answersLogoWhite

0

Vicksburg was doomed anyway.

But they found it easy to make a scapegoat out of the garrison commander, General John C. Pemberton, on the grounds that he was not a true Southerner.

Born in Pennsylvania, Pemberton had married the daughter of a big farmer in Virginia, and become enamoured with the Southern life. On the outbreak of war, he threw in his lot with the Confederates, although he had two brothers serving on the Union side.

After Vicksburg, he faced cruel accusations of disloyalty, and felt he should resign his commission, re-enlisting as a Private. Before long, he was back up to Colonel, but was never given a significant job after that.

Even though the port of Vicksburg could not have been held much longer by the Confederates, the garrison itself could probably have been saved if they had evacuated the place promptly, as urged by the local commander Joe Johnston. But Pemberton was also being urged to hold the place at any cost by the Confederate president Jefferson Davis - the inadequate would-be General at whose door the blame really lies.

User Avatar

Wiki User

14y ago

What else can I help you with?