At nine o’clock General Hovey discovered the enemy in front on Champion Hill, to the left of the road, near Baker’s creek, apparently in force. Skirmishers were thrown out, and the division advanced cautiously and slowly to give General McPherson’s advance division under General Logan time to come within supporting distance. General Hovey’s division advanced across the other field at the foot of Champion Hill in line of battle.
At eleven o’clock the battle commenced. The hill itself was covered with timber, and is, in fact, but an abrupt terminus of a high ridge, running north and south, flanked on both sides by deep ravines and gulleys, and in many places covered with an impenetrable growth of scrubby white oak brush. The rebels appeared deficient in artillery throughout the battle, but opened with rather a heavy fire from a four-gun battery of rifled six-pounders, planted about four hundred yards back from the brow of the hill. The woods on both sides of the road leading up the face of the hill, and winding back on the ridge a mile or more, were filled with sharpshooters, supported by infantry. Here the battle began just as the Federals entered the edge of the timber, and raged terribly from eleven till between three and four o’clock.
The battle raged fearfully along the entire line, the evident intention of the enemy being to mass his forces upon Hovey on the centre. There the fight was most earnest; but General McPherson brought his forces into the field, and after four hours’ hard fighting the tide of battle was turned, and the enemy forced to retire.
Disappointed in his movements upon the Union right, he turned his attention to the left of Hovey’s division, where Colonel Slack commanded a brigade of Indianians. Massing his forces here he hurled them against the opposing columns with irresistible impetuosity, and forced them to fall back; not, however, until at least one quarter of the troops comprising the brigade were either killed or wounded. Taking a new position, and receiving fresh reinforcements, the Federals again attempted to stem the tide, this time with eminent success. The enemy were beaten back, and compelled to seek the cover of the forest in their rear. Following up their advantage, without waiting to reform, the soldiers of the Western army fixed their bayonets and charged into the woods after them. The enemy were seized with an uncontrollable panic and thought only of escape. In this terrible charge men were slaughtered without mercy. The ground was literally covered with the dead and dying. The enemy scattered in every direction, and fled through the fields to reach the column now moving to the west along the Vicksburg road.
General Hovey’s division carried the heights in gallant style, and, making a dash on the first battery, drove the gunners from their posts, and captured the pieces. The rebels lay thick in the vicinity of the guns. Their horses were more than half killed, their gun carriages and caissons broken, and knapsacks, blankets, small arms and other debris, attested the deadly struggle. The colors of the Thirty-first Alabama regiment were captured there.
At this juncture Mitchell’s Ohio battery was opened at about eighty yards from the brow of the hill. The rebels made a dash for it; but the fleetness of the horses prevented its capture. At the same time the rebels appeared with fresh troops on that wing, and redoubled their efforts to hold their position and dislodge the Federals on the hill. Hovey was slowly driven back to the brow; but a brigade from General Quimby was ordered to his support, and the ground was speedily recovered and the rebels finally repulsed.
At the commencement of the engagement General Logan’s division marched past the brow of the hill, and, forming in line of battle on the right of Hovey, advanced in grand style, sweeping everything before them. At the edge of the wood in front of Logan the battle was most desperate. Not a man flinched nor a line wavered in this division. All behaved like veterans, and moved to new positions with a conscious tread of victory. Two batteries were captured by this division, and enough hard fighting done to establish its fame. They also captured a large portion of the prisoners, small arms, &c.
Between three and four o’clock General Osterhaus and General McArthur’s divisions came into action on the extreme left, and completed what had been so auspiciously carried forward. They were both miles away when the engagement began, but were brought forward with all dispatch possible. The enemy were in full retreat.
The battle ended, the left was speedily advanced upon the Vicksburg road, driving the enemy rapidly before them, and picking up as they advanced large numbers of prisoners and guns.
On the left of the road were seen large squads of rebel soldiers, cut off from the main column, who engaged at intervals with artillery. One of these was under the command of Major-General Tilghman, who was struck by a shell from a Federal battery and instantly killed while in the act of sighting a gun. The Federal loss in this battle amounted to three thousand in killed and wounded; while that of the rebels approximated two thousand five hundred in killed and wounded and three thousand prisoners.