Over the course of the summer and winter months, Grant attempted to bypass the city by digging a canal that would allow him to transport troops and supplies south of the city. The canal project was unsuccessful. Grant failed to find a weak point in the Confederate lines to attack Vicksburg from the north. He then ordered a large part of his army to cross the Mississippi River and march along the river's west bank until the Union force was south of the city.
In April , Union ships north of Vicksburg sailed down the Mississippi River past the Confederate artillery defending the city. Most of these ships arrived south of the city safely and began ferrying Grant's army across the river.
The Union marched east toward Jackson, Mississippi. Confederate forces led by General John C. The Confederates failed to stop Grant's advance. Union forces captured Jackson, an important railroad junction, on May The fall of Jackson kept the Confederacy from easily sending reinforcements and supplies to the Confederate troops guarding Vicksburg.
With the fall of Jackson, Grant marched west toward Vicksburg. The Confederate troops failed in their efforts. The Union forces had nearly forty thousand men and greatly outnumbered the Confederates. In the first few weeks of May , Pemberton lost nearly one-half of his forty thousand men to Grant's army. After bloody repulses in the last months of , Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, commanding the Union Army of the Tennessee, determines to push his army south through Louisiana, using the Mississippi River to supply his troops.
His plan is to land his army below Vicksburg, taking this Confederate bastion from the South. On April 16 and 22, , Admiral David D.
Porter 's fleet successfully runs past the Vicksburg batteries, giving Grant the naval power necessary to cross the Mississippi, which he does on April 29, The following day, the Federals establish a strong lodgment east of the river after the Battle of Port Gibson. On the east bank, Grant's swiftly moving troops flank the Confederate garrison at Grand Gulf, forcing the Rebels to abandon the river fortress and make a beeline for Vicksburg.
Grant, however, realizes that the terrain before him—broken by creeks and steep-sloped ravines—is well-suited for defense; his opponent will be able to contest nearly every foot of ground. Furthermore, Grant's front will be constricted by the Mississippi River to his right and the Big Black River to his left, preventing him from using his superiority in numbers to overwhelm the Confederates.
In the meantime, the Southern Railroad will provide the Rebels supplies, and—even worse—reinforcements. If he is going to take Vicksburg, Grant must first cut the railroad. While en route, the Seventeenth Corps, under Gen. James B. McPherson , encounters Confederates outside of Raymond , Mississippi. This is the vanguard of a relief force under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston , bound for Vicksburg. William T.
Sherman toward the Mississippi State capitol of Jackson. After a brief battle, Johnston seemingly abandons his plans to relieve Pemberton and withdraws, never again to play an active role in the Vicksburg campaign.
With the Southern Railroad now squarely in Union hands, and the threat to his rear neutralized, Grant can turn to his sights on Vicksburg. John C. Pemberton , commanding the Confederate Army of Mississippi at Vicksburg, was in a tough bind. On the one hand, his immediate superior, Joe Johnston, placed little stock in defending Vicksburg and instead preferred to have Pemberton's force link up with his own. Together, Johnston reasoned, the Confederate armies could defeat Grant's troops in the open field before shifting their forces to other imperiled points of the Confederacy.
On the other hand, Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president, consistently directed Pemberton to protect Vicksburg at all hazards. The Philadelphia-born Pemberton was keenly aware that abandoning Vicksburg might be viewed as an act of treason. He'd faced similar criticism in when he advocated the withdrawal from Charleston—much to the chagrin of South Carolina's governor.
What's more, a directive from the President of the Confederacy was not something he could simply ignore. Nevertheless, Pemberton attempted to mollify his commanding officer. He moved his troops out of the Vicksburg trenches in the direction of Grant's army hoping to engage—and possibly defeat—the Yankees outside of Vicksburg, and thereby protect the city. Pemberton's movements, however, were slow and he made little effort to coordinate with Johnston.
This half-hearted attempt to please both his military and civilian superiors placed Pemberton's army in a precarious position that the Federals would soon exploit. Contact us for details. We'd love to answer your questions and help you plan your trip. Read about upcoming events, pieces of Vicksburg history and insider tips on our blog. Request a free Vicksburg Visitors Guide by clicking here. Sign up to receive free Vicksburg information on the latest upcoming events and deals through the Vicksburg CVB's monthly e-newsletter!
Hood in a series of battles in northern Georgia. The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, took place from April 6 to April 7, , and was one of the major early engagements of the American Civil War The battle began when the Confederate Army launched a surprise attack on Union forces Live TV.
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