Big Black River (Mississippi)
| Big Black River | |
|---|---|
| File:Bigblackrivermap.png | |
| Origin | Webster County, Mississippi |
| Mouth | Mississippi River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Mouth elevation | 40 feet (12 m) |
Big Black River is a river in the U.S. state of Mississippi and a tributary of the Mississippi River. Its origin (Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.) is in Webster County near the town of Eupora in the north central part of the state. From there it flows 330 miles (530 km) in a generally southwest direction until it merges with the Mississippi River 25 miles (40 km) south of the city of Vicksburg.[1] It is the major contributor to the Big Black River Basin.[2] It forms the eastern border of Holmes County, the northern border of Choctaw County, and the northern border of Claiborne County.
The Big Black River and most of its tributaries are silt-filled. The rivers carry large amounts of suspended sediment, resulting mostly from agricultural runoff. These tributaries are slow-flowing muddy streams. However, some are swift-flowing with sandy bottoms.[3]
The Battle of Big Black River Bridge, fought during the Battle of Vicksburg, was part of the Vicksburg Campaign in the American Civil War.[4]
Big Black River Basin
The size of the Big Black River Basin drainage area is 3,400 square miles (8,800 km2). Its elevation varies from 50 to 650 feet (14 to 198 meters) above sea level. It is 160 miles (260 km) 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% of the land forested and 39% used for farming and cattle ranching.[3]
Battle site
A pivotal battle between the Union and Confederate forces occurred along the Big Black River, culminating in the Siege of Vicksburg in the American Civil War in 1863. Commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant, Union forces defeated Confederate troops under General John C. Pemberton at the Battle of Champion Hill. Grant chased Pemberton, who was headed toward Vicksburg. 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.[5]
See also
Notes
- ↑ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company
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External links
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- The Big Black River Basin Map
- Big Black River Bridge (Big Black)
- Map of Big Black River
- Big Black and Homochitto River Basins[dead link]
- The Big Black Bridge
- Big Black River Bridge Civil War Mississippi
- Big Black River at West[dead link]
- Historical Maps of Big Black River (Miss)
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- Pages with broken file links
- Articles with dead external links from April 2015
- Rivers and streams of Mississippi
- Tributaries of the Mississippi River
- Landforms of Webster County, Mississippi
- Landforms of Madison County, Mississippi
- Landforms of Attala County, Mississippi
- Landforms of Hinds County, Mississippi
- Landforms of Warren County, Mississippi
