The spot is now private property. An 1890 fire ignited by a newly fashionable cigarette destroyed the mansion plus the family photos and drawings of it. But 23 massive Corinthian columns still stand, some with cedar trees sprouting from their tops. Darkness was settling as the soldiers turned toward Port Gibson on a narrow road that snakes through the ridges under an arch of branches and Spanish moss. Charles Hobbs of Illinois.
Locals say the dirt route has barely changed since the Civil War.
Up ahead, an advance unit saw a flicker of light. A Confederate general, inspecting his pickets along the road, was telling the women that Yankees didn't march at night. Suddenly, his Rebs saw approaching shadows and opened fire. As the Yanks fired back, the women fled in their wagon. The abandoned Shaifer house still bears bullet holes marking the start of the Battle of Port Gibson.