Showing results for "Vicksburg"
The fall of Vicksburg: Breaking the Backbone of the Rebellion
On July 4, 1863, Major General U.S. Grant’s army captured Vicksburg, Mississippi. This campaign often gets hastily passed over in history conversations. Gettysburg and Fourth festivities take precedent. I’m at fault for neglecting this event as well. Still, the fall of this small, quiet town played a pivotal role in the destruction of the Confederacy […]
Read more...A Quick Video Tour of Vicksburg
In August 2021, I had the chance to visit Vicksburg National Military Park and took the opportunity to shoot some video footage while I was out and about. It’s not a comprehensive tour–parts of the park were closed and I had a flight to catch in Jackson, so I couldn’t stay as long as I […]
Read more...Vicksburg Campaign on Video
Yesterday, May 17, marked the anniversary of the fight at the Big Black River bridge during Grant’s Mississippi overland campaign. The fight quickly flushed out the Confederates and gave Grant and his army access to the west back, with the gates of Vicksburg beyond. Grant would knock on the city’s door–too rashly–on May 19 and […]
Read more...A Taste of Vicksburg – The Story of the Jam Jar
Tucked away in the collection’s storage at the University of West Florida’s Historic Trust is a simple artifact with a greater history than meets the eye. A brown stoneware jar, about eight inches tall and four inches in diameter, its exterior polished with a raised band around the middle. The story of the jar is […]
Read more...ECW Weekender: Vicksburg National Military Park
An ECW colleague emailed me a note the other day: “I’m reading the Vicksburg/Tullahoma book, and really enjoyed your article about visiting Vicksburg. I’ve never been and I’m more motivated now than ever.” The article he mentioned was based on this blog series, which I wrote in 2018 while on a video tour of the […]
Read more...The Summer of ’63: Vicksburg and Tullahoma
The Emerging Civil War 10th Anniversary Series: The Summer of ’63: Vicksburg and Tullahoma: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War Savas Beatie, 2021 ISBN:978-1-61121-572-4 E-Book ISBN:978-1-954547-05-6 Specs:7 maps, 75 images, 244 pp. Click here to order * * * About the Book The fall of […]
Read more...Book Review: Vicksburg Besieged
Vicksburg Besieged Edited by Steve E. Woodworth and Charles D. Grear Southern Illinois Press, 2020, $29.50 hardback Reviewed by Sean M. Chick It is inevitable that as Ulysses S. Grant’s stock has risen over the decades, more books on Vicksburg would appear. It is a welcome development. Vicksburg, considering its scale and importance, is under-studied […]
Read more...A Bold Scheme and a Mysterious Coincidence in the Final Days of the Vicksburg Campaign
By July 15, 1863, Gen. Joe Johnston’s “Army of Relief” suddenly found itself in need of relief of its own. Johnston’s impotent posturing during most of the Vicksburg Campaign had done little to alleviate Confederate misfortunes inside the besieged city, and following Vicksburg’s surrender, Federal commander Ulysses S. Grant decided to turn his full attention […]
Read more...A Poet’s Perspective: Melville on Running the Batteries at Vicksburg
It was the spring of 1863, Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was concocting a plan to seize the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. As President Abraham Lincoln had made clear, Vicksburg was key to achieving victory over the Confederates and ending the war. With help from Admiral David Dixon Porter, Grant launched a plan that in […]
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