Battle Of Vicksburg : The American Civil War

It was well believed until Jackson’s forces began unloading rounds on the Union army stopping McDowell’s forces from advancing, holding the line like “a stone wall.” As the new Union recruits witnessed battle for the first time and felt the lack of preparation, they were quick to retreat back to Washington DC. The Southern victory and the tens of thousands of lives lost proved to the Union that this war was not going to be easily won.

Grant then continues to describe the enemy's positions upon the high bluffs of Vicksburg. It is very important to understand the extreme defensive location of Vicksburg, to perceive the superior leadership of General Grant to capture it.

After fighting their way southward from Illinois and northward from Gulf of Mexico. Until by late summer of 1862, only Vicksburg and Port Hudson appeared to be major constraints to the Union of the two posts, Vicksburg was by far the strongest and most important. Setting high over looking a bend in the river, protected by artillery and dangerous swamps. So far the city had defined Union efforts to force into submission. (Williams 1)

As you can tell from these quotes, the battle and control of Vicksburg was very important to the winning of the civil war. The

The battle of Gettysburg and Vicksburg in 1863 were the most significant battles of the civil war. These battles changed the tide of the war greatly by crippling the Confederate forces while providing hope for the Union. While both battles were won by completely different strategies both contributed greatly to the end result of the “Terms of Military Convention” which was the souths defeat agreement. These battles defended the north, reduced the fighting power of the south and pushed the remaining confederate’s forces back.

Vicksburg was so important to the Union because of two things: One, it was the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi; Two, if taken, the forces in the North could not use the river to contact the forces in the South and vice versa. It was important to the Confederacy because of location, it held the Confederacy together. Confederate president Jefferson Davis, when asked about the Siege of Vicksburg, said, “Vicksburg is the nailhead that holds the South’s two halves together.”(Bacharach)The city of Vicksburg was the beginning of the end for the Confederacy,whomever controlled the Mississippi, controlled the

After suffering a major loss at the battle of Shiloh, general Ulysses S. Grant of the Union army led his army south to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Vicksburg was a major Confederate stronghold that held a large supply of supplies essential to war efforts. The Union controlled a small strip of land beside the Mississippi river, right between Vicksburg and Port Hudson. Taking the stronghold would be vital for the Union to claim control over the Mississippi river, which would be a massive strategic advantage.

The battle of Vicksburg’s War tactics was very different, yet intelligent. The concept of these gruesome plans was benefiting more towards the Union than the Confederate. The war between the Union, led by Major General Ulysses S. Grant, and the Confederate, led by Lieutenant General John Pemberton, started the creation of the blockade. The union, investing the city, entrapped the confederate army under Lt. Gen. John Pemberton. Continuing on to The Fourth of July, Vicksburg surrendered after an extended siege, leading to yet another Union

Topic Paragraph: Did you know that the siege at Vicksburg was a major turning point in the war for the Union? In 1863 General Ulysses S. Grant would attack Vicksburg from the west side where there were no barriers. For more than six weeks, Grant laid siege on Vicksburg. Grant would block out the enemy so they could not escape and they were forced to surrender. Finally on July 4th, 1863 the confederates surrendered Vicksburg. Ulysses S. Grant would lead the Union army to victory at the Siege of Vicksburg. However, Grant attacked Vicksburg before and failed. The next time he attacked Vicksburg, he won. General John C. Pemberton would lead the confederates in the siege of Vicksburg. Pemberton

Vicksburg, Mississippi lies on the Louisiana-Mississippi state boarder. Confederate powers gathered ammunition preparing to challenge the passage of union ships. This battle was fought between the confederates and the union. The battle was fought to see who would take control of Vicksburg, solely because the Mississippi River had so huge of an impact on the Civil War. The Mississippi River was essential for defense. Prior to the Civil War Vicksburg had ended up a standout amongst the most prosperous, and refined towns in the old southern boondocks. The city was famous for its municipal orchestra, the imposing courthouse, along with other landmarks. With the coming of the war Vicksburg became one of the most important, and bitterly fought

Union victories in the West, such as Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Corinth, and Shiloh, resulted in the Union possessing much of the Mississippi River. Two points of the river near the border of Louisiana and Mississippi were the only things interrupting the union's capture over the Mississippi River. These two points (or ports, in proper English), were Port Hudson, and Port Vicksburg. John T. Pemberton, which not much military experience, was commanded to hold Vicksburg at all cost.

The Vicksburg campaign was considered one of the Unions most successful battles but it did not start off that way. In fact Union forces met with several major losses on the first attempts to capture the Vicksburg strong hold. Major General Ulysses S. Grant first attempts to capture Vicksburg in the summer of 1862 met with great failure. The first attempt consisted of prolonged bombardment by Union naval vessels and sputtered out when ships withdrew. At the same time Grant’s forces where making advance overland to take over the town

South General Robert E. Lee´s supply line to Petersburg, Virginia, is not open when North (union) forces under General Ulysses S. Grant closes down the end of Lee´s lines close to Petersburg. The South suffer large casualties, and the war triggered Lee´s withdraw from Petersburg as the two armies started a race that would close a week later at Appomattox Court House. For close to a year, Grant had laid siege to Lee´s team in an elaborate network of trenches that ran from Petersburg to the Confederate capital at Richmond, 25 miles north. Lee’s hungry army steadily diminished through the winter of 1864-65 as Grant’s army swelled with well fed reinforcements. On March 25, Lee attacked some of the North trenches at Fort Stedman in a desperate attempt to break the siege

The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought towards the beginning of the American Civil War that spanned over the course of four years, April 1861- April 1865 and consisted of 50 major battles and thousands of minor battles. The Battle of Fredericksburg lasted exactly five days, December 11-15, 1862. Its location was centered on Fredericksburg, VA and surrounding areas along the Rappahannock River including Falmouth, Marye’s Heights, Stafford Heights, Prospect Hill, and Hamilton’s Crossing (Yandoh, 2001). The Federal Union and Confederates had the same goal. To preserve their way of life, but that’s where the similarities stopped. Both sides wanted a different way of life preserved. The Confederates goal was to gain independence from the politically oppressive North and to establish an independent nation that allowed slavery (Olson-Raymer, 2014). The Federal Union’s initial goal was to restore the Union. But, its goal changed when it became obvious they would lose the war. The Union decided to reunite states under a banner in which slavery was no longer acceptable or tolerated. “The war from beginning to end would be a noble crusade for democracy for all people, not just in America, but throughout the world” (Olson-Raymer, 2014).

Jefferson Davis said that Vicksburg, Mississippi was, "the nail head that held the South's two halves together." Vicksburg was located high above the Mississippi on a cliff, and it was surrounded by bayous. On May 17, 1863, U.S. Grant laid siege on the city after months of circumventing the bayous and defeating many Confederate forces. Having done this, he ordered the flotilla of ironclads to begin shelling the city on May 21. On July 3, the Confederate forces surrendered to Grant's forces. These were the major victories of Union ironclads in the Mississippi River system. The other group of ironclads in the American Civil War were ocean-based ironclads. There were three main ocean battles in the Civil War: Hampton Roads, New Orleans, and Mobile Bay.