Vicksburg, Mississippi
May 18-July 3, 1863
In May and June of 1863, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s armies converged on Vicksburg, a critical objective because the large Confederate garrison there, commanded by Lt. General John C. Pemberton, controlled access along the Mississippi River [see map]. Pemberton's Army of Mississippi consisted of five divisions totaling 32,000 men. Grant's Army of the Tennessee had five corps totaling 44,000 men. First, Grant had used a feint by a corps commanded by William T. Sherman to convince Pemberton that the attack would come from the north; then he used river transports and barges to cross over to the eastern side and send Sherman moving south. On May 14 Grant sent Sherman and Gen. James Birdseye McPherson to chase Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's army out of nearby Jackson, Mississippi. Two days later, May 16, Grant pushed Pemberton's force of 23,000 men into a disorderly retreat from Champion Hill back toward Vicksburg. Having suffered 4,300 casualties at Champion Hill, Pemberton was hit again on May 17 at Big Black River Bridge. There he lost 2,000 more men and fell back to Vicksburg behind a formidable ring of elaborate entrenchments and fortifications. Grant moved within a mile of the city and decided to test the Confederate defenses before Pemberton got his men organized. He ordered an attack on May 19 and another on May 22, but but the fortifications protecting Vicksburg were too strong to overpower and Union casualties in both assaults were high. So, Grant reluctantly settled into a siege of Vicksburg. Pemberton's army was trapped between Grant's army and the river; it was only a matter of time. This was the culmination of one of the most brilliant military campaigns of the war. Grant had deftly maneuvered his army deep into enemy territory, with dangerously long and thin supply lines. On July 4, Vicksburg surrendered after prolonged siege operations, including steady bombardment from Grant's artillery. With the loss of this vital stronghold on the Mississippi and the total destruction of Pemberton’s army (9,000 casualties and 30,000 prisoners), the Confederacy was fatally hamstrung. Grant's success at Vicksburg boosted his reputation, leading ultimately to his appointment as General-in-Chief of the Union armies. "Grant is my man," declared Lincoln.
© 2004 David C. Hanson, Virginia Western Community College
