The Goal: Control the MississippiAt the time of the Civil War, the Mississippi River was the single most important economic feature of the continent; the very lifeblood of America. Upon the secession of the southern states, Confederate forces closed the river to navigation, which threatened to strangle northern commercial interests.
President Abraham Lincoln told his civil and military leaders, "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.... We can take all the northern ports of the Confederacy, and they can defy us from Vicksburg." Lincoln assured his listeners that "I am acquainted with that region and know what I am talking about, and as valuable as New Orleans will be to us, Vicksburg will be more so."
It was imperative for the administration in Washington to regain control of the lower Mississippi River, thereby opening that important avenue of commerce enabling the rich agricultural produce of the Northwest to reach world markets.
It would also split the South in two, sever a vital Confederate supply line, achieve a major objective of the Anaconda Plan, and effectively seal the doom of Richmond.
The Battle of Fort Donelson The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 12-16, 1862 in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. This was ten days after the victory at Fort Henry. The capture of the fort by Union forces opened the Cumberland River as a pathway for invasion of the south and elevated General Grant to the rank of Major General and the nickname “Unconditional Surrender” Grant.
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The Battle of Shiloh/ Pittsburgh Landing The battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburgh Landing, was another major battle in the western theatre of the American Civil War, fought on April 6-7, 1862 in southwestern Tennessee. Confederate forces under generals Albert Sidney Johnston and P.G.T. Beauregard launched a surprise attack against the Union army of Major General Ulysses S. Grant and came close to defeating his army and blocking the invasion of Tennessee. The arrival of reinforcements from Major General Don Carlos Buell and fierce Union resistance turned the tide and the Confederates were forced to retreat from the bloodiest battle in the United States history up to that time.
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The Siege of CorinthThe siege of Corinth was fought from April 29 - June 10, 1862 in Corinth Mississippi. After the Union victory at Shiloh the Union army under Major General Henry W. Halleck advanced on the vital rail center in Corinth. The Confederate army under P.G.T Beauregard used the Mobile and Ohio Railroad to transport sick and wounded soldiers while the others left on foot. They set up burning campfires, tents, and dummy Quaker Guns to create the setting of a camp. By the time the Union soldiers found what they had believed to be a Confederate camp the Confederates were long gone and safe, the hoax had worked.
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The Vicksburg Campaign From mid-Oct. 1862, Major General Ulysses S. Grant made several attempts to take Vicksburg. Following failures in the first attempts, he prepared to cross his troops from the west bank of the Mississippi River to a point south of Vicksburg and drive against the city from the south and east. Naval support for his campaign came from Rear Admiral David D. Porter's fleet north of Vicksburg. Porter's vessels could ferry Federals to the east bank. There, the infantry would face the Confederate forces under Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton at Vicksburg.
In Jan. 1863 Grant organized his force into the XI Corps under Major General John A. McClernand, the XV Corps under Major General William T. Sherman, the XVI Corps under Major General Stephen A. Hurlbut, and the XVII Corps under Major General James B. McPherson. Hurlbut's corps was transferred to New Orleans. With his 3 remaining corps, Grant began operations late in March. On the 29th and 30th McClernand's and McPherson's men, at Milliken's Bend and Lake Providence, northwest of Vicksburg, began working their way south, building a military road to New Carthage, Louisiana, preparatory to a move south to Hard Times, Louisiana, a village opposite Bruinsburg, Mississippi. Grant had originally determined that Rodney, Mississippi, would be the starting point of his invasion, but took the advice of a local slave and picked Bruinsburg instead.
The Battle of Grand Gulf was fought on April 29, 1863 between Union and Confederate forces. The Union force, led by Ulysses S. Grant launched a naval attack against Confederate positions at Grand Gulf. The attack was unsuccessful.
The Battle of Snyder's Bluff was fought from April 29 to May 1 of 1863. Union forces feigned an attack on the bluff, which was easily repelled.
The Battle of Port Gibson was fought on May 1, 1863 between Union and Confederate forces. The Union Army was led by Ulysses S. Grant, and they were victorious. Among the Confederate Forces was Colonel Isham Warren Garrott of the 20th Alabama Regiment.
The Battle of Raymond was fought on May 12, 1863, near Raymond, Mississippi during the American Civil War. The bitter fight pitted Union Army elements of General Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee against garrison forces of General John C. Pemberton's Confederate Department of the Mississippi and East Louisiana in a losing bid to prevent the federal troops from reaching the Southern Railroad and isolating Vicksburg, Mississippi from reinforcement and resupply. The ranking Confederate General, John Gregg (CSA), attempted to achieve tactical surprise and rout the federal force. He was in turn tactically surprised and routed from the field by federal units under the command of General James B. McPherson. The Union casualties at Raymond consisted of 68 killed, 341 wounded, and 37 missing. The Confederate casualties were nearly double: 100 killed, 305 wounded, and 415 captured.
The Battle of Jackson, fought on May 14, 1863, in Jackson, Mississippi, was part of the Vicksburg Campaign in the American Civil War. Union commander Major General Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Tennessee defeated Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston, seizing the city, cutting supply lines, and opening the path to the west and the Siege of Vicksburg.
The Battle of Champion Hill, or
Bakers Creek, fought May 16, 1863, was the pivotal battle in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Union commander Major General Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Tennessee pursued the retreating Confederate Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton and defeated his army twenty miles to the east of Vicksburg, Mississippi, leading inevitably to the Siege of Vicksburg and surrender.
The Battle of Big Black River Bridge, or
Big Black, fought May 17, 1863, was part of the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Union commander Major General Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Tennessee pursued the retreating Confederate Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton following the Battle of Champion Hill, in the final battle before the Siege of Vicksburg.
The Battle of Milliken's Bend, fought June 7, 1863, was part of the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Confederate Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton and his army were besieged in Vicksburg, Mississippi, by Union commander Major General Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Tennessee. In an effort to cut Grant's supply line and relieve the city, the Confederates attacked the Union supply area at Milliken's Bend up the Mississippi. Although a relatively small battle, it was distinguished by the prominent role played by black Union soldiers who, despite lacking much military training, fought bravely with inferior weaponry and finally drove off the Confederates with help from gunboats.
The Battle of Goodrich's Landing was fought from June 29 - June 30 of 1863 between Union and Confederate forces. The Confederates attacked several Union Black Regiments which were protecting several captured plantations. The Confederates were victorious.
The Battle of Helena was a land battle of the American Civil War fought on 4 July 1863 at Helena, Arkansas. Overshadowed by the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, the Battle of Helena secured eastern Arkansas for the Union.
The Battle of Vicksburg or
Siege of Vicksburg was the final significant battle in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of brilliant maneuvers, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate army of Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton into defensive lines surrounding the fortress city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Grant besieged the city. As the siege progressed, Pemberton's 20,000-man garrison was reduced by disease and starvation, and the city's residents were forced to seek the refuge of caves and bombproofs in the surrounding hillsides, Hunger and daily bombardments by Grant's forces and Porter's gunboats compelled Pemberton to ask for surrender terms six weeks later, giving command of the Mississippi River to the Union.
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Sources
1) "Historical Times Encyclopedia of the Civil War" edited by Patricia L. Faust
2) http://www.nps.gov/vick/vcmpgn/vcmpgn.htm edited by G. Zeman
3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_vicksburg
The Army Leaders 