Why was the Siege of Vicksburg such an immense turning point for the Union in the Civil War? This mainly was due to the capturing of the Mississippi River, which contained the South’s main ports for trading with foreign countries. Capturing the Mississippi demolished the Confederate’s leading position in the Civil War. This great achievement for the Union helped change the outcome of the war.
The Siege took place in Vicksburg, which is located near central Mississippi on the western side of the state. The city resides on the eastern bank of the Mississippi river, this is the last port the Union needed to take over the river. Ulysses S. Grant, the Union general, took his troops towards Vicksburg. The army stopped right outside of the city,
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General Grant did not want to accept this offer at first, due to the fact he would have to distribute his own armies supplies and living quarters to 30,000 soldiers. Instead, Grant came up with the theory that if he offered a plea to parole all of the Confederate soldiers, he would not have to manage the responsibilities of all of the Confederate soldiers. Despite the fact he did this, many soldiers were later exchanged back on July 6th to the Confederacy. After this, the renowned city of Vicksburg had come to an end, the city was destroyed by the Union and there was no turning back.
The capture of Vicksburg split the Confederacy in half and was a major turning point of the civil war. It was a distinct victory for the union. By beating the Confederacy, it restricted their ports across the Mississippi river. The Confederacy was unable to transfer supplies or communication across its breadth. Leading into three other battles in this campaign (Raymond, Port Gibson, and Champion Hill). At the end of this siege there were a total of 37,402 casualties. This all shows how without the victory of Vicksburg by the Union, the war could have turned out completely
Known as the bloodiest single-day battle in American History, the Battle of Antietam took place at Antietam creek in Maryland. Strategic plan unveiled and outnumbered, things didn’t start off smoothly for General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate army; yet, even with a copy of the enemy’s plan and a two-to-one advantage, did things work out for Union! With one side disadvantaged and the other wasting their advantages, the battle stayed undecided for hours- that is until violent attacks to General Lee’s troop had the Confederate army retreating. Although, the Battle of Antietam does not have a clear victorious side, the Union declared it as a victory and used the victory to justify the “Emancipation Proclamation”
Quite a number of the Confederate’s generals were hurt, dead, or dying which made Lee one of the few generals who were capable of leading the army. In a letter to Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederates, Lee requested him to replace him as general. Document C explains that Lee felt like he not only failed the South, but he also failed himself when he lost The Battle of Gettysburg. Document C states, “I therefore, in all sincerity, request Your Excellency to take measures to supply my place. I do this with the more earnestness because no one is more aware than myself of my inability for the duties of my position” (277).
It also gave the Union control of the Mississippi River. The Battle of Vicksburg was one of the most important Battles of the Civil War, and it helped speed up the end of the long fought war. It also let the north go into the deep south so they could eradicate the “Rebels”. It split the Confederacy in half. It made it easier to defeat the “Rebels” when they were not able to communicate with their other half.
In the article “All Things Vicksburg” by Allen Barra, he describes the scene at the battle of Vicksburg that gives the North the confidence to win the Civil War. The Union’s army gain the Mississippi River, and they also be able to split the Confederate army into two. The South has a major loss in men and territory. Their weapons were also lost that could be compared to the bloodiest battle of Gettysburg. Then, Barra introduces the readers into several accounts of people who were at the battle of Vicksburg or heard the story of the battle themselves.
The long 47 day siege has finally come to an end. The town of Vicksburg, Mississippi and the Confederate troops have made the decision to surrender to the Union army. It is another very disappointing loss for the Confederate troops. It lasted from May 18 - July 4, 1863. There are a total estimate of 37,402 casualties.
His ships bombarded New Orleans, capturing Forts Henry and Donelson. With these victories, the Union decided to move into Vicksburg. Union commanders, Ulysses Grant and William Sherman, divide the army to attack Vicksburg in two different directions; however, they both failed at their first attempt. Finally, the Union came up with a plan to achieve victory. The Union Army would
Ulysses S. Grant’s reputation had been restored. American History Central talks about how after the loss at Shiloh, Grant had to find a way to boost the troops' morale, so the victory at Vicksburg helped them greatly. To add on, Ducksters also goes in-depth about another battle the Union won, Gettysburg. The dates fought for both Gettysburg and Vicksburg were so close together that Grant’s reputation as a general skyrocketed after winning both battles. To close, the second way that the battle of Vicksburg had a big impact on the aftermath of the Civil War is that the victory of the Union Army restored Grant’s
As stated by Current, "The Union army captured key Confederate strongholds, such as Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, and New Orleans, which gave it control over important waterways and weakened the Confederacy's ability to wage war. " Current gave a lot of
The affects of this specific example on the confederates were devastating with 29,491 officers and men being surrendered to the Union, but more importantly it resulted in the union gaining control of the Mississippi River. As Lincoln said, “Vicksburg is the key. The war can never be brought to a close until the key is in our pocket.” This shows how this use of warfare directly correlated to the result of the war, and therefore how Grants use of siege tactics caused the Union to
The Union used their advantages to defeat the Confederates. Even though the Union seemed to have no hope towards the Confederates at Vicksburg, they used their supplies (black gunpowder) to defeat them. The two sides fighted violently while the porters gun bullets shelled Vicksburg's supplies from the river. The citizens of Vicksburg had no shelter, nor proper food, or proper health care, Vicksburg had barely any supplies left. The Union starved Vicksburg till they were forced to surrender.
This battle ended the war and slavery in the United states. Although many battles were successful they did lose and tie but in all battles lives were lost on both
The Battle Of Fort Sumter was the bombardment of Fort Sumter. The battle was on April 12-14 1861 near Charleston, South Carolina followed by Declarations of Secession by seven Southern states. South Carolina wanted the U.S Army to abandon its faculties in Charleston Harbor. On December 26 1860, Major Robert Anderson of the U.S. Army. A t4 ;30 bombs were hitting Fort Sumter and they were shot by the Confederates and after a thirty-four hours of fighting.
Losses because the South lost more soldiers than the north. For these reasons Gettysburg was a major turning point in the Civil
This battle took away many soldiers in different ways. Some were killed, some were wounded, and some even went missing. Around 43,000 casualties overall were at the Battle of Gettysburg. 23,000 for the Union and 20,000 for the Confederates according to (Doc. B). By the end of this battle a lot of both sides armies’ were decreased in size.
Early in the War the Union won several key battles including Ft. Donaldson, Nashville, and the two-day bloody battle of Shiloh. They also captured bases for the blockade fleets and drove Confederate armies out of West Virginia but the