02 Apr 2021
A Bit of History From Our Mississippi House
Cedarhurst, Civil War, Earl Van Dorn, History, Mississippi, Sherwood Bonner, Ulysses Grant
“Cedarhurst”.
A neighbor forwarded a newspaper item involving some of our new house’s Civil War history.
Grant occupied Holly Springs in late November or early December of 1862. He made the town his new supply base for the Siege of Vicksburg.
On December 18th, Confederate General Earl Van Dorn raided the Union base at Holly Springs with 3500 cavalry, capturing 1500 Union troops and burning Grant’s supplies.
Lacking supplies, Grant was compelled to retreat for a time, and Vicksburg remained uncaptured until the following July.
The fiery rebel was Catherine Sherwood Bonner, who later became secretary and muse to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and a successful novelist and regional author in her own right.
Many thanks to Bobby Mitchell!
