General_Grant_and_the_Battle_of_Vicksburg

                                                                     General Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle of Vicksburg    On July 4th 1863 the Confederate Army garrison under command of General Pemberton at Vicksburg Mississippi surrendered all forces and equipment to General U.S. Grant and his Federal troops. After nearly a year of several failed attempts and constant efforts to revise and adhere to new battle and invasion strategies to take over the garrison and the town of Vicksburg it, General Grant now had a key victory to sweep the southern controlled Confederate States and end the long and bloody Civil War. Though classified as the battle of Vicksburg, which could be proclaimed due to past engagements to take over this crucial Mississippi riverfront stronghold, the correct classification should be the Siege of Vicksburg as properly noted. After my extensive research capturing this crucial riverfront location was best planned by the siege and not an invasion type amphibious assault as originally planned. Also, General Grant deserves more credit as a Commander then what has been previously perceived of him during his campaigns in the Civil War.       As a commander, General Grant had the experience from past battles during the Mexican American war to apply his battlefront strategies to his command during the civil war. A battle such as Vera Cruz in Mexico was a very similar campaign that he would encounter at Vicksburg. But to conclude this, of General Grant's experiences would give him an advantage over many commander's during the Civil War that he would encounter. General Ulysses S. Grant did not always attain a victory in every battle that he had Command over, but his victories at the battle of Shiloh had the odds against him and he was able to make a stand, and with the again the odds against him at Vicksburg, he would eventually have overcome another small plight of disadvantage. Vicksburg was the most important victory that General Grant had ever achieved. The Siege of Vicksburg which allowed the Union to overrun the South and substantially end the war and making the President of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis surrender.     Vicksburg was originally just a riverfront town that’s shipments up and down the Mississippi River ran through and also picked up or delivered to its port due to the Mississippi rail line running to it. One interesting feature that the Confederates found necessary was Vicksburg jutted out far enough to cause a severe bend in the Mississippi river causing ships to slow down immensely to make this very sharp turn.by the Confederate forces controlling Vicksburg, Federal forces could not ship supplies and reinforcements down south to aid a victory; and which in turn allowed Confederate forces to focus their forces in the Northern territories of fighting. It had been attempted by the Federal forces to break the shipping lane, but due to trying to escape literally a gauntlet and funnel of artillery, shipping at that time was impossible.    The geography of Vicksburg was prime real estate to position numerous, heavy rotating, and artillery weapons for the Confederates, there were 250 foot high terraced hills that tiered; which lined the whole town on the riverfront (west) side, that when ships made that turn they would be immediately barraged by artillery fire causing the ships to be sank or severely damaged. The east side of Vicksburg was reinforced by posted soldiers, artillery placements, trenches, and rolling hills that obscured views from Federal scouts. General Grant knew though, if the Union had any chance to win the war they had to take control of the Mississippi River and the only way to do that was to take Vicksburg.                 In mid-October 1862 General Grant had made several attempts to take Vicksburg up into the following year. His attempts of frontal assaults and support by fire from naval forces were failing because of strong artillery fire from the opposing Confederate artillery. His naval support had to come from Rear Admiral David Porter’s fleet, because it was nearly impossible to steam from the south because of the stronghold from New Orleans and north on the Mississippi River. As the new year had arrived Grant new that sooner or later he needed to make a move on Vicksburg. He troops were getting restless and pointless casualties were occurring from failed attempts to capture the Vicksburg battlefront. General Grant definitely had the resources and the capabilities but he needed a strategy to win. A siege was plausible, but Grant wanted to try one more stent of attacks on Vicksburg; he had a plan and the forces and all he needed was to take the risk. In that January time frame Porter’s Naval ships took a huge risk to steam through the gauntlet of fire. He managed to do so, but his ships were damaged. with the barrage of artillery shells that were laid on the terraces of Vicksburg he however, managed, by the grace of God, to avoid disaster and sail south to where Grants forces were located. Once Porter could land south he could ferry troops to the east bank of Vicksburg and engage with two Confederate forces. Meanwhile General Grant had called on General Benjamin Grierson’s cavalry to sweep down from Tennessee and clear out all railroad transportation for the Confederates and also split their forces in two and cut the lines of communication between Confederate General Pemberton at Vicksburg and General Johnston forces not far away in Jackson, Mississippi. These forces totaled some 40000 that had been split. However the Confederates still had an advantage to the east side of Vicksburg. General Grant had attempted a canal project to cut through the east side of Vicksburg to avoid the gauntlet and failed to reach the dry ground four times. All seemed to be failing, however on April 16th Grant would try another risky attempt with Porter’s navy. In the dead of night Porter sailed south again after his last failed attempt in the previous year. He steamed south with a flotilla of supplies to aid Federal troops to begin one last try on capturing Vicksburg. Through the barrage of the batteries Porter makes it through successfully. From their Porter would land south of Vicksburg at Bruinsburg and begin to ferry troops on April 30th onto the eastward banks on Vicksburg. This would be the final attempt to capture Vicksburg. Grant though was outnumbered he shocked General Pemberton, and shortly after Pemberton received word of Grierson’s cavalry exploits and drew some of his forces to pursue him giving Grant time to plan even more.    As a result of this success Jefferson Davis orders Pemberton to hold Vicksburg at all costs and sends Johnston to aid Pemberton from Jackson. Grant moved the majority of his forces on the eastern side of Vicksburg to cut off Johnston entering from Jackson and to assault from the position as well and take control Champion’s hill where the dominating artillery placements from the Confederate forces were located. Grant concentrates his naval fire power and some artillery placements on the western bank of the Mississippi towards Vicksburg and has a smaller force of infantry units await an assault on that same side. Meanwhile Grant still plans for a siege of Vicksburg if this last assault should fail he knew that he had an unlimited supply of ammunition and artillery, but most importantly the protection from artillery fire on the east side of Vicksburg. He has General Andrew Hickenlooper of the Army Corp of Engineers set up defensive shelters and arms and ammunition stores along the whole eastern side of Vicksburg. Hickenlooper ingenuionlsy has his sappers construct a series of fascines dug into the ground like a trench and faceted with thick wood walls and bundled tops to fortify the length of the fronts for Federal troops to run for cover during artillery barrages and store ammunition. The whole eastern side was built up to conduct a siege and since the land was cut off just for union forces Grant knew had the assault not worked his Federal Troops could live off the land. Grant had noted in his memoirs that “In no place were our lines more than six hundred yards from the enemy. It was necessary, therefore, to cover our men by something more than the ordinary parapet. To give additional protection sand bags, bullet-proof, were placed along the tops of the parapets far enough apart to make loop-holes for musketry. On top of these, logs were put. By these means the men were enabled to walk about erect when off duty, without fear of annoyance from sharpshooters. The enemy used in their defense explosive musket-balls, no doubt thinking that, bursting over our men in the trenches, they would do some execution; but I do not remember a single case where a man was injured by a piece of one of these shells. When they were hit and the ball exploded, the wound was terrible. In these cases a solid ball would have hit as well. Their use is barbarous, because they produce increased suffering without any corresponding advantage to those using them. The enemy could not resort to our method to protect their men, because we had an inexhaustible supply of ammunition to draw upon and used it freely. Splinters from the timber would have made havoc among the men behind. There were no mortars with the besiegers, except what the navy had in front of the city; but wooden ones were made by taking logs of the toughest wood that could be found, boring them out for six or twelve pound shells and binding them with strong iron bands. These answered as cochorns, and shells were successfully thrown from them into the trenches of the enemy.”2    The defenses built up as Grant had accounted for were ready for the siege but he still had one last chance at and assault. Grant had Vicksburg enveloped and was ready for the assault. First off the forces sent to aid Pemberton were engaged by General Sherman’s corps and stopped from reaching Pemberton on May 14 at Jackson allowing Grant to square off with Pemberton spread out number of 40000 troops. Sherman then destroys all key junctions for the confederates on the Mississippi railroad so no supplies could be transported in for the confederates. Grant was ready for his assault on the 18th May he had the Federals assault the eastern front and barrage the northern front of Vicksburg; the hilltops of the eastern side would if claimed by victory would allow a definite reinforcement and resupply to the Federal forces. Both on that day and the 22 of May both assaults would fail. Grant then realized that the only true way to beat Pemberton was a protracted siege: “I now determined upon a regular siege—to "out-camp the enemy," as it were, and to incur no more losses. The experience of the 22d convinced officers and men that this was best, and they went to work on the defenses and approaches with a will. With the navy holding the river, the investment of Vicksburg was complete. As long as we could hold our position the enemy was limited in supplies of food, men and munitions of war to what they had on hand. These could not last always.” General Grant knew that over the months of fighting with little resupply ad the Confederate forces had, they were indeed running out of supplies and with control of the riverfront, Grant now had a limitless supply of food and ammo; and to also counter the east side of Vicksburg Grants forces could live off the lands many agricultural crops.  For 13 days General Grant would continuously order relentless artillery fire from both fronts both day and night. On July 3rd Pemberton would surrender his forces of 20000 men in garrison. Due to a year of relentless fighting, continued disease,; and within the week in a half span of time, starvation the soldiers were in bad shape.in addition the  innocent civilians in hiding underground faced the same deprivations. The Confederate forces without realization were under a siege for the past year since Grant showed up with his forces in mid-October of 1862. After the siege, the south would fall to Federal forces in Jackson the capital of the south and Admiral Porter and Farragut had now a way to push south freely and take over New Orleans giving total control of the Mississippi River to the Federal forces and the Gulf of Mexico as well.    General Grant overall as a Commander deserved more credit for his valor at Vicksburg and his schemes as well. His experience in the Mexican War allowed him to utilize what he saw and the Armies. Lessons he learned from General Scott to use his staff and all resources disposed at his control. He humbly proclaimed without the Navy the campaign would not have been a success he stated “The navy, under Porter, was all it could be, during the entire campaign. Without its assistance the campaign could not have been successfully made with twice the number of men engaged. It could not have been made at all, in the way it was, with any number of men, without such assistance. The most perfect harmony reigned between the two arms of the service. There never was a request made, that I am aware of, either of the flag-officer or any of his subordinates, that was not promptly complied with.” 3 The strategy that Grant had throughout that campaign was all a setup for a siege. Initially Grant did want to conduct a siege but with all the political standpoints surrounding the war, at that time Washington D.C. was pushing for a shell shocking victory for the Union that would hit the Confederacy hard. General Grant remarked after the North had got word of the victory of Vicksburg that: “The capture of Vicksburg, with its garrison, ordnance and ordnance stores, and the successful battles fought in reaching them, gave new spirit to the loyal people of the North. New hopes for the final success of the cause of the Union were inspired. The victory gained at Gettysburg, upon the same day, added to their hopes. Now the Mississippi River was entirely in the possession of the National troops; for the fall of Vicksburg gave us Port Hudson at once. The army of northern Virginia was driven out of Pennsylvania and forced back to about the same ground it occupied in 1861. The Army of the Tennessee united with the Army of the Gulf, dividing the Confederate States completely."