Curious Civil War Battle of Egypt Remembered With Historical Marker

EGYPT, Miss. (WCBI) – “Quirky” is not a word usually used to describe a heated battle, but the December 1864 Battle of Egypt (Miss.) may fit that bill. The fight resulted from Southern attempts to cut off Grierson’s Cavalry Raids. A Confederate force of around 1,500 made up of  regular troops supplemented by pardoned Union prisoners who had agreed to fight for the Confederacy rather than sit out the war in prison camps clashed with a Union force twice its size, and just as interesting in make-up. The Union force was comprised of a regiment of USCT (United States Colored Troops: the official name for African-American troops at the time), and pardoned Confederate prisoners who had agreed to fight for the Union as condition for that pardon.

The inclusion of African-Americans in combat was not the only aspect of the battle to predict the future. The Battle of Egypt also utilized mobile artillery batteries, as railcars were used as firing platforms for some of the cannon.

On Friday (March 20th) the Mississippi Department of Archives and History unveiled a Historical Marker on Highway 45 Alternate near Egypt to commemorate the battle.