When I think of the Civil War, I think of Chancellorsville, Bull Run and the Jackson’s Valley Campaign. Only until I sailed the Mississippi did I grasp the importance of this mighty river in the War Between the States.
Vicksburg was settled on the highest banks along the entire Mississippi. Whoever controlled Vicksburg, controlled the Mississippi and as important as the great river is to commerce today, it was far greater in the 1860s. Lincoln once noted that Vicksburg was the key to winning the war and we relived the battle that ultimately ended the South’s grasp for independence with a tour of the Vicksburg National Military Park.
A vivid picture of the battle lay before us. You could close your eyes and hear the thunder of the cannons and the moans of wounded soldiers. The clang of clashing bayonets pierced the air and the hooves of the horses of the approaching cavalry dug into the black soil. “Charge” yelled the Union Captains and a volley of return fire echoed through the hills.
In 1863, Vicksburg was an impenetrable fortress designed and arranged by Major Samuel H. Lockett, Chief Engineer of the Army of Vicksburg. To capture Vicksburg, the Union Army would need to expose itself to the accurate firepower of the fortified Rebels and their attempts were in vain. It was like marching into a shooting gallery.
The armies of Grant and Sherman made several attempted charges and suffered great losses. There was only one way to capture Vicksburg. By starvation. The Union forces set up a blockade so that no supplies could get to the men or the city and the siege lasted 47 days until the white flag was raised. Of the 10,000 southern losses, more had succumbed to starvation and malnutrition than bullets and cannonballs.
On or about the same day Vicksburg fell, Robert E. Lee suffered his first loss at Gettysburg. The writing was on the wall and the war would be over in 2 more years.
The tour through the battlefields of Vicksburg was one of the most impressive that I have ever taken. It alone was worth the price of our wonderful cruise on the Mississippi.
