Vicksburg

1
Vicksburg

• Overview

2
Vicksburg
3
Vicksburg
4
Vicksburg

• Mission
• Enemy
• Terrain and Weather
• Troops and Equipment
• Time
• Civilians

5
Mission

• Seize Vicksburg in order to control the
  Mississippi River and separate the Confederacy in
  two

6
Enemy

• Pemberton
• Five divisions totaling 43,000 effectives
• Pemberton fell under Johnstons Department of the
  West
• By early June, Johnston had gathered 31,000 men
  to relieve Pemberton, but he retreated instead
• No ironclads and only a few wooden gunboats

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Terrain

• Strategic importance
• Control of the Mississippi
• Located astride the railroad that linked
  Shreveport, LA (and thus the three states west of
  the river) to the eastern transportation network

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Terrain

• Northeast of Vicksburg was the Delta
• Flat, periodically flooded area coursed by
  streams of various navigability
• Steeles Bayou, Tallahatchie River, Yazoo River,
  etc
• Steep banked creeks, uncleared swamplands
• West of Vicksburg was Louisiana
• Even flatter and swampier
• Would require much corduroying of roads

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Bayou Expeditions
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Helena
Yazoo Pass
Mississippi River
Fort Pemberton
Steeles Bayou
Lake Providence
Yazoo River
Duckport
Snyders (Haynes) Bluff
Vicksburg
Grants Canal
Bayou Expeditions
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Terrain

• Vicksburg was part of a line of bluffs that
  extended from Columbus, KY to Baton Rouge, LA
• Formed an escarpment
• that greatly favored the
• defense both on land
• and on water

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Vicksburg Bluff Line
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Fortifications on the Mississippi
KY
MO
Columbus
New Madrid
Is. No. 10
TN
Ft. Pillow
Memphis
AR
MS
AL
LA
Vicksburg
Grand Gulf
Port Hudson
New Orleans
Ft. St. Philip
Ft. Jackson
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River-Bluff Interface Grand Gulf
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Troops

• Army
• Grant- Army of the Tennessee
• Hurlbut- XVI Corps (headquartered in Memphis,
  largely performing rear area missions)
• Sherman- XV Corps
• McPherson- XVII Corps
• McClernand- XIII Corps
• Maneuver force of ten divisions (44,000
  effectives)

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Troops

• Navy
• Mississippi River Squadron commanded by Flag
  Officer David Porter
• About 60 combat vessels of which 20 to 25 would
  support the Vicksburg operation at any one time
• 13 ironclads

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Time

• Not an issue
• Siege lasted 47 days

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Civilians

• About 3,000 lived in Vicksburg
• Many took shelter in caves
• Some held up to 200
• Toward the end of the siege, the daily ration was
  "two common biscuits, two rashers (slices) of
  bacon, a few peas and a spoon full of rice ..."

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Tempo of Operations
1862
1863
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
March Down River
End TN/KY Campaign
Siege
Bayou Expeditions
First Offensives
Campaign
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Yazoo River
Snyders (Haynes) Bluff
Millikens Bend
Chickasaw Bayou
Youngs Point
Edwards
Vicksburg
Champion Hill
Jackson
Raymond
Mississippi River
Big Black River
Vicksburg Campaign Overview
Grand Gulf
Willow Springs
Port Gibson
Bruinsburg
Route of Grants Army
Rodney
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Millikens Bend
SPT
SPT
Youngs Point
March To Bruinsburg I 31 March-18 April
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Millikens Bend
SPT
SPT
Youngs Point
March To Bruinsburg II 19-30 April
Rodney
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SPT
SPT
Jackson
Mississippi River
Campaign of Maneuver 1 May
Port Gibson
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SPT
SPT
Jackson
Mississippi River
Big Black River
Willow Springs
Campaign of Maneuver 2 May
Big Bayou Pierre
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SPT
SPT
Jackson
Mississippi River
Big Black River
SPT
Campaign of Maneuver 3 May
Big Bayou Pierre
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SPT
SPT
Jackson
Mississippi River
Big Black River
SPT
Campaign of Maneuver 4 May
Big Bayou Pierre
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SPT
SPT
Jackson
Mississippi River
Big Black River
SPT
Campaign of Maneuver 5 May
Big Bayou Pierre
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SPT
SPT
Jackson
Mississippi River
Big Black River
SPT
Campaign of Maneuver 6 May
Big Bayou Pierre
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SPT
SPT
Jackson
Mississippi River
Big Black River
SPT
Campaign of Maneuver 7 May
Big Bayou Pierre
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SPT
SPT
Jackson
Mississippi River
Big Black River
SPT
Campaign of Maneuver 8 May
Big Bayou Pierre
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SPT
SPT
Jackson
Mississippi River
Big Black River
SPT
Campaign of Maneuver 9 May
Big Bayou Pierre
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Big Black River
SPT
SPT
Edwards
Jackson
Mississippi River
Raymond
SPT
Campaign of Maneuver 10 May
Big Bayou Pierre
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Big Black River
SPT
SPT
Edwards
Mississippi River
Raymond
SPT
Campaign of Maneuver 11 May
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Big Black River
SPT
SPT
Bovina
Edwards
Jackson
Mississippi River
SPT
Campaign of Maneuver 12 May
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Big Black River
SPT
SPT
Bovina
Jackson
Mississippi River
SPT
Campaign of Maneuver 13 May
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Big Black River
SPT
SPT
Bovina
Champion Hill
Mississippi River
Raymond
SPT
Campaign of Maneuver 14 May
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Big Black River
SPT
SPT
Bovina
Mississippi River
Raymond
SPT
Campaign of Maneuver 15 May
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Big Black River
SPT
SPT
Bovina
Jackson
Mississippi River
Raymond
SPT
Campaign of Maneuver 16 May
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Big Black River
SPT
SPT
Jackson
Mississippi River
Raymond
SPT
Campaign of Maneuver 17 May
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SPT
Big Black River
SPT
SPT
Jackson
Mississippi River
SPT
Raymond
Campaign of Maneuver 18 May
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Siege of Vicksburg
Fort Hill
Stockade Redan
3d Louisiana Redan