Vicksburg: Why did Grant need to attack from the south?

SimSportPlyr

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Sep 19, 2014
I don't know a lot about the Vicksburg battle, but I know that Grant decided on the risky approach of bypassing Vicksburg from the LA side, requiring the Federal's navy to pass the Confederates' artillery.

I don't understand why Grant could not have approached from the north or northeast. Is it because he would have been separated from his navy due to impassible land directly norther of Vicksburg and therefore been unable to coordinate land and river attacks?

Thanks in advance for any enlightenment.
 
It was mostly about terrain. His originally-preferred approach, as cash referred to, was from the north-northeast, but it was a bit of a stretch from Memphis, and Confederate raids into his rear put a stop to that. This was coupled with an amphibious landing by Sherman as part of a pincer movement, but with only one half of the pincer where it should have been, the Confederates could concentrate against Sherman at the Walnut Hills, leading to the Federal defeat at the "Chickasaw Bluffs", as the Union termed the Walnut Hills.

Here's an extremely simplified schematic of the area:

GrantVicks.jpg


Sherman had already tried swinging to the left (Vicksburg's right) in the "Chickasaw Bluffs" attempt; swinging to the right (Vicksburg's left) meant moving south of the city. (The various "bayou experiments" in the spring of 1863 were further attempts to flank Vicksburg on the city's right/north.)
 
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The answer is found in Logistics. An overland march from Memphis to Vicksburg had to be supported by railroad and, as the army advanced, the railroad became more and more difficult to protect. By using the river, Grant's army could be placed within a few miles of Vicksburg with the ability to remain supplied from the river. This short supply line was, in fact, the one place Johnston could have used his newly forming army to affect the seige.
 
I don't know a lot about the Vicksburg battle, but I know that Grant decided on the risky approach of bypassing Vicksburg from the LA side, requiring the Federal's navy to pass the Confederates' artillery.

I don't understand why Grant could not have approached from the north or northeast. Is it because he would have been separated from his navy due to impassible land directly norther of Vicksburg and therefore been unable to coordinate land and river attacks?

Thanks in advance for any enlightenment.

Immediately north of Vicksburg is a series of bluffs along the Yazoo which the Confederates had fortified. Sherman had tried this approach in December 1862 and failed.

Further north is the Yazoo delta area which could have provided a way to get around the bluffs. Efforts had been made in this direction in March 1863 (Yazoo Pass and Steel Bayou) but they failed.

He was also under some pressure to link up with the US forces on the lower river.

Map I like:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/VicksburgCampaignDecember62March63.png
 
Thanks for the replies, everyone! I see that there were multiple reasons for Grant's approach from the south.
 
Armengol
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David
 
Correct. He tried four separate times to attack from the North and was stymied each time. Hence the march down Louisiana and the crossing of the Mississippi south of Vicksburg.
Was Lee following what Grant was accomplishing around Vicksburg and Jackson? If he could have would he had sent more troops to Palmerston{Vicksburg commander}? Grant was demonstrating to Lee that if he was allowed to come East what a determined and aggressive he would finally be challenged by .That should have warned Lee to prepare that if Lincoln would send Grant East .The final proof would be the total and complete surrender of Vicksburg. The question is was there any way that Lee could have countered attack such a aggressive general with the limited resources he had compared to Grant? Grant knew that just with Vicksburg the sacrifices that it coast him and the Union would be less than the long drawn out progress so far that had occured in the East.The mistake that Palmerston made was to attempt to defend the indefensible against the forces which Grant and Sherman would use to open the final gate to New Orleans.
 
Well, obviously, the defenders were all looking north, so he snuck up behind them. :wink:

Actually, he had already tried an approach from the north and had to retreat due to Van Dorn's Holly Springs Raid.
Question; Why did the Confederates remain in Vicksburg when they must have realized the forces which Grant and Sherman were bringing with them .Davis had ordered Pemperton to defend the city and port,but Davis was in Richmond and dreaming of CSA strategy.Pemperton had an army that could have been used in a more useful approach that remaining in a indefensibly situation.The civilians were to endure the hardship simply to maintain a port that was no use when the forces that were entrapped would cost the Confederacy more than the city was worth.After Sherman took Jackson the door was closed.Pemperton was not at fault that he being a well conditioned general who carried out his Commander in Chief 's orders.Did he have knowledge of the determination of Grant's previous campaign against other well defended forts,maybe Forrest could have told him about Grant or Sherman.
 
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