Vicksburg Strategic Setting

Background Strategic Situation Importance of Vicksburg and the Mississippi River –Lincoln’s Assessment –Scott’s Anaconda Plan Confederate supply lines Two halves of the Confederacy

Strategic Situation

Importance of Mississippi River and Vicksburg At the time of the Civil War, the Mississippi River was the single most important economic feature of the continent Confederate forces closed the river to navigation, which threatened to strangle northern commercial interests

Lincoln’s Assessment “See what a lot of land these fellows hold, of which Vicksburg is the key! The war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket.... We can take all the northern ports of the Confederacy, and they can defy us from Vicksburg…. I am acquainted with that region and know what I am talking about, and as valuable as New Orleans will be to us, Vicksburg will be more so.”

Scott’s Anaconda Plan Blockade the Southern ports and stop all imports and exports. –The blockade would stop the sale of agriculture goods drying up the money supply and the blockade would stop the receiving of war martial from foreign nations. Recapture the Mississippi River. –By recapturing the Mississippi River the South would be cut in half making communications difficult between the two sections. After the wearing down of the peoples’ resolve to make and sustain a war march to and capture the Confederate capital. Although initially rejected, Scott’s plan became the de facto Federal strategy in execution

Trans Mississippi Confederacy as a Supply Source Texas led the nation in cattle, with an estimated three and a half million head –Virginia and Georgia, the next largest Confederate cattle- producing states, counted slightly more than one million each. Texas ranked behind only Tennessee in the number of horses and mules, fourth in the number of sheep, and seventh in the production of swine. Texas was a significant source of livestock for armies in the west, but that could only remain the case so long as those animals could cross the river safely. Federal success at Vicksburg would deny the eastern Confederacy access to these and other supplies

Key Railroad from Monroe, LA through Vicksburg to Jackson and points east

Splitting the South in Two Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas (as well as the Indian Territory) accounted for almost half of the Confederacy’s total land mass Federal control of the Mississippi River would isolate the western and eastern halves of the Confederacy So Grant’s mission is to seize Vicksburg in order to control the Mississippi River and separate the Confederacy in two

Terrain Vicksburg was part of a line of bluffs that extended from Columbus, KY to Baton Rouge, LA –Formed an escarpment that greatly favored the defense both on land and on water

Vicksburg Bluff Line

Fortifications on the Mississippi N Columbus Is. No. 10 New Madrid Ft. Pillow Memphis Vicksburg Grand Gulf Port Hudson Ft. St. Philip Ft. Jackson New Orleans 0200 Miles KY MO AR LA MS AL TN

River-Bluff Interface: Grand Gulf

Terrain What is going to make things difficult for Grant is the terrain Northeast of Vicksburg was the Delta –Flat, periodically flooded area coursed by streams of various navigability Steele’s Bayou, Tallahatchie River, Yazoo River, etc –Steep banked creeks, uncleared swamplands West of Vicksburg was Louisiana –Even flatter and swampier Would require much corduroying of roads

Vicksburg and the Mississippi As Union forces moved south toward Vicksburg in late 1862, the winter and the wet season began. –This ended all possibilities of moving forces by land. –Grant is forced to find an alternative route to reach Vicksburg. –Makes several failed attempts from December 1862 through April 1863

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