The Battle of Vicksburg

The Battle of Vicksburg
Name:
Institution:
Course:
Tutor:
Date:
Abstract
The extraordinary success of the Union forces at Vicksburg marked the end of a Civil War that had been going for more than four years. It is one of the greatest offensive operations to be carried out by the US Military. The Vicksburg campaign was very critical because it completely changed the course of the Civil War in the South. The outcome of the battle was greatly influenced by Grant’s brilliant military tactics as well as the control of the Mississippi River by the Union forces. Poor tactics and lack of unity within the Confederacy army led to their defeat and subsequent surrender to union forces. This paper provides a critical analysis and assessment of one of America’s greatest Civil Wars.
Statement of Issue(s)
This paper discusses the Battle of Vicksburg that took place between March 29, 1863 to July 4, 1863. Some of the major issues that will be analyzed and assessed in the paper include:
* Why the battle took place
* What influenced the outcome of the battle
* The influence of the battle outcome on the campaign
* The influence of the campaign on the course of the Civil War
Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Abstract PAGEREF _Toc424626574 \h 21.0 Introduction PAGEREF _Toc424626575 \h 52.0 Causes of the Civil War PAGEREF _Toc424626576 \h 53.0 The Vicksburg Campaign and Siege PAGEREF _Toc424626577 \h 64.0 Why the Union Forces managed to capture Vicksburg PAGEREF _Toc424626578 \h 75.0 The turning point for the civil War PAGEREF _Toc424626579 \h 76.0 The influence of the battle on the campaign PAGEREF _Toc424626580 \h 87.0 Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc424626581 \h 88.0 References PAGEREF _Toc424626582 \h 9
1.0 Introduction
The battle of Vicksburg was a civil war that pitted Americans against Americans and the war ended up splitting the nation. The secession of the Southern states was a threat to the commercial interests of the north and this therefore made north to declare war with the confederate states (Woodworth & Grear, 2013). The fact that River Mississippi was under the control of the southern states meant that the Northern economy would be would be affected in a great way and this meant that that access to Mississippi and Louisiana was completely denied. The only way to end the rebellion in the Southern states was to open up the Mississippi River and capture Vicksburg town because it was the city that fortified the river. A key battle that was fought westwards was the key turning point in this war in a major battle that began on March 29, 1863 and ended on July 4, 1863 (Woodworth & Grear, 2013). The Army of the Tennessee under the command of Ulysses S. Grant set out to take control of Vicksburg, Mississippi by battling the Confederate armies.
For a period of two years, the union forces had failed in their attempt to take the Vicksburg town from Confederate forces because the counter moves from these rebels had always blocked them. John Pemberton was the leader of the Confederate defenders that had mounted a serious resistance but this new and bold campaign by Grant is what delivered victory to the union forces in one of the greatest American Civil War Campaigns (Shea &a...