The road to re-unification began at Vicksburg.

Short answer, it would be October of 1863 before Grant was officially out of the area and in command at Chattanooga, TN.



Although Vicksburg surrendered July 4th, there was still much for him to do, and quite frankly worry about.

There was a very real threat to Grant 40 miles away at Jackson, MS . . . Joe Johnston's so called "Army of Relief" .
Bank's predicament in Louisiana also occupied his attention, along with Grant's strategic suggestion to attack Mobile, AL while he had troops in the neighborhood.

As @wausaubob has pointed out, Grant then visited New Orleans.

I believe he spent about the last half of August & most of September down there.
Thank you, sir! Figured I could count on you. :thumbsup:
 
I think Grant's intelligence network was aware that the southern counties of Mississippi were in a state of revolt. He wanted go to there and capture Mobile, AL. The President was more focused on eastern Tennessee, for similar reasons.
One of Grant's bios is next on my stack. Thanks!
 
This is fabulous. Thank you!

I have lived in Vicksburg, studied the Campaign in quite a number of ways (books, ranger talks, lectures, training, Park studies, and on and on), and still feel at times like I know about as much as my third graders last year, whose history book devoted about 1/2 page to Vicksburg (and given what elementary history books cover, they were lucky to get that). It's quite interesting to learn about what happened afterwards....seems like so much of the teaching about the Campaign ends with July 4!
 
Henry W. Halleck was directing the armies of the United States at that time. George Meade was subjected to extreme criticism and Grant had his army dispersed in retaliation for allowing the parole at Vicksburg.

Evidence Grant's army was dispersed as a way to punish him, particularly for parole of Pemberton's army?
 
It did take them too long a time to resume celebrating Independence Day. But in light of the fact that its garrison surrendered the city on July 4th, memories can linger quite a while. I'm sure there were many Vicksburg residents living well into the 20th century who either remembered that event, or had close relatives who did. My guess is that the US victory in WW II in 1945 finally prompted them to embrace the nation's premier civic holiday.
 
If I remember right Vicksburg did not celebrate a July 4th until 1945 or so. I can understand the feelings and the why, but it was a very long time.
It did take them too long a time to resume celebrating Independence Day. But in light of the fact that its garrison surrendered the city on July 4th, memories can linger quite a while. I'm sure there were many Vicksburg residents living well into the 20th century who either remembered that event, or had close relatives who did. My guess is that the US victory in WW II in 1945 finally prompted them to embrace the nation's premier civic holiday.

This has been debunked in the forum as an urban legend; unfortunately I don't have a link to whichever thread it was in. No doubt for some citizens the feeling lasted though.
 
Not sure what is the urban legend? Always thought it was fact that they did not celebrate the holiday until 1945.
 
Not sure what is the urban legend? Always thought it was fact that they did not celebrate the holiday until 1945.

No - it was shown to have been celebrated on several occasions after 1863; I think once was during the Centennial in 1876 and also for Armistice Day in 1918 among others.
 
No - it was shown to have been celebrated on several occasions after 1863; I think once was during the Centennial in 1876 and also for Armistice Day in 1918 among others.
The first official celebration was on July 4,1947, when General Eisenhower visited the City. There may have been celebrations before then, but is was for other events and not the 4th. Many still do not celebrate, even now. I myself find it hard to celebrate as I am from Vicksburg, and my ancestors fought here. I celebrate Independence Day, not the surrender of Vicksburg.
 
I was in Vicksburg during July 4th, 2013 (150th Anniversary) and 2014. The family and I attended the fireworks show on the river front. During the the 4th in 2014 we went to the Old Courthouse and stood on the west lawn to watch. It was somewhat surreal to stand there looking through the Magnolia trees to see the light show but mostly hearing the booms reverberating off the old building and imagining folks 151 years before heard a somewhat similar sound....

7-4-14.JPG
 
The first official celebration was on July 4,1947, when General Eisenhower visited the City. There may have been celebrations before then, but is was for other events and not the 4th. Many still do not celebrate, even now. I myself find it hard to celebrate as I am from Vicksburg, and my ancestors fought here. I celebrate Independence Day, not the surrender of Vicksburg.

. . . in 1947 quite a different situation presented when General Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe and current chief of staff of the U.S. Army, accepted invitations from Senator James Eastland, Representative John Bell Williams and Governor Fielding Wright of Mississippi to make the Fourth of July address in Vicksburg. It’s conceivable that Eastland, Fielding and Wright extended the invitation in hopes of luring Eisenhower to run on the Democratic ticket, though it’s more likely that the three simply intended to make political hay out of the general’s visit. Ike, on the other hand, a committed scholar of military history, was eager to see the military park, which for the record had been established in 1899.

To be sure, Ike had likely been apprised of the holiday’s history in the city, but he was also already treading political waters. Later that month, on July 11, President Truman offered to run as Ike’s running mate on the Democratic ticket if Douglas MacArthur won the Republican nomination, but Eisenhower was still struggling to stay above politics, as had William T. Sherman had upon learning that he was being considered as a possible Republican candidate for the presidential election of 1884. (Sherman declined, saying, “I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected.”)

Entire article at:

https://jesseyancy.com/vicksburgs-second-surrender/

 
I was in Vicksburg during July 4th, 2013 (150th Anniversary) and 2014. The family and I attended the fireworks show on the river front. During the the 4th in 2014 we went to the Old Courthouse and stood on the west lawn to watch. It was somewhat surreal to stand there looking through the Magnolia trees to see the light show but mostly hearing the booms reverberating off the old building and imagining folks 151 years before heard a somewhat similar sound....

View attachment 151375
The City and Casinos do the fireworks show every 4th now. It is quite an impressive display. I can hear the explosions at my house which is about 10-15 miles as the crow flies,from the waterfront.
 
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