The Civil war cut our nation in two, Americans fighting Americans, brother against brother. A key battle fought westward was the turning point in the war: the Battle of Vicksburg. (Williams 3)Grant began to make plans for a campaign against Vicksburg. The campaign in the American Civil War culminating in the surrender of Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant on July 4, 1863. General Ulysses S. Grant with the largest force, about 67, 000 men. I was to guard rail communications and occupy towns in the Union. It held territory in the west, but he would concentrate on taking Vicksburg. Vicksburg is the last principal confederate bastion on the Mississippi. (Street-17)During the period May through July 1862, several attempts to seize Vicksburg were made by Adam. David G. Farraguts fleet and troops under General Thomas Williams. These Ventures failed because the guns used on the ships could not be directed effectively against the confederate batteries high on the bluffs, and because the confederate troops far outnumbered the Union contingents sent against them. (Street 79)Between Cairo, Illinois, and the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River twists and winds for nearly 1,000 miles. Receiving control of Vicksburg and the Mississippi River was a huge benefit in the war. The River was vital to both the American Government and to the Confederate forces in the west. Confederate forces mounted artillery batteries ready to challenge the passage of Union ships. Before the outbreak of the Civil War, Vicksburg, Mississippi had become one of the most prosperous and sophisticated towns on the old Southern frontier. The city was a becoming center of trade, its wharves crowded with boats carrying all manner of goods and commodities. It boasted a municipal orchestra, a Shakespeare repertory company, and an imposing courthouse in the Greek revival style. To its proud citizens, Vicksburg was the Queen City of the Bl...
