicago businessmen and most of the members were well-educated from Hard and Yale.
• (Background) “We learned from these prisoners that the last shot we had fired had killed General Tilghman, the ball passing entirely through him, and killing his horse behind him.” – Corporal Charles R. Haseltine, Chicago Mercantile Artillery

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is May 16, 1863.

Location. 32° 18.238′ N, 90° 33.692′ W. Marker is near Edwards, Mississippi, in Hinds County. It is at the intersection of Adams Lane and Mississippi Route 467, on the left when traveling south on Adams Lane. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Edwards MS 39066, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Natchez Trace Corridor

and in Greater Jackson.

It is

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 11, 2024

2. Artillery Duel Marker

Marker is on the porch, left of the door.

also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds 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 marker, measured as the crow flies: The Vicksburg Campaign (within shouting distance of this marker); 1863 Vicksburg Campaign (within shouting distance of this marker); Indecision! Indecision! Indecision! (within shouting distance of this marker); A Narrow Escape (within shouting distance of this marker); Lloyd Tilghman (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Battle of Champion Hill (approx. 2½ miles away); Champion Hill Battlefield (approx. 2½ miles away); Bowen's Counterattack (approx. 2½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Edwards.

Other markers no longer nearby. A Refugee Family (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing); The Coker House and the Battle of Champion Hill

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(was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing); Architecture and Renovations (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing); Chicago Mercantile Battery – Artillery in the Yard (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing); The Death of General Tilghman (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing).

Credits. This page was last revised on July 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 6, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 370 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 6, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.