Vicksburg

Joined
Nov 3, 2005
Aside from Ed Bearss' 3 volume set, which books do you recommend on Vicksburg?

I have already read James R Arnold's Grant Wins the War.
 
"Ninety-Eight Days" by Grabau. A geographers view and just the maps make the book a best buy.
"Champion Hill" by Tim Smith
"Vicksburg-The Campaign that Opened the Mississippi" by Ballard. Also excellent.
No study of the Vicksburg campaign is complete without covering Grierson's Raid. The book I have is by D. Alexander Brown.
For effects on the citizens during the seige,
"Vicksburg-47 Days of Siege" by A.A.Hoehling works quite well.
My Cave Live in Vicksburg" written by a Lady . Actually Mary Ann Loughborough. She was trapped inside Vicksburg while her husband helped defend it against Grant.
This book is also available as a freedown load.
For just a shorter overview:
"Vicksburg is the Key-The Struggle for the Mississippi River" by William L. Shea and Terrence Winschel...or
"Triumph and Defeat-The Vicksburg Campaign" by T. Winschel
On the naval side "Ellet's Brigade, The Strangest Outfit of Them All" by Chester Hearn is pretty good. Interesting item in the book, is the outfit being used to carry the troops of Streight's command down the Tenn. R. to close to their start off point. Besides being an attempt to disrupt the RR in Georga, Streight's raid was also used to try and draw off Forrest from Griersons raid. This part of Streights raid was a success, even if the attempt at the RR's failed.
Chuck in IL.
 
Admiral -

I trust you've already read the Vicksburg piece ('The Beleaguered City') in Shelby Foote's Civil War Narrative? 'The Beleaguered City' was also published by itself as a separate book (as you probably already know).

I just got a new book on Vicksburg, but I haven't read it yet. It's called 'Vicksburg is the Key' (authors William L. Shea and Terrence J. Winschel; University of Nebraska Press; 2003). Obviously, I can't attest to the quality of it yet, but it looks pretty good. A brief excerpt from the Introduction:

"As William L. Shea and Terrence J. Winschel skillfully demonstrate, the Vicksburg Campaign, which was really a series of separate operations, was the longest and most complex of any during the Civil War. [.....] By the summer of 1862 the Confederate defensive position at Vicksburg had become a focus of Union operations; Northern political and military leaders understood the significance of cutting the Confederacy in half. [.....] The Vicksburg Campaign was a critical stage in Ulysses S. Grant's development as a military leader. As he evolved from soldier to general, he learned to anticipate difficulties and adjust his plans as situations developed. [.....] The campaign was also one of the few operations that successfully combined army and navy resources. Perhaps one of the most dramatic events was Adm. David D. Porter's run past the Vicksburg batteries in order to ferry Union infantrymen across the river below the city. Grant's bold decision to move inland remains one of the great feats of the war - in seventeen days the army marched two hundred miles, fought five battles, and pushed the Confederates into their defensive works. [.....] Strategically Union control of the Mississippi separated Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas from the other eight Confederate states; an accomplishment of immeasurable consequences." [Vicksburg is the Key; Introduction]


I'll be anxious to see what other people recommend as I find Vicksburg to be the greatest campaign of the entire war. Indeed, Vicksburg is nothing short of stunning.
 
CChartreux,
Both Winschel's books are very good as overviews. Had my copies autographed in June.

Admiral_Porter,
Have the book, Hardluck Ironclad-The Sinking and Salvage of the Cairo.
I thought it excellent. 188 pages of discussion, with 92 pages just to the story of the Cairo, the balance is the finding and recovery, including much of the difficulties in raising, and trying to preserve it.
I have pictures of it in the Vicksburg section of my website.
Chuck in IL.
Http://mobile96.com
 
I second mobile_96's recommendations of "Ninety-Eight Days" and "Champion Hill". Both of these books are must haves on Vicksburg.
 
bschulte -

[CChartreux,]
"Both Winschel's books are very good as overviews. Had my copies autographed in June." [bschulte]

They are? Thanks for letting me know that (it was kind of a stab in the dark, so to speak). When I finish Shelby Foote, I want to return to Vicksburg because I was completely captivated by it....and I almost allowed myself to wander off and leave Foote behind (because I got the Champion Hill book too). But, I wanted to finished the whole 'over-view' of the war with the Foote trilogy and, as such, promised myself that Vicksburg would go at the top of my list when I get into reading the individual campaigns. I find it a hard thing to understand; I mean, just because it has a lot of moving parts. But if Grant did what I think he did there (that's the fuzzy part for me).....wow!, it's got to be nothing short of one the most brilliant military campaigns....ever. [To this end, I have an interest in Porter as well.]
 
CChartreux:
By all means, read Winschel before you even think about the details in Champion Hill, Grabau, or Bearrs.

Winschel's are highly readable outlines with headings only. When you have the outline in mind, it's plenty easy to add the details.
Ole
 
I have been reading Michael Ballard's book. It is more thorough than other accounts I have read and the maps work well with the text. His writing style is also pleasant.

However, I don't think he really took the time to think over his analysis.

In the beginning he criticizes Farragut for not being more aggressive in taking Vicksburg. Since when is Farragut a timid leader? How is he supposed to occupy Vicksburg without an infantry force? Vicksburg was occupied by confederate troops unlike New Orleans.

When he is discussing Grant's overland campaign Ballard criticizes Grant for taking too long in getting his offensive started and then says he didn't take the time to secure his supply lines. Huh?

He discusses how well Grant's various feints confused Pemberton while he marched the bulk of his army down the west bank of the Mississippi but then states that his feints were never intended to spread out the confederate forces. Umm...?

Then he says that Grant couldn't have been as confident as he states in his memoirs after the winter failures but then a few sentences later declares that Grant had a positive attitude. ...?

Later he states that Joe Johnston has 6,000 men around Jackson but then criticizes him for evacuating the city. What in the world is 6,000 men supposed to do against 2 Federal corps?

I also felt that his characterization of Van Dorn as "whiney" was odd.

Right now I am at Champion Hill so I'm sure I will find other statements.
 
Re: Admiral Porter's above post (#10).....so much for peer review!! At the very least it might prevent having oneself look silly (or stupid)!

Mobile 96 & Ole - Thanks for the comment on the Winschel books (Mobile 96, I think I erroneously attributed your comment coming from bschulte...my apologies). I've only skimmed over a few chapters and he is ideal for someone at my knowledge level (i.e., needs thorough overview, skip details, really spell out significance).

Um...it would seem apparent, on reflection, that Ballard needs to read Winschel! :wink:
 
Another quick overview is the NPS phamplet... well 60 or so pages. It was written by Stephen Ambrose and is an excellent quick reference and easy overview of the Vicksburg Campaign.
 
I finished Ballard's book.

It was a quick and easy read but I felt he was too harsh on Joe Johnston. However, he did criticize Davis and to a lesser extent Lee for exacerbating the problems in the west.

The book is good for beginners or those wishing to refresh their memory.
 
Sam:
The Shea book is co-authored by Winschel. It's mentioned several times in this thread. BTW, it's very basic and really only puts the general movements and importance in you head -- kinda like an outline. With that basic, you'll be better able to find the places to file the details you pick up later.

If you already know the basics and understand the overview, don't bother with the book.
Ole
 
In regards to the Vicksburg campaign, a book I have recently picked is one (see link below) which is a very good first person(s) account of Sid and Matilda Champion (which the battle was named after, Champion Hill). It really gives an insight into the thoughts and lives of those in MS and the battles that changed their lives as it was happening.
I give it two thumbs up.
http://battleofchampionhill.org/friends.htm
 
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