A.K. Shaifer House
Shortly after midnight the Federal vanguard forded Widows Creek and climbed the long grade to the Shaifer house. As they neared the house, a shot rang out. Union troops responded with a volley of musketry. The battle of Port Gibson had begun. In the darkness the battle increased in fury; then suddenly, about 3 a.m., the guns fell silent.
A.K. Shaifer House Historical Marker
The fighting resumed about 5:30 a.m. as the Federals advanced toward Magnolia Church. One division was sent along a connecting plantation road toward the Bruinsburg Road. Throughout the morning hours the battle raged near the Shaifer house. Federal troops continued to pass by the house all afternoon and bivouacked in the yard that night. The house itself was converted into a hospital
