A* summary of the Siege of Vicksburg for AQA A Level History students studying America (the American Civil War.) Written by a student now studying at Oxford University. Following this summary will guarantee you the top marks.
The Siege of Vicksburg
Background
-Mississippi: primary conduit for supplies and communication through the South. Also a vital lifeline for goods
going into the North.
-Davis: Vicksburg was the “nailhead that holds the South’s two halves together.”
-Lincoln: “Vicksburg is the key! The war can never be bought to a close until that key is in our pocket.”
Before the Battle
-April 1863: Grant was still seeking to capture Vicksburg. He marched his army down the west side of the river,
relying on Admiral Porter’s ironclad fleet sailing past Vicksburg.
-16-17th April: this was achieved.
-Two weeks later: Grant’s army ferried across the Mississippi.
The Siege itself
-18th May: Wanting a quick victory, Grant orders an immediate assault. Only one of his 3 corps is in a position
to attack (Sherman’s).
-19th May: Sherman’s assault focuses on the Stockade Redan, manned by the 27th Louisiana Infantry
(reinforced by Cockrell’s Missouri Brigade).
-2pm, Sherman’s men move towards it, immediately slowed by ravines and obstructions.
-Combat is fierce and bloody, and Sherman’s men pull back. Grant is undaunted and makes a more thorough
reconnaissance of the defences prior to ordering another assault.
-22nd May: Early morning: Union artillery opens fire and bombards the city for four hours. The Union infantry
then advanced on a three-mile front.
-After intense hand-to-hand fighting, Federals breach the Railroad Redoubt, capturing a handful of prisoners.
-Grant’s unsuccessful attacks give him no choice but to invest Vicksburg in a siege.
-Weeks go by and Pemberton’s defenders suffer from shortened rations, exposure to the elements, and
constant bombardment from Grant’s army and navy gunboats.
-Further reduced in number by sickness and casualties, the garrison of Vicksburg is spread dangerously thin.
-Many civilians were forced to live in crudely dug caves due to the heavy shelling.
-25th June: Grant had ordered tunnels to be dug, and explosives set under the Confederate works. The Union
detonates a mine with 2,200 pounds of black powder, causing a huge explosion.
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