General Lloyd Tilghman, a graduate of West Point Military Academy,
settled in Kentucky after the Mexican War. In October, 1861, Tilghman
was commissioned Brigadier General in the Confederate Army.
At Champion Hill he led a brigade whose artillery battled against a
Union battery all day. From a position on the next ridge to the left
and astride Raymond Road, Tilghman's brigade covered the retreat
of Pemberton's scattered army. At the height of this action, Tilghman
was shot and killed. His troops took his body with them and buried him
in Vicksburg. Tilghman's remains were later reinterred in Woodlawn
Cemetery in New York City.
The Monuments
In 1907 Tilghman's sons, Frederick B. and Sidell Tilghman, proposed a
dramatic equestrian statue in memory of their father for installation in
the Vicksburg National Military Park. Sculpted by E. William Sievers,
the monument was erected in 1926.
Tilghman's sons also erected a stone monument marking the spot where
he was killed at Champion Hill. To identify the site, Capt. William T.
Rigby, superintendent of the Vicksburg National Military Park, gathered
with several eyewitnesses and neighbors, including J.G. Spencer of Port
Gibson, to determine the exact location. Spencer was serving an artillery
piece only 30 feet away
when Tilghman was killed.
The stone monument is located just off the road approximately 0.2 miles
to the left. The monument is located on private property.
"We learned from these prisoners that the last shot we
had fired had killed General Tilghman the ball passing
entirely through him, and killing his horse behind him."
Corp. Charles P Haseltine, Chicago Mercantile Battery,
"My Last Shot in the Vicksburg Campaign"
Comments 0 comments