Just prior to the Siege of Vicksburg, Bovina was filled with soldiers and refugees retreating to Vicksburg after the Battle of Jackson. On May 17, 1863, Union forces broke the defenses of the Confederates at the Battle of Big Black River Bridge and reached Bovina. General Grant left soldiers to guard the Big Black crossing. St. Albans church was then occupied by the 49th Illinois Infantry Regiment. Union Captain John A. Ritter set up a hospital at the church. By the fall of 1863, St. Albans church had been completely demolished, except for some glass from the windows and the corner stone.