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Vicksburg Battle Analysis

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As a result of its critical location, Vicksburg unified the southern states. As long as the South held control of the Mississippi the southern states were not divided. Jefferson Davis described Vicksburg as, “"Vicksburg is the nail head that holds the South's two halves together” (Boundless, 2016). One of the main reasons the North wanted to siege Vicksburg was because they could cut the southern states down the middle, leaving Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas separated from the rest of southern forces. Without unity of command, the South was left to a severe disadvantage. President Lincoln described Vicksburg as “See what a lot of land these fellows hold, of which Vicksburg is the key. The war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket,” (Vicksburg Siege, n.d.). In order to hinder the unity of command the Vicksburg campaign was designed to shut off communication and supply with the rest of the Confederacy. Without communication with other Confederacy troops, no one was aware that there were troops trapped in Vicksburg. After gaining the control of Vicksburg, the North was able to further hinder the communication and unity of command between the southern states as they now were split down the middle. General Grant knew that when …show more content…

The Mississippi was the main supply route for southern troops at the time. Without control over the Mississippi, the South was unable to bring in food, supplies, and forces to support the war. During General Grants Siege confederate attempts to aid troops were unsuccessful as General Grant had completely cut off supply routes to the city by land and water. Economically, Vicksburg was one of the largest cities on the Mississippi making it a large area for trade vital to the southern economy. Not only was it crucial to military operations but civilian support of military operations as

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