Shortly after the skirmishing commenced along the Raymond Road, Wirt Adams rode to Pemberton's headquarters at the Ellison house to inform him of the presence of a sizeable Union force on the Raymond Road. Almost simultaneously, a courier arrived with a message from Joseph Johnston, ordering Pemberton to rendezvous with him near Clinton.  With the Union army in his front, Pemberton decided to turn his entire army around and proceed to Clinton via the Brownsville Road. To guard the retrograde movement, Loring deployed his division in line of battle at the Ellison House, but Pemberton ordered them to deploy 3/4 miles to the west on this ridge that overlooks the Jackson Creek.  The Jackson Creek bridge is in the center of the picture.  The photograph is looking west toward the Confederate positions   Locate on Map

Photograph of the Jackson Creek bridge looking east from just in front of the Confederate positions   Locate on Map

Another view of the ridge overlooking Jackson Creek. Although this position was most suitable to repel a Union assault down the Raymond Road, Loring would eventually order his three brigades to another ridge further west near the Coker house   Locate on Map
 
Panorama

This photograph was taken approximately from the northern end of Loring's division (Buford's brigade) which was deployed on the ridge in the previous picture.  The Raymond Road is in the far distance running left to right and the Jackson Creek bridge would be on the far left of the picture behind the trees   Locate on Map

Panorama