Civil War

Civil War. . , Although Ridgeland was founded well after the Civil War, several actions occurred in Madison County during the war. In May 1863, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston retreated to this area following the battle of Jackson. For the next few weeks, he gathered troops and supplies to form an "Army of Relief" to rescue Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton's army at Vicksburg. Johnston's troops generally found their camps in Madison County to be comfortable, with one soldier in the Fourth Louisiana Infantry describing his regiment's quarters "as splendid camping place... [with] a splendid spring of water that afforded a good supply." , Johnston did not move toward Vicksburg until it was too late, however, and Vicksburg's garrison surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant on July 4, 1863. Later that month, Union troops moved up the rail line from Jackson into Madison County to destroy the railroad facilities at Canton. Along the way, they burned the depot at Calhoun Station, now known as Gluckstadt. , After the war, Ridgeland was settled largely by immigrants from northern states and a number of Union veterans became prominent citizens in the community. Samuel A. Moffett, who was a lieutenant colonel in the 94th New York Infantry, moved to Ridgeland from Chicago in 1911. He died on March 24, 1917, and is buried in Jessamine Cemetery. , Confederate General Joseph Eggleston Johnston (1807-1891) was a West Point graduate and a Mexican War veteran. Following the Vicksburg Campaign, he led the Army of Tennessee throughout much of the Atlanta Campaign and in the Carolinas in 1865, where he surrendered his forces to Union Major General William T. Sherman., Captions: , Top right: "Camp of the 3rd Kentucky Infantry Volunteer Regiment, Near Corinth, Mississippi, May 11th 1862," by Conrad Wise Chapman (1842-1910) , Bottom right: Lt. Col. Samuel A. Moffett