Big Black River

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Big Black River is a river in the US state of Mississippi and a tributary of the Mississippi River. Its origin is in Webster County near the town of Eupora in the north central part of the state. From there it flows 330 miles (531 km) in a generally southwest direction until it merges with the Mississippi River 25 miles south of the city of Vicksburg.[1] It is the major contributor to the Big Black River Basin.[2]

Contents

The Big Black River and most of its tributaries are silt-filled. The rivers carry large amounts of suspended sediment stemming mostly from agricultural runoff. These tributaries are slow-flowing muddy streams. However, some are swift-flowing with sandy bottoms.[3]


[edit] Big Black River Basin

Big Black River Basin

The size of Big Black River Basin drainage area is 3,400 square miles. Its elevation varies from 50 to 650 feet (14 to 198 meters) above sea level. It is 160 miles long and averages 22 to 25 miles wide. Most of its small tributaries are in the upper part of the basin and flow only part of the year. The terrain is hilly with 56 percent percent of the land forested and 39 percent used for farming and cattle ranching.[3]

[edit] Battle site

A pivotal battle between the Union and Confederate forces occurred along the Big Black River, culminating in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War victory of Union forces, commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant, occurred when the Confederate troops under General John C. Pemberton won the battle at Battle of Champion Hill. Grant then chased Pemberton who was headed toward Vicksburg, Mississippi. Pemberton left 5,000 troops to make a stand on both sides of the Big Black River after his Champion Hill defeat, while he withdrew with his main command to nearby Vicksburg.[4]

The Battle of Big Black River Bridge fought in the Battle of Vicksburg was part of the Vicksburg Campaign in the American Civil War.[5]

[edit] Reference notes

  1. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company
  2. ^ Big Black River Basin. Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. Retrieved on 2006-10-20.
  3. ^ a b The Big Black River Basin. USGS.gov. Retrieved on 2006-10-20.
  4. ^ Battle of Big Black River. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.
  5. ^ Big Black River Bridge. nps.gov. Retrieved on 2006-10-20.

[edit] External links

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