Big Black River (Mississippi)

Big Black River
Location
Country	United States
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Webster County, Mississippi
Mouth
• location	Mississippi River
• elevation	40 feet (12 m)
Discharge
• location	Bovina, MS
• average	3,825 cu/ft. per sec.[1]

Big Black River is a river in the U.S. state of Mississippi and a tributary of the Mississippi River. Its origin is in Webster County near the town of Eupora in the north central part of the state. From there it flows 330 miles (530 km) in a generally southwest direction until it merges with the Mississippi River 25 miles (40 km) south of the city of Vicksburg.^[2] It is the major contributor to the Big Black River Basin.^[3] It forms part of the northern border of Choctaw County, passes through Montgomery County, and forms the eastern border of Holmes County and the northern border of Claiborne County.

The Big Black River and most of its tributaries are silt-filled. The rivers carry large amounts of suspended sediment, resulting mostly from agricultural runoff. These tributaries are slow-flowing muddy streams. However, some are swift-flowing with sandy bottoms.^[4]

The Battle of Big Black River Bridge, fought during the Battle of Vicksburg, was part of the Vicksburg Campaign in the American Civil War.^[5]