ground forces. Therefore appointing Ulysses S. Grant in October of 1862. He was chosen to be the commander of the Department of the Tennessee and in charge of clearing the Mississippi of Confederate resistance. Grant’s long campaign to capture Vicksburg on the Mississippi was one of the most important series of connected battles during the Civil War. So long as the Confederacy controlled the great river, it could prevent the Union from bringing its full weight to bear against Lee in Virginia. Viclesburg’s situation on a bend of the river made it extremely hard to attack. Navel assaults were fruitless, as shown by the fate of the U.S.S. Cairo’s, which was sunk in just a few moments. During the winter of 1862-1863, Grant conducted the Bayou Expeditions, or amphibious operations, all to try to reduce Vicksburg. Needless to say-they all failed. After months of frustration and failure, Grant had reached crossroads in his military career. There was a lot of talking in the northern press to remove him from command. Even members of the U.S. Cabinet urged President Lincoln to replace Grant as commander of the western army. The President could not spare this man because he fought. He decided to try him a little longer. At this point, Grant was where he had started 2 months ago. He traveled down the west side of the river stopping northwest of Vicksburg. Unsuccessfully, Grant tried to reach Vicksburg: two attempts to bypass the city to the south and another two attempts to cross the Yazoo Delta to the north. The date was Mach 1863 and Grant was still at square one. On March 29, 1863, Grant opted to march south. Grant ordered Major General John A. McClernand of the thirteenth corps to open a road form Milliken’s Bend to New Carthange on the Mississippi River below Vicksburg. The movement didn’t actually begin until March 31. Grant’s infantrymen made their way south through Loui...
