The Siege of Vicksburg: Climax of the Campaign to Open the Mississippi River, May 23-July 4, 1863

by Timothy B. Smith

Overview

In The Siege of Vicksburg: Climax of the Campaign to Open the Mississippi River, May 23–July 4, 1863, noted Civil War scholar Timothy B. Smith offers the first comprehensive account of the siege that split the Confederacy in two. While the siege is often given a chapter or two in larger campaign studies and portrayed as a foregone conclusion, The Siege of Vicksburg offers a new perspective and thus a fuller understanding of the larger Vicksburg Campaign. Smith takes full advantage of all the resources, both Union and Confederate—from official reports to soldiers’ diaries and letters to newspaper accounts—to offer in vivid detail a compelling narrative of the operations. The siege was unlike anything Grant’s Army of the Tennessee had attempted to this point and Smith helps the reader understand the complexity of the strategy and tactics, the brilliance of the engineers’ work, the grueling nature of the day-by-day participation, and the effect on all involved, from townspeople to the soldiers manning the fortifications.

The Siege of Vicksburg portrays a high-stakes moment in the course of the Civil War because both sides understood what was at stake: the fate of the Mississippi River, the trans-Mississippi region, and perhaps the Confederacy itself. Smith’s detailed command-level analysis extends from army to corps, brigades, and regiments and offers fresh insights on where each side held an advantage. One key advantage was that the Federals had vast confidence in their commander while the Confederates showed no such assurance, whether it was Pemberton inside Vicksburg or Johnston outside. Smith offers an equally appealing and richly drawn look at the combat experiences of the soldiers in the trenches. He also tackles the many controversies surrounding the siege, including detailed accounts and analyses of Johnston’s efforts to lift the siege, and answers the questions of why Vicksburg fell and what were the ultimate consequences of Grant’s victory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780700632251
Publisher:	University Press of Kansas
Publication date:	06/18/2021
Series:	Modern War Studies
Pages:	768
Sales rank:	521,371
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.50(h) x 2.10(d)

About the Author

Timothy B. Smith teaches history at the University of Tennessee at Martin. His many books include, most recently, The Union Assaults at Vicksburg: Grant Attacks Pemberton, May 17-22, 1863; Grant Invades Tennessee: The 1862 Battles for Forts Henry and Donelson; Corinth 1862: Siege, Battle, Occupation; and Shiloh: Conquer or Perish, all published by Kansas.

Table of Contents

List of Maps ix

List of Illustrations xi

Preface xiii

Prologue: "No Greater Topographical Puzzle" xvii

1 "The Great Problem" 1

2 "We Have Done Very Little, but Made a Great Noise in Doing It" 24

3 "I Think We Will Siege Them Out" 49

4 "My Men Are in Good Spirits, Awaiting Your Arrival" 89

5 "We Hear Nothing but the Crack of Guns Smell Nothing but Powder" 126

6 "Grant Is Pressing, and Must Be Supplied" 155

7 "The Mental Strain Became Awful under Such Conditions" 189

8 "The Most Miserable Place We Have Ever Been In" 221

9 "Can't Our Government Send Us Relief?" 253

10 "I Should Have Relieved Him Long Since" 297

11 "Johnston Will Attack within Forty-eight Hours" 331

12 "The Death Hole" 366

13 "We Are Drawing Nearer Every Day the End of Our Tether" 400

14 "I Only Wonder It Has Held Out So Long" 436

15 "Vicksburg Has Surrendered" 471

16 "Gen. Grant Has 'Caught the Rabbit1'" 506

Epilogue: "The Fate of the Confederacy Was Sealed When Vicksburg Fell" 532

Appendix A Union Order of Battle at Vicksburg, May 23-July 4, 1863 539

Appendix B Confederate Order of Battle at Vicksburg, May 23-July 4, 1863 553

Glossary 563

Notes 565

Bibliography 663

Index 703

Editorial Reviews

"With this volume on the siege itself, [Smith] cements his dominance over this significant slice of Civil War history."—Parameters

"Those with an interest in Civil War military history will find the book easy to read and hard to put down. It is also hard to imagine that a more thorough and insightful account of the Vicksburg siege will emerge for a generation at least."—Journal of Southern History

"In his engrossing new study of the Siege of Vicksburg, Timothy Smith offers a fascinating overview of how U.S. Grant, his generals, and his soldiers, captured the Gibraltar of the Confederacy."—Michigan War Studies Review

"Smith describes the strategic and tactical complexity of the siege, but just as importantly, he devotes considerable attention and detail tot he plight of the common soldier and the suffering and deprivations of Vicksburg’s citizens. . . . An important book and it contributes significantly to the body of Civil War scholarship."—Civil War Book Review

"Specific operations and events, from those of the Federal Navy to the detonation of a great bomb, the attempted relief of the town by Confederate General Joseph Johnston, negotiations for the final surrender, and other events occasionally addressed in stand-alone books or periodical articles, are insightfully reviewed here. Highly recommended."—Choice

"Well illustrated and with many excellent maps, The Siege of Vicksburg is a thorough account that explains how the Union gained Vicksburg and split the Confederacy in two. Rooted in excellent research, with many first hand accounts, this is detailed, engaging, very readable, and is highly recommended."—New York Military Affairs Symposium Review

"Will unquestionably come to be regarded as the standard history of the concluding phase of the campaign."—Civil War Books and Authors

“Following up on his highly acclaimed work on the May 19 and 22, 1863, Union assaults on Vicksburg, author Timothy B. Smith continues his tour de force of the Vicksburg campaign with The Siege of Vicksburg: Climax of the Campaign to Open the Mississippi River, May 23–July 4, 1863. Smith again demonstrates his mastery of what has been termed ‘the most decisive campaign ever waged on American soil.’ His talented pen details the siege with intimacy and clarity, and he chronicles the complex operations through the personal experiences of the men in blue and gray in a manner that is sure to captivate the reader. His work is smooth, comprehensive, insightful, and written with a passion that makes it a delight to read. This is the one-volume work on the siege of Vicksburg that will appeal to readers across the spectrum from novice to expert on the campaign.”—Terrence J. Winschel, historian (ret.), Vicksburg National Military Park 

From the Publisher