Digital Learning Commons: Civil War: Vicksburg, May-July 1863

Resources

Battle of Vicksburg Facts and Summary
Concise overview of the Battle of Vicksburg. Also includes links to related resources such as maps, military bios, videos, and pictures.
The Battles of Vicksburg
The fall of Vicksburg, Miss., to forces under Gen. Ulysses S. Grant is remembered for the long, intensive siege that led up to it. But before the Union Army put a stranglehold on Vicksburg, Grant made two disastrous assaults on the city, on May 19 and 22.
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Snow, Violet. “The Battles of Vicksburg.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 May 2013, opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/the-battles-of-vicksburg/.
Civil War Letters: Vicksburg, Mississippi
Collection of letters from the Christie family that address the Battle of Vicksburg among other topics concerning the Civil War.
Civilians in the Siege of Vicksburg: Living in Caves, Eating Rats
Civilians of Vicksburg were warned that a siege on their city was a distinct possibility and that they should either prepare themselves to withstand, or they should get out before the storm broke.
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Franklin, Ronald E. “Civilians in the Siege of Vicksburg: Living in Caves, Eating Rats.” Owlcation, Owlcation, 27 Aug. 2013, owlcation.com/humanities/Civilians-In-The-Siege-Of-Vicksburg-Living-In-Caves-Eating-Rats.
Caved Inn
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Three eyewitness accounts describe what it was like for Vicksburg civilians to burrow underground to escape unrelenting shellfire
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"Caved INN: three eyewitness accounts describe what it was like for Vicksburg civilians to burrow underground to escape unrelenting shellfire." America's Civil War, July 2008, p. 56+. War and Terrorism Collection, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A202360902/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=3f670fc3.
Unsupported and Outmatched
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Confederate general John Pemberton fought Ulysses S. Grant, his own commander and a subordinate during the Vicksburg campaign.
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Woodworth, Steven E. "Unsupported and outmatched: confederate general John Pemberton fought Ulysses S. Grant, his own commander and a subordinate during the Vicksburg campaign." America's Civil War, July 2008, p. 50+. War and Terrorism Collection, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A202360901/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=7efb496b.
Did the fall of Vicksburg really matter?
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The culmination of many months' effort that entailed frustrating setbacks for Union forces, the victory at Vicksburg underscored Grant's determination, willingness to take risks and clarity of purpose when others--including Abraham Lincoln and Grant's friend and subordinate William Tecumseh Sherman-had expressed doubts about the result.
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Gallagher, Gary W. "Did the fall of Vicksburg really matter?" Civil War Times, Aug. 2011, p. 23+. General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A259840744/GPS?u=maine&sid=GPS&xid=ed7aa2e0.

Highly Recommended | Primary Source | Multimedia

Animated Battle Map

Dig deeper and search the Digital Maine Library databases for the names and geographic locations below.

Ulysses S. Grant		John C. Pemberton		William Sherman
		3rd Louisiana Redan

Databases

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Podcasts

Grant Takes Vicksburg (1 hour)
Three Civil War historians discuss the operations that made up one of the most remarkable military campaigns of the American Civil War: Maj. Gen. Grant’s 47-day siege of Vicksburg.
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Marszalek, John, et al. “Grant Takes Vicksburg.” New-York Historical Society Museum and Library, New-York Historical Society, 7 Jan. 2014, itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/grant-takes-vicksburg/id385559377?i=1000231387714&mt=2.
History of the Civil War in 10 Battles, Part 11: Vicksburg (1 of 2) (56 minutes)
In the summer of 1863, Grant’s Army of the Tennessee came to Vicksburg, located on a high bluff converged on Vicksburg, a Mississippi town on the same river. Union occupation of the town was critical to control of the strategic river. If it fell then the Confederacy would completely lose access to critical supply lines in Texas and Mexico.
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Rank, Scott. “History of the Civil War in 10 Battles, Part 11: Vicksburg (1 of 2).” History Unplugged, 23 Oct. 2018, itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/history-of-the-civil-war-in-10-battles-part-11-vicksburg-1-of-2/id1237796990?i=1000422400101&mt=2.
History of the Civil War in 10 Battles, Part 12: Vicksburg (2 of 2) (44 minutes)
Grant's Vicksburg campaign is considered one of the most brilliant of the war. With the loss of Pemberton’s army at Vicksburg and later Union victory at Port Hudson five days later, the Union now controlled the entire Mississippi River.
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Rank, Scott. “History of the Civil War in 10 Battles, Part 12: Vicksburg (2 of 2).” History Unplugged, 25 Oct. 2018, itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/history-of-the-civil-war-in-10-battles-part-12-vicksburg-2-of-2/id1237796990?i=1000422550758&mt=2.
How the Vicksburg Siege May Have Turned the Tide of Civil War (56 minutes)
“Traitor!” “Failure!” “Bungling fool!” Southern newspapers hurled these sentiments at Confederate General John C. Pemberton after he surrendered the fortress of Vicksburg—the key to controlling the Mississippi River during the Civil War. But were they justified in their accusations?
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Rank, Scott, and Samuel Mitcham. “How the Vicksburg Siege May Have Turned the Tide of Civil War.” History Unplugged, 16 Aug. 2018, itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-vicksburg-siege-may-have-turned-tide-civil-war/id1237796990?i=1000417910966&mt=2.