The Battle of Grand Gulf was fought on April 29, 1863, during th: On multiple occasions in mid-1862, Confederate field artillery harassed Union Navy vessels from Grand Gulf, Mississippi, which was located along the Mississippi River to the south of Vicksburg. The town was largely burned by Union troops attempting to suppress the Confederate guns.[15]  In early March 1863, the Confederates decided to  rebuild fortifications at Grand Gulf, and the brigade of Brigadier General John S. Bowen was transferred there.  By the middle of the month, Bowen's troops and several slaves were working on building new defenses and strengthening the existing ones.  Heavy cannons were transferred to the position, but before those guns could arrive, a skirmish occurred on March 19, between the Confederate defenders and two Union Navy ships: the sloop-of-war USS Hartford and the schooner USS Albatross. The exchange was not protracted and the Confederates suffered no loss; the Union had eight men killed or wounded on Hartford.  Soon afterwards, five heavy guns arrived at Grand Gulf: two 8-inch (203 mm) pieces and three 32-pounder rifled cannons.[16][17]