The May offensive convinced Grant to lay siege to the city and starve the Confederates out. What's more, a directive from the President of the Confederacy was not something he could simply ignore. Grant would march down from Tennessee with an army and attack the city from the east. Lincoln’s words ultimately foreshadowed what would become one of the most consequential campaigns of the Civil War. Fact #6: Union naval operations were essential to the success of Grant’s infantry. President Abraham Lincoln recognized the significance of the town situated on a 200-foot bluff above the Mississippi River. The Siege of … Fact #3: Confederate leaders were divided on strategy at Vicksburg. Federal Identification Number (EIN): 54-1426643. In the spring of 1863, Major General Ulysses S. Grant launched his Union Army of the Tennessee on a campaign to pocket Vicksburg and provide Mr. Lincoln with the key to victory. Not only was slavery abolished, but citizenship was redefined and the federal union was strengthened. This Vicksburg campaign was significant due to the fact that it basically gave the Union total control of the Mississippi River. While groping through the countryside in search of Grant's army, word reached Pemberton that a portion of his opponent's supply train was lightly defended and within easy reach of his Confederate force. McClernand sent back to Grant for additional help. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Vicksburg-Campaign, Ohio History Central - Siege of Vicksburg. Union engineers eventually moved into the crater and erected a shielding casemate of earth and wood debris, allowing the infantry to withdraw without further loss. Historian Terrence J. Winschel provides a brief overview of General Ulysses S. Grant's successful campaign to capture the City of Vicksburg. In 17 days, his army marched more than 200 miles, winning five battles before confronting Pemberton at Vicksburg. The Union campaign against Vicksburg, in its entirety, would be the longest of the Civil War. In recognition of that day, the townsfolk of Vicksburg did not celebrate Independence Day for 81 years following the siege. Vicksburg was a fortress with massive artillery located on a sharp bend in the Mississippi River. Updated March 25, 2020 The siege of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863, was a significant battle of the United States Civil War and the culmination of one of the most brilliant military campaigns of the war. The surrender was finalized the next day, July 4, 1863, and the Union army took control of the city. The First American President: Setting the Precedent, Help Save 110 Acres at Three Civil War Battlefields, Preserve 108 Acres of the Most Important Unprotected Battlefield Land, Kentuckians: Support Battlefield Preservation Legislation, Virginians: Support Battlefield Preservation Legislation, "No Ingress or Egress": Refugees of the Siege of Vicksburg, The Vicksburg Campaign: Approaching the Bastion City, Erosion Undermines History at Vicksburg National Military Park. His plan is to land his army below Vicksburg, taking this Confederate bastion from the South. Porter was a man of courage and skill, but he came to Vicksburg having made many enemies through his tendency to scorn superiors and play favorites among his inferiors. If he is going to take Vicksburg, Grant must first cut the railroad. While he was extremely outnumbered at the start of the campaign, Pemberton was determined to hold on to Vicksburg. After a massive bombardment, each of his three corps commanders—James McPherson, John McClernand, and Sherman—were ordered to attack in their respective sectors. He controlled all the approaches to the city, and by early June the Confederate garrison was desperately short of ammunition and on the brink of starvation. Fact #5: Ulysses S. Grant tried to take Vicksburg by storm twice before settling in to a siege. Lessons: The Campaigns for Vicksburg, 1862-1863 seeks to explore. Fact #7: Vicksburg had its own Crater more than a year before Petersburg. The air of gloom was hardly lifted by the simultaneous failure of Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's First Vicksburg Campaign, capped by Sherman's repulse at Chickasaw Bayou (December 27–29, 1862), or later efforts in the new year. Furthermore, Grant's front will be constricted by the Mississippi River to his right and the Big Black River to his left, preventing him from using his superiority in numbers to overwhelm the Confederates. The Civil war transformed a nation. This half-hearted attempt to please both his military and civilian superiors placed Pemberton's army in a precarious position that the Federals would soon exploit. It gave control of the Mississippi River to the Union. Its first phase began with a naval bombardment in May 1862, which failed due to the fierce resistance of the Confederate batteries guarding the city. Port Gibson to Raymond to Vicksburg Nationally significant sites associated with Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's campaign for and siege of Vicksburg. Late on the morning of May 15, 1863, Pemberton leisurely moves his army toward the target. Fact #4: The decisive battle for Vicksburg was fought at Champion Hill, Mississippi. But the Confederates will never again have the chance to defeat the Union troops in the open field. The Confederates lost less than 600. In the meantime, the Southern Railroad will provide the Rebels supplies, and—even worse—reinforcements. 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