The battle of Vicksburg

The city of Vicksburg was a decisive piece of the Confederacy for it was in a prime component in controlling the Mississippi, which would split the confederacy in two. (Vicksburg Campaign) This Battle was between John C. Pemberton an Ulysses S. Grant. Grant, at this time, had already become popular in the North as Unconditional Surrender Grant; his victory here would be another victory that would prove that he would be able to win the war for the North.(Ulysses S. Grant Chronology) On the other hand, John Clifford Pemberton was a Yankee who had transferred to the West due to his poor relationships in the East, he had been promoted to Lieutenant General in October of 1862. Sadly, he was under orders to protect Vicksburg at all costs, which forced him to face off against Ulysses S. Grant.(John C. Pemberton)

This was a challenge for Grant, he had to find a way to secure his position. This was a problem because of the high bluffs overlooking the Mississippi that Vicksburg was built upon. At first he attempted to take the city from the north, but his attack by sea failed at Chickasaw Bluffs on December 29th 1862. He later tried to cut a path through the swamps north of the town, but the task proved to be impossible. His final attempt to attack Vicksburg was a daring one, he first had his men move south of Vicksburg and then he, under the cover of night, had his boats float across the Mississippi. Grant then implemented a strategy he learned in the Mexican War from General Winfield Scott, cutting himself off from everything but ammunition and medical supplies.(Grant’s Greatest Battles) He then charged inland and attacked and forced back Joseph E. Johnson’s forces near Jackson. He then attacked and succeeded at Champion Hill. (The Batt...

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...en suggested that their staffs work out an agreement. Finally, on July 4th, 1863 they agreed the troops would be paroled instead of being sent to northern prisons. They also surrendered most of their weapons to the Union. This was a huge blow to the Confederates because not only did they lose an army, they lost a huge amount of weapons and Control over the Mississippi.

After this, Grant went on to win many battles for the Union and defeat Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. On the other hand, Pemberton was branded a traitor and had to resign his rank and become a Lieutenant Colonel to secure a position.

Works Cited

www.pbs.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. general-article/grant-greatest-battles/>. Woodworth, Steven E. "Vicksburg campaign." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2014. Web. 12 May 2014.