Battle Of Vicksburg Essay
The battle of Vicksburg took place in Vicksburg, Mississippi, 250 feet high, overlooking the Mississippi River on the Louisiana-Mississippi state border. It took place between May 18- July 4, 1863. The Battle of Vicksburg, Mississippi, was also called the Siege of Vicksburg, was the result of a long land and naval campaign by Union forces to capture a key strategic position during the American Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln recognized the significance of the town situated on a 200-foot bluff above the Mississippi River. The city was the vital logistical link to the resource-rich Trans Mississippi. Large quantities of molasses, cane sugar, sheep, oxen, cattle, mules, sweet potatoes, butter, wool, and salt made it its way to every corner
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He then focused his attention on the west, roughly following the Southern Mississippi Railroad to Bolton. May 16th was another turning point in the campaign, the Battle of Champion's Hill. Although Grant was outnumbered, his Soldiers' unwillingness to loose caused Pemberton to retreat his forces back to Vicksburg. With forces approaching from the east and northeast, McClernand's, McPherson's, and Sherman's corps neared the Vicksburg defenses on May 18th. Sherman's Soldiers veered north to take the hills overlooking the Yazoo River. With Sherman's Soldiers securing the high ground assuring Grant's reinforcement and supply from the North. The next day Federals made the failed first assault on Vicksburg. The second assault, on May 22nd, was a disaster for the Union forces. It showed the strength of the depth of Confederate Soldiers security around the city, and convinced Grant that Pemberton could only be defeated in a protracted siege. The siege of Vicksburg began with the repulse of the May 22nd assault and lasted until 4 July 1863. As the siege progressed, Pemberton's 20,000-man garrison was reduced by disease and starvation due to the cut off of the resupply by Union forces. This forced the city's residents to seek the refuge of caves and bombproofs in the surrounding
He then focused his attention on the west, roughly following the Southern Mississippi Railroad to Bolton. May 16th was another turning point in the campaign, the Battle of Champion's Hill. Although Grant was outnumbered, his Soldiers' unwillingness to loose caused Pemberton to retreat his forces back to Vicksburg. With forces approaching from the east and northeast, McClernand's, McPherson's, and Sherman's corps neared the Vicksburg defenses on May 18th. Sherman's Soldiers veered north to take the hills overlooking the Yazoo River. With Sherman's Soldiers securing the high ground assuring Grant's reinforcement and supply from the North. The next day Federals made the failed first assault on Vicksburg. The second assault, on May 22nd, was a disaster for the Union forces. It showed the strength of the depth of Confederate Soldiers security around the city, and convinced Grant that Pemberton could only be defeated in a protracted siege. The siege of Vicksburg began with the repulse of the May 22nd assault and lasted until 4 July 1863. As the siege progressed, Pemberton's 20,000-man garrison was reduced by disease and starvation due to the cut off of the resupply by Union forces. This forced the city's residents to seek the refuge of caves and bombproofs in the surrounding