CWTrust Vicksburg is the Key

CMWinkler

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Retired Moderator
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Oct 17, 2012
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Middle Tennessee
Saving America’s Civil War Battlefields | Civilwar.org


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Vicksburg is the Key
"Vicksburg is the key," said Abraham Lincoln, "the war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket." Vicksburg and its railroad provided a vital link between the two halves of the Confederacy, funneling crucial supplies back and forth from the western Confederacy to the east. General Ulysses S. Grant’s defeat of Confederate General John Pemberton at Vicksburg (May 18 July 4, 1863) stands out as a strategic masterpiece of the Civil War.

After conducting a surprise landing below Vicksburg at Bruinsburg, Mississippi, Grant’s forces moved rapidly inland, pushing back the threat posed by Joseph E. Johnston’s forces near Jackson. Once his rear was clear, Grant set his sights on Vicksburg. The Federals defeated Confederate forces at Champion Hill and Big Black River before assailing the Rebel stronghold at Vicksburg on May 19 and 22. Here, Union soldiers were repulsed with such heavy losses that Grant determined to lay siege to the city. Southern soldiers and civilians alike endured the privations of siege warfare for 47 days before Pemberton surrendered his Pemberton’s forces on July 4, 1863. With the fall of Port Hudson just days later, the Mississippi River was now firmly in Union hands. The Confederacy's fate was all but sealed.

As we remember the momentous events of the Battle of Vicksburg in 1863, please join us in watching the events come alive with our Vicksburg Animated Map.



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Vicksburg Campaign: Unvexing the Father of Waters

Follow the events leading to the fall of Vicksburg as Historian Terrence J. Winschel describes the crucial moments of the Vicksburg Campaign in this featured article. Understand why Lincoln said, "Vicksburg is the key!"

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Federal Naval Operations in the Vicksburg Campaign

On July 4, 1863, General Grant rode victoriously into Vicksburg. In this short video, Historian Terry Winschel describes the important role that the Federal naval forces played in the Vicksburg Campaign.

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10 Facts about the Vicksburg Campaign

Hundreds of our members have left a gift to the Civil War Trust in their wills and estate plans. This is a hassle-free way to continue your support that won’t affect your lifestyle. these 10 facts about the approach, assault, siege, and surrender.


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Vicksburg Battle App

Explore the historic spots, battlefield — from Port Gibson to the Siege of Vicksburg, either on the battlefield, or from your couch. Our GPS-enabled app features onboard historian videos, audio accounts of soldiers from the battle, photos, orders of battle, chronologies, key facts, and more.
 
Well worth reviewing, as we approach the anniversary of the day the paroles were complete and the Confederates marched out of the lines, to go to the parole camps or to go home if they could.
Grant did not repeat Donelson. He did not transport the Confederates away from their homes. Nor did he subject them to the North's dangerous P.O.W. camps.
The men in both armies realized lives had been spared. What consequences that had for the Civil War in the west is not easy to estimate.
 
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