Vicksburg campaign was an important Union victory in the American Civil War (1861-1865). The campaign took place in western Mississippi from December 1862 to July 1863. General Ulysses S. Grant led the Union forces. They finally captured the fortified city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, on July 4, 1863. The final phase of the campaign is known as the siege of Vicksburg. The city’s capture, along with a Union victory at Gettysburg the previous day, marked a turning point in the Civil War.
In the fall of 1862, Union forces controlled most of the Mississippi River. The only part under Confederate control was a 300-mile (480-kilometer) stretch between Memphis, Tennessee, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Confederate defenses at Vicksburg prevented Union forces from navigating the river between these two cities. Confederate General John C. Pemberton was responsible for holding Vicksburg.
In December 1862, the Union made its first attempt at taking Vicksburg. Union General William T. Sherman and an army of about 32,000 traveled south by boat on the Mississippi. With the help of Union Admiral David D. Porter’s gunboats, Sherman landed just north of Vicksburg at Chickasaw Bayou. To help Sherman, Grant had planned to march his army through central Mississippi, toward Vicksburg. He intended to draw away as many Confederate troops as possible. However, Confederate cavalry destroyed Grant’s supply base and communications. As a result, Grant had to call off his advance. Sherman did not know that Grant had turned back. He continued his attack and was defeated at Chickasaw Bayou. The Union army suffered almost 1,800 casualties. The Confederates lost only 200.
“A series of experiments.”
Because of Vicksburg’s defenses along the Mississippi, Grant decided that he would attack the city by land from the east. To do this, Grant in early 1863 launched what he called “a series of experiments.”
In his first two attempts, Grant sought to land troops south of Vicksburg. The area south of Vicksburg was more suitable for supplying and maneuvering an army than the area to the north was. Grant planned to march his army southward on the western side of the Mississippi, in Louisiana. He would then ferry his army across the river and bring his troops to a position on Vicksburg’s eastern side. To accomplish this plan, Grant needed to get Porter’s gunboats and the army’s transports past the several miles of Confederate batteries (groups of heavy cannon) around Vicksburg.
Grant’s first attempt involved digging a canal west of Vicksburg so that his fleet could bypass the city’s defenses. However, the canal would not fill with enough water to allow Porter’s boats to pass. In his second attempt, Grant tried to connect Lake Providence, 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Vicksburg, to the Mississippi River, and then to the Red River, by a series of bayous and rivers. Grant’s forces cut the levee that had separated the Mississippi from Lake Providence. But they had to give up the attempt because of the difficulty of creating and preparing the 400-mile (640-kilometer) route.
Grant’s third and fourth attempts aimed to unload troops north of Vicksburg and then attack the city from the east. Grant sent gunboats and some troops to the Yazoo Pass, 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of Vicksburg. He hoped that the forces could come down the Yazoo River and land north of the city. Later, Grant sent gunboats and troops down another bayou. He again tried to land troops north of the city. Both of these attempts were stopped by Confederate defenses and natural obstacles.
Grant attacks.
After the four failures, Grant decided to march his troops on the western side of the Mississippi. He would have Porter’s fleet risk running the Vicksburg batteries at night. On March 31, 1863, Grant’s land forces began their march. On the night of April 16, Porter led his boats past the batteries with minimal damage to the fleet. A few nights later, several of the army’s transports made the run, though with more damage. To help his assault, Grant used two diversions. One involved landing some Union troops north of Vicksburg to draw away some of Pemberton’s troops. The other involved sending Union Colonel Benjamin Grierson and about 1,700 of his troops on a cavalry raid through Mississippi. Grierson’s 600-mile (960-kilometer) raid destroyed supplies and disrupted communications. It also kept Confederate cavalry away from Grant.
On April 30, 1863, Grant’s army, using Porter’s gunboats and the transports, began crossing the Mississippi. The troops landed at Bruinsburg, Mississippi, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of Vicksburg. Around this time, Grant became concerned that another Confederate army was assembling near Jackson, Mississippi, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of Vicksburg. General Joseph E. Johnston led that army. Grant did not want to get caught between Johnston’s and Pemberton’s armies. For this reason, Grant marched his troops toward Jackson and captured it on May 14. The Union victory at Jackson kept Pemberton from obtaining reinforcements and supplies. Grant then turned his army west and headed toward Vicksburg.
On May 16, Grant defeated Pemberton at Champion Hill, Mississippi. Champion Hill stood about halfway between Jackson and Vicksburg. Pemberton retreated west to the Big Black River. Grant defeated him again, driving the Confederates back to Vicksburg. On May 19 and May 22, Grant twice assaulted Vicksburg but was stopped both times.
The siege.
After direct attacks failed, Grant began a siege of Vicksburg. In other words, his troops surrounded Vicksburg and cut off all movements to and from the city. Because the Confederates could not bring supplies into Vicksburg, the people in the city began to starve. On July 4, the day after the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg, Pemberton surrendered his 30,000 troops and the city of Vicksburg to Grant.
From May 1, the day after Grant’s troops began crossing the Mississippi, to the July 4 surrender of Vicksburg, each side suffered approximately 10,000 casualties. On July 9, the Southern commander at Port Hudson, Louisiana, surrendered after he heard of Vicksburg’s capture. The North then controlled the Mississippi, splitting the Confederacy in two. President Abraham Lincoln called Grant’s Vicksburg campaign “one of the most brilliant in the world.” Because of Vicksburg and Grant’s other successes, Lincoln would later promote Grant to the command of all Union armies.
See also Civil War, American ; Grant, Ulysses S. ; Porter, David Dixon ; Sherman, William Tecumseh .
