Bruinsburg, Claiborne County, MS

A boat landing on the Mississippi River that was the site of Grant’s amphibious landing in 1863 during the second Vicksburg Campaign of the US Civil War.  The landing, involving over 24,000 troops, was the largest amphibious operation in American military history until World War II.¹

Settled in 1788 by Peter Bryan Bruin when the area was under Spanish rule and known as the Natchez District.

Bruin was born in Ireland and migrated to the American colonies to avoid problems arising from some potentially anti-government activities.² A veteran of the Revolutionary War, he was wounded in 1775 during the Battle of Quebec while serving with Brigadier General Richard Montgomery.  Bruin was captured by the British and held on a prison ship for six months until released during a prisoner exchange.³ He would later be promoted to Major and serve out the remainder of the war. 

In 1788 Bruin received a Spanish land grant and settled the area.⁴ Then in 1798 the area would be transferred to the United States from Spain and the Mississippi Territory was formed⁵  After the transfer of power Bruin was appointed as a judge.⁶ In 1807 Aaron Burr would visit Bruin, whom he met during the Revolutionary War, while under suspicion of treason in connection with an incident that would be known as the Burr Conspiracy. Burr surrendered to territorial authorities but was found not guilty by a grand jury and released.⁷ In 1808 Bruin would resign his judgeship under threat of removal due to an alcohol problem.

1. http://www.nps.gov/archive/vick/camptrail/sites/Mississippi-sites/BruinsburgMS.htm [↩]
2. http://genealogytrails.com/miss/judge%20bios.htm [↩]
3. http://www.concordiasentinel.com/news.php?id=2827 [↩]
4. http://genealogytrails.com/miss/judge%20bios.htm [↩]
5. http://www.shgresources.com/ms/timeline/ [↩]
6. http://www.concordiasentinel.com/news.php?id=2879 [↩]
7. http://www.concordiasentinel.com/news.php?id=2909 [↩]