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The Siege of Vicksburg

The Battle of Vicksburg. From Archives/Library collection PA Box 73 22, p. 11.

Before 1863, the southern city of Vicksburg, Mississippi was one of the most strategically important places in the Confederacy. Vicksburg connected Confederate supply lines from the west to railroads headed east. Overlooking the Mississippi River, the city was a natural fortress. With plains to its east, the Yazoo River Delta to its north, and bayous, rivers, and swamps to its south, Vicksburg could only be attacked from the Mississippi River. When Confederate batteries placed artillery pieces on the bluffs surrounding the city, it seemed unassailable. The Union Army had long recognized the importance of Vicksburg. If it could take the city, the Confederacy would literally be cut in half, and the Union would gain control of the Mississippi River. The fight over the control of Vicksburg would become one of the longest and most contested military operations in the Civil War.

After several futile attempts to gain access to Vicksburg from the north, Major General Ulysses S. Grant altered his battle plan. The key to capturing Vicksburg, Grant reasoned, would be to approach from the south. In late March, Grant ordered Major General John A. McClernand’s XIII Corps southward on the west bank of the Mississippi. In Grand Gulf, McClernand’s troops met up with Major General James B. McPherson’s XVII corps and moved east. On May 1, 1863, the combined armies of McClernand and McPherson defeated Confederate Brigadier General John S. Bowen’s forces at Port Gibson.

After that victory, Grant’s entire army set its sights on Jackson, Mississippi. The plan was to divide the Confederate Army between Vicksburg and Jackson. Taking Jackson and destroying the railroads leaving the city, Grant believed,would effectively cut off Confederate Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton’s garrison from reinforcements in Vicksburg. The plan was a success and Jackson was captured on May 14. Grant’s army then moved west towards Vicksburg.

After five victorious battles had been fought to gain access to the areas around the city, the Union Army under Grant's command laid siege on Vicksburg. It was the beginning of 47 days of hell for the soldiers who would fight on the bluffs of the Mississippi.

The Siege at Vicksburg: Approach of McPherson's Saps to the Rebel Works. From Harper's Weekly, v. 7, 1883, p. 436.

On May 19, undaunted by miles of Confederate fortifications surrounding the city, Grant ordered the first frontal attack on Vicksburg. Within minutes of the attack, the Confederate forces responded with tremendous firepower. Initially successful, Major General William T. Sherman’s troops were soon pinned down by rifle fire. Sherman’s troops were saved only by the darkness of night. The first assault on Vicksburg failed.

On May 22, Grant again ordered the assault of Vicksburg. Altering his battle plan from May 19, Grant ordered the engagement started with four hours of artillery bombardment from his batteries. When the guns fell silent at 10:00 a.m., the infantry attacked, wave after wave.

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