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Vicksburg 1863: America's most important July 4th (besides 1776)
The Fourth of July has always been an important day in the U.S. It marks the day in 1776 when the colonies issued the Declaration of Independence from the British Empire. A new nation was born, at least for a little while.In 1861 that nation was torn apart by a bloody Civil War that saw its turning point on another fourth of July, that of 1863. On that day the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant.
The Union army had been trying to take it since the beginning of the war. The fortified city was the key to the Mississippi River. If the North could control the river it would cut the Confederacy in half, leaving Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and the Indian Territory cut off from the rest of the rebellious nation. The Confederate west was a major source of supplies and men, especially Texas, which had overland access to Mexico and the only reliable contact with the outside world thanks to the Union navy's effective blockade.
It took General Grant many months and thousands of lives to take the city. He managed to capture Jackson, Mississippi, an important railroad connection, and then surround Vicksburg on the landward side. Then he launched two massive assaults on the fortifications, only to lose hundreds of men.
Grant was not one to repeat mistakes, except for the mistake of drinking too much. He decided not to waste any more men and settled in for a siege. He kept up a constant bombardment on the city as the civilians and rebel soldiers dug in. Eventually the defenders were reduced to eating rats and dogs. One local newspaper ran out of paper and issued the news on wallpaper.
Gallery: The Siege of Vicksburg
On July 4, 1863, the Confederates had had enough. Their commander John C. Pemberton surrendered, figuring the Union troops would be more merciful on that day than any other. The final and much smaller Confederate stronghold on the river, Port Hudson, surrendered on July 9. Robert E. Lee had lost the battle of Gettysburg on July 3. For the North, winning the war was now only a matter of time.
As the telegraph lines sent the news across the North, there were huge Fourth of July celebrations. There weren't many in the South, though, and in fact July 4th wasn't celebrated in Vicksburg again until World War Two made the locals realize that the USA wasn't such a bad thing after all.
Vicksburg National Military Park is one of the nation's most impressive battlefields. Parts of the city's six-and-a-half miles of defenses can still be seen and reconstructions make you feel like you're back in the nineteenth century. There are living history demonstrations every day as well as visits to the USS Cairo, an ironclad Union gunboat that's been raised from the water.
So if you're not sure where to go this Fourth of July, you might consider taking a road trip to either Philadelphia, where this country was formed, or Vicksburg, where this country was saved.
[Photo of Vicksburg graves courtesy user Matito via Flickr]
As the telegraph lines sent the news across the North, there were huge Fourth of July celebrations. There weren't many in the South, though, and in fact July 4th wasn't celebrated in Vicksburg again until World War Two made the locals realize that the USA wasn't such a bad thing after all.
Vicksburg National Military Park is one of the nation's most impressive battlefields. Parts of the city's six-and-a-half miles of defenses can still be seen and reconstructions make you feel like you're back in the nineteenth century. There are living history demonstrations every day as well as visits to the USS Cairo, an ironclad Union gunboat that's been raised from the water.
So if you're not sure where to go this Fourth of July, you might consider taking a road trip to either Philadelphia, where this country was formed, or Vicksburg, where this country was saved.
[Photo of Vicksburg graves courtesy user Matito via Flickr]
Filed under: History, Learning, North America, United States
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bill Jun 27th 2011 5:20PM
Nice article.
Vicksburg is one of the best-maintained National Military Parks in the system. Good signage, easy access, and the ebb and flow of the siege battle is well-explained.
The gunboat Cairo is particularly impressive.
You won't regret a visit.
Otis Harrison Jun 28th 2011 6:32AM
General Grant, in control of the Western Union Army by this point, laid a seige on Vicksburg and shelled the city constantly.
http://hardknight.net/
Bill Underhill Jun 28th 2011 6:50PM
A good article but I take exception to the gratuitous comment: "Grant was not one to repeat mistakes, except for the mistake of drinking too much." Where during the war did he drink too much and if so, what were the consequences? I'd appreciate your citing your sources.
Sean McLachlan Jun 28th 2011 6:54PM
Grant drank too much before, during, and after the war, including during the slow bits of the siege of Vicksburg.
Sources: every in-depth history of the Civil War or biography of Grant. Start with Shelby Foote and work your way up. My statement is hardly a controversial one.
Consequences: very little militarily. During the war Grant was able to keep his problem more or less under control. What today we'd call a functional alcoholic.