G.A.S.P.

The battle for Vicksburg was one of the most significant events of the Civil War.  From the onset of the war, control of the Mississippi River was vital to both Governments.  There were two important issues.  First, if the Union had control of the river, they could quickly send troops and supplies to numerous points in the South.  Second, Union control of the river would divide the South, leaving almost one-half of its territory (Arkansas, Texas and most of Louisiana) isolated from the rest, and seriously impact its ability to obtain supplies and recruits from these states.

The Confederacy had erected fortifications at numerous points along the river at the beginning of the war, but by late summer 1862 most had been captured by Federal troops moving south from Illinois or north from the Gulf of Mexico.  Vicksburg was now the only major obstacle, but it was a very big one.  It sat on a high bluff overlooking the river and was well protected by artillery batteries along the riverfront, a maze of swamps and bayous to the north and south, and strong fortifications in the hills north, east and south of the city.  President Abraham Lincoln said: “Vicksburg is the key.  The war can never be brought to a close until the key is in our pocket.” 

The fight for Vicksburg began in October 1862 with two appointments and two opposing assignments.  First, General Ulysses S. Grant was appointed commander of the Department of Tennessee and charged with clearing the Mississippi River of Confederate resistance.  Second, General John C. Pemberton assumed command of roughly 50,000 scattered Confederate troops defending the Mississippi and was ordered to “keep the river open.”  Vicksburg was the focus of both men.

Grant initially tried to bypass Vicksburg by building canals connecting the river with lakes and bayous, but these efforts failed, and by March 1863 he began to march his men (about 45,000) down the west bank of the Mississippi River.  His intent was to cross the river below Vicksburg and attack the city from the south.  He needed help from the Navy, however, and got it when Admiral David D. Porter ran his fleet of gunboats and supply transports past Vicksburg on a moonless night, suffering only the loss of one transport.  This provided Grant with the means to cross the river below Vicksburg and the means to supply his troops during the ensuing battle.  On April 30, 1863, he crossed the Mississippi unopposed at Bruinsburg, about 35 miles south of Vicksburg.

Grant then led his troops northeast from Bruinsburg toward the Mississippi State Capital of Jackson.  Meeting only light resistance at Port Gibson (May 1) and Raymond (May 12), he arrived in Jackson on May 14 and quickly captured and burned the city.  He then turned west and followed the tracks of the Southern Railroad of Mississippi toward Vicksburg, just 40 miles away.  The Confederates resisted at Champion Hill (May 16) and Big Black River Bridge (May 17), but were overwhelmed by the Federal forces and driven back to the Vicksburg fortifications. 

A confident General Grant, believing he had broken the Confederate morale, attacked the Vicksburg fortification at the Stockade Redan on May 19, but his troops were driven back.  He scheduled a second assault along a three-mile front on May 22, but again the Federal troops were defeated with heavy casualties.  Grant now realized it would prove futile to try to take the city by storm so he began siege operations.  He trained batteries of artillery on the Confederate positions and hammered them daily, while Admiral Porter’s gunboats blasted Vicksburg from the river and cut off communication and supplies both north and south of the city.  It was only a matter of time. 

Time came in late June when General Pemberton, short on food and other supplies and unable to move his troops in any direction, gave up hope of being relieved by other elements of the Confederate Army.  He arranged a meeting with General Grant on July 3 to discuss terms of surrender.  Grant demanded unconditional surrender, but Pemberton refused and the meeting broke off.  Later in the afternoon, however, Grant modified his demands and offered to let the Confederate forces sign paroles agreeing not to fight again.  Pemberton accepted and on July 4, 1863, Vicksburg was surrendered to Grant’s Union forces.  President Lincoln later summed-up the victory by saying: “The Father of Waters again goes unvexed to the sea”.

The Military Park is full of signs explaining troop positions and movements including the numerous attempts by Federal troops to build trenches toward the Confederate lines.  If I had stopped to read everything, I would have been there for a week, but I stopped often enough to get a good “flavor” of the events.

One of the most interesting points on the tour is the USS Cairo Museum.  The Cairo was a Federal ironclad gunboat that steamed up the Yazoo River (I guess “up the Yazoo” meant something different back then) near Vicksburg on December 12, 1862 seeking to destroy Confederate batteries.  Instead, it became the first vessel in history to be sunk by an electronically detonated mine.  It sunk in a matter of 12 minutes, but with no loss of life.  It remained at the bottom of the Yazoo for just over 100 years until it was found and raised in 1964.  Today, the remains (including original boilers and cannon) are on display in the Park, and thousands of artifacts (weapons, dishes, bottles, personal gear, etc.) are on display in the adjoining museum. 

Click on thumbnails for full photographs.