The Siege of Vicksburg

Having cut off Vicksburg from Jackson, General Grant had isolated Vicksburg from the rest of the Confederacy. Eager to take Vicksburg and secure the Mississippi River for the Union, General Grant began to plan for massive, traditional assaults on the Confederate defenses.

The Confederate Army under General Pemberton had over a year to prepare for attack. Using picks and shovels, the Confederates constructed a ring of earthen forts and earthworks, focusing around the 3 main roads into the city of Vicksburg. Over 170 cannon were placed throughout the earthworks, and substantial stockpiles of munitions and cannonballs awaited the arriving Union Army.

The Battle for Vicksburg would be unlike any other in American History, and its outcome would not only determine the fate of the Civil War, but propel a relatively unknown Union general into the national spotlight.

 

• The First Assault: May19, 1863. Eager for a quick victory, General Grant orders a traditional assault on the Vicksburg defenses.
• Second Assault: May 22, 1863. After failing to breach the Confederate defenses 3 days earlier, Grant orders a massive attack across the entire front.
• Siege of Vicksburg: May 23-July 4, 1863. Unable to capture Vicksburg using traditional tactics, General Grant resorts to laying siege to the Confederate Army and city of Vicksburg.
• Battle of Milliken's Bend: June 7, 1863. In an attempt to break the siege. Confederate troops attack a Union supply depot and are met by untested United States Colored Troops.
• Surrender: July 4, 1863. After 47 days of siege, the Confederate Army surrendered to General Grant, ending the 18 month campaign for Vicksburg.