Litho of the Mississippi River Squadron who attempted to break the southern blockade at Vicksburg on April 16, 1863
The Vicksburg Field Trip was a series of maneuvers and battlefields in the western part of America during the American Civil War. The main purpose of the Northern Campaign was the fortified city of Vicksburg. This city dominated the last piece of the Mississippi River that was in southern hands. The Northern Army of the Tennessee headed by General Major Ulysses S. Grant conquered the city on Southern Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton.
The field trip can be divided into a number of naval operations, troop movements, failed plans and eleven battles between 26 December 1862 and 4 July 1863. Military historians divide this two-stage field trip, namely the Operations against Vicksburg (December 1862 until January 1863) and Grant's operations against Vicksburg (March to July 1863).
Grant launched a tongs movement to take in the city. One half of his army headed by General Maj. William T. Sherman would rise along the Yazoo River to approach Vicksburg from the northeast. The other half under the command of Grant itself would push along the Mississippi Central Railroad. This plan would not succeed. Then Grant tried to access the river south of the Vicksburg batteries. These five attempts also failed. Eventually, a northern cannon boat succeeded in breaking through the southern river blockade. Meanwhile, Grant marched with his army via Louisiana to Vicksburg. On April 29 and 30, Grant set his army over the Mississippi at Bruinsburg. A series of maneuvers and blurred movements had scattered the Southern Sand in the eyes so that the crossing could happen without loss. The next 17 days, Grant Jackson, Mississippi conquered and won five battles. After that, the siege of Vicksburg could begin.
After the surrender of Pemberton Army on July 4 (one day after the Northern victory at Gettysburg) in Vicksburg and the end of the Port Hudson Siege on July 9th, the entire Mississippi River was in northern hands. These events were the turning point in the war.
BackgroundVicksburg was strategically important for the South. President Jefferson Davis said, "Vicksburg is the nail that holds the two halves of the South." This city blocked the Northern Passage along the Mississippi River. Through this city, communication and supply between the various southern states along the river could be easier. The city received the nickname Gibraltar of the South because of its natural defense capabilities. It was on a hill that gave a view of a U-shaped bend in the river. To the north and east of Vicksburg, the Mississippi Delta (also known as the Yazoo Delta) was a virtually impenetrable swamp that was 320 km long and 80 km wide. About 19 km from the city, along the Yazoo River, the Southerners had been shot out at Haynes Bluff.
The city was already under Northern Fire. When admiral David Farragut raised the river to conquer New Orleans, he had demanded the surrender of the city on May 18, 1862. However, he did not have enough resources and manpower to take in Vicksburg. That's why he pulled out unrighteous matters. In June 1862, Farragut returned to Vicksburg with a stronger fleet. Their bombing between 26 and 28 June did not matter. The city remained firm in southern hands. Farragut investigated the possibility of bypassing the fortified city by digging a canal. This would make Vicksburg literally and figuratively an island. On June 28, a workforce led by brigadier Thomas Williams began to dig a channel. Many workers and soldiers died from exhaustion or tropical diseases. The work was suspended on July 24th. Williams died two weeks later in the Battle of Baton Rouge.
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