Engineers at Vicksburg

Thanks.

I'm not familiar with this book, but it sounds like a good one.

Actually I'm still searching for a reasonably priced copy of Grabau's work, Ninety-Eight Days: A Geographer's View of the Vicksburg Campaign.

What do you consider a "reasonable" price? I think they can be had for around $60. I waited 3-4 months for a copy under $60, and finally broke down and paid the $60. I regretted losing those 3-4 months of research, and felt the $60 to me money very well-spent.
 
You will be hard pressed to find a copy of Ninety-Eight Days for $60 or less on any of the book sites. This is a University Press (of Tennessee) publication.

A must have for any serious student of the Vicksburg Campaign.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1572330686/?tag=civilwartalkc-20

Ninety-Eight Days: Geographers View Vicksburg Campaign

Grant's campaign against Vicksburg has been studied from a number of perspectives--but always with the outcome in the foreground. This documented history of the final phases of the Vicksburg Campaign, from March 29 through July 4, 1863, examines the actions of Union and Confederate commanders as they unfolded, reconstructing their decisions based only on what they knew at any given time. In meticulous detail, Warren E. Grabau describes the logistical situation at key junctures during the campaign and explains how and why those situations constrained the choices available to Grant and Confederate commander John C. Pemberton. Alternating between Confederate and Federal perspectives, he allows the reader to see the situation as the commanders did and then describes how the available information led to their decisions. Grabau examines not only topographic and hydrographic features but also strategic, political, economic, and demographic factors that influenced the commanders' thinking. He analyzes the effectiveness of the intelligence-gathering capabilities of each side, shows how the decisions of both commanders were affected by the presence of the Union Navy, and describes the impact of political philosophies and command structures on the conduct of the campaign. Through his detailed analysis, Grabau even suggests that Grant had no actual campaign plan but was instead a master opportunist, able to exploit every situation. Remarkably detailed maps reconstruct the terrain as it was at the time and show how incomplete data often resulted in poor military decisions. Other supportive material includes Command Structures of the Federal and Confederate Forces in diagrammatic form as they stood at the beginning of the ninety-eight days. Ninety-eight Days is a monumental work masterfully executed, a reconstruction of military reasoning that is more analytical than any previous study of Vicksburg. It contributes substantially to our understanding of those military operations and demonstrates how crucial geography is to the conduct of war.The Author: Warren E. Grabau is a retired geologist with a long interest in the Civil War. He is he coauthor of two earlier books: Evolution of Geomorphology; A Nation-by-Nation Summary of Development (with H. J. Walker) and The Battle of Jackson, May 14, 1863 (with Edwin C. Bearss).

51FQXBJDDHL._SX309_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

 
You will be hard pressed to find a copy of Ninety-Eight Days for $60 or less on any of the book sites. This is a University Press (of Tennessee) publication.

A must have for any serious student of the Vicksburg Campaign.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1572330686/?tag=civilwartalkc-20

Ninety-Eight Days: Geographers View Vicksburg Campaign

Grant's campaign against Vicksburg has been studied from a number of perspectives--but always with the outcome in the foreground. This documented history of the final phases of the Vicksburg Campaign, from March 29 through July 4, 1863, examines the actions of Union and Confederate commanders as they unfolded, reconstructing their decisions based only on what they knew at any given time. In meticulous detail, Warren E. Grabau describes the logistical situation at key junctures during the campaign and explains how and why those situations constrained the choices available to Grant and Confederate commander John C. Pemberton. Alternating between Confederate and Federal perspectives, he allows the reader to see the situation as the commanders did and then describes how the available information led to their decisions. Grabau examines not only topographic and hydrographic features but also strategic, political, economic, and demographic factors that influenced the commanders' thinking. He analyzes the effectiveness of the intelligence-gathering capabilities of each side, shows how the decisions of both commanders were affected by the presence of the Union Navy, and describes the impact of political philosophies and command structures on the conduct of the campaign. Through his detailed analysis, Grabau even suggests that Grant had no actual campaign plan but was instead a master opportunist, able to exploit every situation. Remarkably detailed maps reconstruct the terrain as it was at the time and show how incomplete data often resulted in poor military decisions. Other supportive material includes Command Structures of the Federal and Confederate Forces in diagrammatic form as they stood at the beginning of the ninety-eight days. Ninety-eight Days is a monumental work masterfully executed, a reconstruction of military reasoning that is more analytical than any previous study of Vicksburg. It contributes substantially to our understanding of those military operations and demonstrates how crucial geography is to the conduct of war.The Author: Warren E. Grabau is a retired geologist with a long interest in the Civil War. He is he coauthor of two earlier books: Evolution of Geomorphology; A Nation-by-Nation Summary of Development (with H. J. Walker) and The Battle of Jackson, May 14, 1863 (with Edwin C. Bearss).

51FQXBJDDHL._SX309_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
It is an excellent book, done from a geologist's point of view. Some people find it boring, but if you are into the siege,it is recommended. The Vicksburg Library has a copy, if you're ever in Vicksburg.
 
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It is an excellent book, done from a geologist's point of view. Some people find it boring, but if you are into the siege,it is recommended. The Vicksburg Library has a copy, if you're ever in Vicksburg.

I've read 20 or so books about the siege, and I found this to be the LEAST boring. The geologist's perspective is probably why I find it so readable and refreshing - Grabau does a great job of making you 'feel' the landscape, whereas other books concentrate on the armies and soldiers (information you also need). My only complaint is incorrect battery locations on his maps, which correspond to errors in earlier maps. Fortunately there are also some early maps that have correct locations.

The most boring (to me) was Bearss' book 'Rebel Victory at Vicksburg', but I found it to be invaluable, as he pulled together all the details available for the goings-on on the Mississippi during the year prior to the siege. Tough slog, but everything's there! I have all (I think) of the books that he got his information from, and I haven't yet found anything missing or incorrect.

The Bearss' book was especially useful for the engineering information - you can find who was in charge at various times, which soldiers were working on various things, and when work was being done and what artillery was being moved about. There is still quite a bit missing, but he presents what's available.
 
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Thank you, I have always wanted an incite on the engineers during the war, especially during these huge sieges like Petersburg. Some of them even fought as regular infantry, such as the famed Pioneer Brigade at the battle of Stones River.
 
I know that members of the artillery batteries along the River also did engineering work (planted batteries, dug rifle pits) etc., and were sent to help along the lines with similar work. In addition, members of other battalions helped plant batteries and dig pits that the artillery were to use.
 
It would be cool if we could start a book discussion on it- you know, like chapter at a time to share thoughts. It would take years, but would be kind of neat! Congrats on getting the book.
 
One thing I think is interesting is Grabau's take on Bowen's complicity in scheming to undermine Pemberton's plans at Champion Hill. Every one is in agreement that Loring's behavior bordered on the treasonous, but Grabau is the only author to pick up on the heavy guilt of Bowen. It seems that Bearss and Tim Smith can't praise Bowen too highly. He did have a good brigade/ division, but his attitude is highly questionable it seems. Anyway, I thought Grabau was ground breaking in calling into question Bowen's conduct and attitudes. Remember too at Corinth, the year before, Bowen undermined Van Dorn in that he failed to attack in support of Maury's Division, resulting in heavy casualties. Actually, Gen. Lovell failed to give Bowen the order to attack, but Bowen's attitude was to undermine Gen. Van Dorn. Bowen later called for an official inquiry to try and hurt Van Dorn. (Van Dorn cleared of all charges). Grabau is the only historian I know of that is basically taking Pemberton's side and as to Bowen, calling a spade a spade.
 
The official report of Major Samuel H. Lockett, Confederate chief engineer at Vicksburg, can be read here:
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077723033;view=2up;seq=330

In the above, an interesting reference is made to 'Whistling Dick': "On the 29th [May],...the new battery in rear of General Lee improved, and "Whistling Dick"...put in position,...". Lockett describes the Square Fort (Fort Garrott) as being on the right of Brigadier-General Lee's line (in the map below, the Square Fort is shown near the bottom of the Confederate line), so I believe the battery described is the one shown by the bright yellow arrow on the map below. It's also possible that the mentioning of Whistling Dick being put in position, has nothing to do with the earlier part of the sentence when he mentions 'the new battery'.

Grabau mentions 'Whistling Dick' as being one of the two guns in the Railroad Battery, which was located "100 feet above the River and just south of the railroad cut."

I think Tompre mentioned Whistling Dick being moved from the Railroad Battery at some point. I can't find the reference, but this probably ties in. Whistling Dick's journey shown in green.

Map below is the August, 1863 map by U.S. Engineer Prime - the same map used by Grabau.
Screen Shot 2016-10-05 at 12.25.40 PM.png
 
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From General M.L. Smith's report after assessing the Vicksburg River defenses shortly after his arrival in Vicksburg, 'Whistling Dick' was located in one of the two upper batteries during the Summer 1862 'siege', a year prior to Lockett's above report. Lockett was the Engineer during both sieges (1862 and 1863), and was commended by General Smith in his triumphant report following Farragut's leaving the Vicksburg area in late June. Whistling Dick was the only rifled 18-pounder used during the 1862 siege.

So Whistling Dick travelled from one of the batteries North of the city to the Railroad battery south of the city, then to a battery supporting the outer defenses? ...then back to the Railroad battery? (just guessing - not sure exactly when it was at the Railroad battery).

I'm not certain that the two batteries located above the city in 1862 are the same ones located there during 1863, but they appear to be from this map from July 10, 1862:
Scan 1.jpeg
 
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Through his detailed analysis, Grabau even suggests that Grant had no actual campaign plan but was instead a master opportunist, able to exploit every situation.
I've wondered about that!!

Most of the books about Grant that I've read up to now make it sound like he was a strategic genius in this campaign. (I'm talking just about the big push once Grant crossed the river.) But I'm currently reading Ed Bearss's Receding Tide: Vicksburg and Gettysburg - The Campaigns That Changed the Civil War, which doesn't go into near as much detail as the books y'all have been describing, but is more detailed than anything else I've read about Vicksburg to date. It's hard going for a person like me, who has difficulty visualizing things in three, let alone four, dimensions, but I do enjoy getting at least a basic feel for what the nitty-gritty details day by day, and sometimes hour by hour, were like for the men scouting and pioneering and skirmishing.

Bearss is also giving me a feel for how contingent everything was; plans really did change at every moment. Sure, I've always thought that a big part of Grant's greatness was precisely that flexibility and adaptability. But I'm definitely starting to get the unnerving (for me) feeling that Grant really was a master opportunist more than a strategist. Grabau may be right!
 
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