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    Vicksburg National Military Park
    Vicksburg National Military Park
    Vicksburg National Military Park
    Ebook199 pages1 hour

    Vicksburg National Military Park

    By Terrence J. Winschel

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    Vicksburg National Military Park was established by Congress to "commemorate the campaign, siege and defense of Vicksburg," which many consider the most decisive campaign of the Civil War. The battlefield at Vicksburg is one of the largest and most heavily visited of the nation's historic sites. Beginning with the efforts of Union and Confederate veterans to gain Congressional action to establish the park, and continuing through veterans' work in land acquisition, road and bridge construction, and the dedication of the magnificent memorials and monuments that dot the landscape, Images of America: Vicksburg National Military Park features stunning photographs of the efforts and events that have made Vicksburg the "art park of the world." Also included are images of veterans' reunions and the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps, as well as a history of Vicksburg National Cemetery, where the remains of 17,000 Union soldiers and sailors are enshrined.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateJan 19, 2015
    ISBN9781439649336
    Vicksburg National Military Park

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      Book preview

      Vicksburg National Military Park - Terrence J. Winschel

      you.

      INTRODUCTION

      The Mississippi River in the mid-19th century has been accurately portrayed by biographer Lloyd Lewis as being the spinal column of America . . . the symbol of geographic unity. He refers to the great river as the trunk of the American tree, with limbs and branches reaching to the Alleghenies, the Canadian border, the Rocky Mountains. For more than 2,000 miles, the river flows silently on its course to the sea, providing a natural artery of commerce. Gliding along its muddy waters en route to world markets were steamers and flatboats of all descriptions, heavily laden with the rich agricultural produce of the land. Indeed, the silent water of the mighty river was then—as it remains to this day—the single most important economic feature of the continent, the very lifeblood of America. One contemporary wrote emphatically, The valley of the Mississippi is America.

      Upon the secession of the Southern states, and in particular Louisiana and Mississippi, the river was closed to unfettered navigation, which threatened to strangle Northern commercial interests. With the advent of the Civil War, Pres. Abraham Lincoln assembled his civil and military leaders to discuss strategy for opening the Mississippi River and ending what he termed a rebellion in the Southern states. Seated around a large table examining a map of the nation, Lincoln made a wide, sweeping gesture with his hand and then placed his finger on the map and said, See what a lot of land these fellows hold, of which Vicksburg is the key. The war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket.

      As vital as the river was to the North, it was equally important to the South as a means of communication, transportation, and supply. To defend it, the Confederates fortified key points along the Mississippi, the most important of which was Vicksburg. The city’s geographical location made it ideal for defense, as it was nestled along bluffs that tower almost 300 feet above a horseshoe-shaped bend of the river. Equally important, existing rail lines—which connected Vicksburg with Jackson and, via Jackson, points elsewhere in the Confederacy—enabled the shipment of heavy ordnance to the Hill City, as it was known. These guns were trained on the river and posed the major obstacle to Union domination of the Mississippi. Vicksburg quickly became known as the Gibraltar of the Confederacy, and it proved a tough nut to crack.

      To seize Vicksburg and open the great river, the North assembled a powerful array of land and naval forces eager to confront the difficult task before them. With a vengeance, these forces moved from two directions in a massive converging attack to wrestle control of the river from Confederate troops. Driving south from Cairo, Illinois, Federal forces seized Forts Henry and Donelson, on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers, respectively, and opened the pathway of invasion to the Deep South. Continuing the drive, Union forces gained victory at Shiloh in April, Corinth in May, and, having forced the surrender of Island No. 10, seized Memphis in June.

      Moving upriver from the Gulf of Mexico were ships of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron commanded by then flag officer David Glasgow Farragut. His ships bombarded and passed Forts Jackson and St. Philip on April 24 and compelled the surrender of New Orleans, the South’s largest city. With initial success behind him, Farragut sent an advance flotilla upriver. Baton Rouge fell to the Federals on May 8, then Natchez, Mississippi, four days later, and the flotilla steamed on to Vicksburg. But, initial demands for the city’s surrender were refused, as the post commander replied, Mississippians don’t know, and refuse to learn, how to surrender to an enemy. Despite being joined by the gunboats that came downriver from Memphis, the Union fleets were unable to reduce the city based solely on the might of their guns, and they withdrew in late July. The fortress city of Vicksburg would remain defiant for another year.

      Late that year, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was given the task of capturing Vicksburg. However, months of frustration and failure plagued his efforts, and by the spring of 1863 he was running out of time and options. Unable to reach Vicksburg by a northern approach, the Union commander boldly launched his army on a march south through Louisiana from his base camps at Milliken’s Bend and Young’s Point in search of a favorable crossing point somewhere below Vicksburg. As the soldiers slogged their way south over muddy roads, Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter, who commanded the Union fleet working in conjunction with Grant, prepared for a daring run past the batteries of Vicksburg. In a fiery exchange with Confederate shore batteries, Porter’s gunboats and army transports managed to pass below Vicksburg on April 16 and rendezvoused with Grant. On April 30–May 1, the Union army was hurled across the river and onto Mississippi soil at Bruinsburg and began the inland campaign to capture Vicksburg.

      Over the next 17 days, Grant’s forces pushed deep into Mississippi, gained victory over Confederate forces in five separate battles, and drove the Southern army under Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton back into the city’s formidable defenses. Union assaults on May 19 and 22 were easily and bloodily repulsed. Failing to take the city by storm, Grant decided to outcamp the enemy and laid siege to the city. Cut off from all supply and communication with the outside world, the citizens and soldiers of Vicksburg had to subsist on what had been stockpiled in the city prior to the siege. With each passing day, those supplies dwindled. Sickness spread like wildfire, and death was ever present as citizens and soldiers alike fell victim to Union sharpshooters and artillery fire that rained down upon the city for 47 days.

      Finally, on July 4, white flags appeared along the lines, and the valiant defenders of Vicksburg marched forth from their works, stacked their arms, and furled their flags in surrender. Victorious Union forces took possession of the city that had eluded them for so long. A jubilant President Lincoln declared, The Father of Waters again flows unvexed to the sea. The Union victory at Vicksburg was the most decisive of the war, as it gave the North control of the river, cut the Confederacy in two, and effectively sealed the doom of Richmond, the Confederate capital.

      To commemorate the campaign, siege, and defense of Vicksburg,

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