The Battle Of VicksburgBy: Josh Harrington

The LeadersMajor General Ulysses S.

Grant(April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) UNION

Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton(August 10, 1814 –

July 13, 1881) CONFEDERACY

Where did it happen?

The Battle of Vicksburg took place in Warren County, Mississippi.

When did it happen?

The Battle of Vicksburg took place from May 18, 1863 – July 4, 1863.

What Happened?

Description: In May and June of 1863, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s armies converged on Vicksburg, investing the city and entrapping a

Confederate army under Lt. Gen. John Pemberton. On July 4, Vicksburg surrendered

after prolonged siege operations. This was the culmination of one of the most brilliant military

campaigns of the war. With the loss of Pemberton’s army and this vital stronghold on

the Mississippi, the Confederacy was effectively split in half. Grant's successes in

the West boosted his reputation, leading ultimately to his appointment as General-in-

Chief of the Union armies.

Tactics

What HappenedDuring the late spring and early summer of

1863, Union and Confederate armies battled for control of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

The Battle of Vicksburg, Mississippi, was the culmination of a two year effort by Union armies and navies to wrest control of the Mississippi River from Confederate forces.

The task of conquering the "Gibraltar of the Mississippi" fell to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. With an array of impressive subordinates and a massive army, he moved down the

Mississippi River.

What Happened(cont.)Grant tried first to bypass the Confederate

guns by digging a canal that would divert the flow of the river and bringing about the fall of

the citadel without the firing of a shot. The effort failed.

Grant next tried to land troops downstream at Grand Gulf. Confederate troops dug in,

however, and the firepower of the U.S. Navy could not blast them from their defenses.

What Happened(cont.)Frustrated but undeterred, Grand moved

further south and finally came ashore near Port Gibson. Fighting his way through Confederate defenders at Port Gibson,

Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hill and Big Black River, he closed in on Vicksburg from

the east. The Confederate commander of the city, Gen.

John C. Pemberton, withdrew his men into the fortifications surrounding Vicksburg. In

addition to powerful batteries overlooking the Mississippi, Vicksburg was encircled by

miles of massive earthwork forts, batteries and infantry trenches. Although Pemberton's army was much smaller than Grant's, he and

his thousands of determined men left no doubt that they planned to fight for control of

the city.

What Happened(cont.)Grant moved his forces into position around

Vicksburg, surrounding the Confederate army but also trapping hundreds of civilians in the city now turned into a war zone. Union

troops began to dig siege works and place artillery to bombard the town as Southern

soldiers and civilians prepared to withstand the coming onslaught.

The Battle of Vicksburg began on May 19, 1863, when Grant sent thousands of men

storming forward in an effort to overwhelm the Stockade Redan, a powerful Confederate

fort with 17-foot high walls and an 8-foot wide ditch. Defended by the 36th Mississippi

Infantry, the redan (a redan was a triangular fortification) provided impossible to take. By the time the smoke cleared, Grant had lost 157 men killed and 777 wounded compared

to only 8 killed and 62 wounded for the Confederate defenders.

What Happened(cont.)

Determined to try again before Pemberton could further strengthen his fortifications,

Grant opened fire on Vicksburg on the night of May 21st with more than 220 pieces of

artillery. Union warships on the river joined in and Southern soldiers and civilians alike

tunneled into the ground to try to save them-selves from the barrage.

What Happened(cont.)The next morning at 10 a.m., the Union army attacked in lines three miles wide. Far from

demoralized by the bombardment, the soldiers in the Confederate fortifications opened on the oncoming Federal infantry with musket and cannon fire. The fighting

became hand to hand in a few places as the Federals tried to break through the Southern

lines, but for the most part Grant's men never even got close to the main Confederate

works.  When the smoke cleared, more than 3,000 Union soldiers lay dead or wounded

while Southern casualties were estimated at fewer than 500.

What Happened(cont.)The fight for Vicksburg now turned into a

brutal, ongoing siege. Union troops inched closer to the Confederate lines by digging

zigzag approach trenches and pushing their positions closer and closer. Mines were dug under Confederate forts and one, the 3rd

Louisiana Redan, was destroyed in a major explosion on June 25th. Southern officers,

however, had heard the sound of the digging beneath their feet and had anticipated the blast. When Union troops stormed into the

crater, they found Confederate troops waiting for them in a new position just to the rear of

the destroyed fort.

What HappenedAnother explosion followed on July 1st, but in

the end it was starvation and not Union attacks that brought the siege to an end. With

his soldiers and the civilians of Vicksburg reduced to eating mules, rats and even

boiled shoe leather, Pemberton surrendered to Grant on July 4, 1863.

The victory ended Confederate control of the Mississippi as the last remaining strong-

holds surrendered after learning of the fall of Vicksburg. A short time later President

Abraham Lincoln penned wrote the immortal words, "The Father of Waters again goes

unvexed to the sea."

What Happened(cont.)

Vicksburg became an important Union bastion after the surrender and remained so

through the end of the war. It thrives today as a commercial and tourism destination.

Quick SummaryDescription: In May and June of 1863, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s armies converged on Vicksburg, investing the city and entrapping a

Confederate army under Lt. Gen. John Pemberton. On July 4, Vicksburg surrendered

after prolonged siege operations. This was the culmination of one of the most brilliant military

campaigns of the war. With the loss of Pemberton’s army and this vital stronghold on

the Mississippi, the Confederacy was effectively split in half. Grant's successes in

the West boosted his reputation, leading ultimately to his appointment as General-in-

Chief of the Union armies.

ConclusionResult(s): Union victory

Estimated Casualties: 19,233 total (US 10,142; CS 9,091)

Pemberton turned over to Grant 172 cannons and 50,000 rifles.

Sourceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Vicksburg

http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_vicksburg.html

http://

www.mobile96.com/cw1/Vicksburg/Vickstimeline.html