Battle of Vicksburg

These strongholds prevented the Union from using the Mississippi as a means to reinforce and supply its forces fighting in the Deep South, and allowed the South to use it for its own purposes.

Controlling the Mississippi was an important part of the Anaconda Plan. It allowed the Union freedom of movement and freedom from attack in the rear.

The Union casualties at the Battle of Williamsburg were 2,293 men.

The loss at Vicksburg was harmful to the confederacy because they had lost port Hudson and the Southern stronghold on the Mississippi.

Vicksburg had many geographical advantages.

It took place in the vicinity of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

This question is not accurate. There was no battle that was known as scorched earth. Rather scorched earth was a method of fighting and is sometimes referred to as "the scorched earth policy".

An army that applied the scorched earth policy would destroy all resources as they retreated. This would prevent the approaching enemy from having any food or shelter or supplies to supplement their army.

This policy was used by the Russians against Napleon in 1814 and again by the Russians against the Germans in 1941.

Vicksburg was called the "Gibraltar of the South."

Gettysburg was a battle. Vicksburg was a siege.

Approached it with extreme difficulty from the West bank of the Mississippi.

Managed to cross the river downstream unobserved, by distracting the garrison commander, Pemberton, with a cavalry raid.

Fought Pemberton in the open country to the East, and drove him back into his lines.

Besieged the town and attacked its fortifications - often shouting a warning to Johnny Reb to get his head down!

Starved it out, and took the surrender on the Fourth of July, paroling 30,000 prisoners, to the immense gratitude of the town, which actually held a memorial service for Grant when he died - unheard-of in the Deep South.

It was a mighty long time before they next celebrated the Fourth of July, however!

Vicksburg and Gettysburg

The union's leader was Ulysses Grant the 18 president and the Confederacy was led by John Pemberton.

It happened in 1963!

History has been kind to Confederate General Joseph Johnston, however, his outright refusal to aid Vicksburg brought out a new wave of contemporary criticisms. A good number of political leaders, the Southern press and some military officers were harsh when analyzing Johnston's faults. He was seen as a general who refused to stand and fight. This resulted in yielding large amounts of territory to the North, and without a struggle. He was critiqued for retreating without a battle from Manassas Junction in the Spring of 1862. He also yielded the entire peninsula leading to Richmond and allowing Union General George B. McClellan's army to completely occupy it until Johnston had to attack at the Battle of Seven Pines ( where he was wounded ).

He was also charged with falling back from Chattanooga in the Spring of 1864 when not engaging the enemy.

When the war ended, the Southern press had allot of criticism for General Johnston. He was charged in the press with a "continued retrograde movement" from Dalton to Atlanta in 1864. This was the subject of plenty of bad press for Johnston. Apparently the press altered Souther public opinion on the merits of Johnston's repeated retreats.

As for the retreat away from Manassas in the Spring of 1862, lower ranking Confederate officers believed that Johnston's tactics were not reaching the "mark".

Much of the post war criticism was unfair.

Vicksburg was the last major Confederate garrison on the Mississippi. It was commanded by John C. Pemberton, whose loyalty was sometimes questioned because he was born in Pennsylvania. His area commander was Joseph E. Johnston, who disagreed sharply with the Confederate president, Jefferson Davis, who was urging Pemberton to save the town at all costs, while Johnston was urging him to abandon the place and save his army.

The Union armies were commanded by Ulysses Grant, ably assisted by Sherman, and also reinforced by a private army raised by a politician-in-uniform John McClernand. They were further helped by the first notable Union cavalry raid, right across the state of Mississippi, which greatly distracted and disoriented the garrison commander.

The garrison surrendered on a Fourth of July - jubilantly celebrated in the North.

On the Confederate side, the garrison commander was John C. Pemberton, reporting to his area commander Joseph E. Johnston, but also having to listen to conflicting orders from his President, Jefferson Davis - a big factor in his defeat.

On the Union side, U.S. Grant had been given reinforcements from a new army raised by politician-in-uniform John McClernand, which McClernand regarded as his own private army that he wanted to lead to Vicksburg down the West bank of the Missisisppi. This caused much friction with Grant, who preferred the East bank route. With immense difficulty, Grant had to get his men across the river downstream, and eventually beiseged Vicksburg with help from Sherman.

3000

Union forces began action against Vicksburg in the latter part of 1862. Vicksburg finally surrendered on July 4th, 1863.

The more strategically important bottleneck in the West, at the time, was Chattanooga. Grant took over command at Chattanooga, and once he won the Battle of Lookout Mountain, it opened up the way for Sherman to march on Atlanta, a much more strategically important move than merely raiding the immediate vicinity around Vicksburg.

Grant paroled Pemberton's troops.

Vicksburg surrendered the day after the Battle of Gettysburg ended, but there was no direct reationship between them.

Gettysburg is a city is Pennsylvania where president Abraham Lincoln gave his famous speech called The Gettysburg Address. I bet you know it, it begins "For score and seven years ago". Probably the most famous (and most amazing) speeches ever! It was a incredible speech about the Cvil War, and Lincoln trying to stop it. And if you are even in Pennsylvania, you should go to Gettysburg. Amazing place of American history to see. And if you ever get the chance to look up the Gettysburg Address, definitely do so to see what Lincoln said!