THE BATTLE OF VICKSBURG

ULYSSES S. GRANT

Ulysses S. Grant union General
Ranked 21/39 in his class
Was 41 years old when attacked Vicksburg
He won the battle of Shiloh, battle of Vicksburg, battle of lookout mountain, and the battle of missionary ridge

PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S INFLUENCE

"Vicksburg is the key!... The war can never be brought to a close until the key is in our pocket" - president lincoln

April 30, 1863
General grant on this day led his men over the Mississippi River just south of Vicksburg to attack

Grants men carried no food supplies with them to make the trip across the Mississippi river quicker

It took only 17 days and 5 battles to take complete siege of Vicksburg. Grant first took out Jackson Mississippi to prevent reinforcement to Vicksburg which quickly caused confederate General Pemberton's army to be split in two and easily conquered

Grant starved the 32,000 residents of Vicksburg once he set his perimeter of artillery and ironclads

IRONCLADS

The residents of Vicksburg dug caves to escape the gun fire and ate anything they could
Horses, mules, dogs, cats, rodents, etc.

Blockading the Mississippi at this specific spot cut off the confederates access to their weaponry. On July fourth when the seige of Gettysburg was retreating lee, the confederate commander, surrendered to grant. Four days later so did port Hudson, Louisiana the last confederate fort on the Mississippi

The death toll of this battle is estimated at 19,233 deaths

CITATIONS

• http://www.nps.gov/abpp/battles/ms011.htm
• http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/vicksburg.html
• Ayer, De La Teja, Schulzinger, and White. "Chapter Eleven."
• American anthem reconstruction to the present.
• US: Winston, 2009. 1200. Print