Vicksburg, Mississippi
Siege of May 18 - July 4, 1863

Vicksburg, Miss., Siege of, May 18 to July 4, 1863. Army
of the Tennessee and the Mississippi Flotilla. By the
reduction of New Madrid, the surrender of Island No. 10, the
evacuation of Forts Pillow and Randolph, and the destruction
of the Confederate fleet in front of Memphis the Mississippi
river was opened to Vicksburg, which place presented a more
formidable opposition than any of the points that had been
overcome. The first campaign against Vicksburg was planned in
the fall of 1862. Sherman was to move down the Mississippi
from Memphis with the right wing of the Army of the Tennessee,
while Grant, with the left wing, was to attack from the east.
Grant established a depot of supplies at Holly Springs, but
his stores there were surrendered to the enemy by Col. Murphy
on Dec. 20, and about the same time Forrest made a raid
through northern Mississippi, cutting Grant's communications
with the north. These unfortunate events prevented Grant from
carrying out his part of the program, as he was compelled to
fall back and open up communication with Memphis. Sherman,
unadvised of what had happened to the left wing, went ahead
and fought the battle of Chickasaw bluffs, which ended
disastrously for the Federal arms. Thus the combined attack,
partly by water and party by land, against the Confederate
stronghold on the Mississippi, ended in a complete failure.

Vicksburg is situated on the east bank of the
Mississippi, upon a range of bluffs about 200 feet high. On
the western side of the river is a low bottom and directly
opposite is a long, narrow peninsula, formed by an abrupt bend
of the river a short distance above the city. On this
peninsula, at the time of the operations against Vicksburg,
stood the little town of De Soto, the terminus of the
Shreveport & Vicksburg railroad. At the bend referred to the
bluffs trend away from the river into a range called Walnut
hills, leaving a lowland through which flow the Yazoo river
and numerous bayous. Near Warrenton, some 7 or 8 miles below
Vicksburg, the bluffs again recede from the river, making the
natural location one well suited for defense. Protected on
three sides by the river and its low bottoms, it required only
a line of intrenchments from the Warrenton ridge on the south
to the Walnut hills on the north, to guard against an attack
from the eastward, to render the position almost impregnable
to assault. Added to these advantages was the fact that the
plateau formed by the bluffs was full of deep ravines, which
made it impossible to maneuver troops there with any degree of
success. After the failure of the first campaign Grant moved
his army to Memphis, and thence down the river to Young's
point, 9 miles above Vicksburg on the Louisiana side of the
river, where he arrived and assumed command on Feb. 2, 1863.
The army in the Vicksburg campaign consisted of the 9th, 13th,
15th, 16th and 17th army corps, respectively commanded by
Maj.- Gens. John G. Parke, John A McClernand, William T.
Sherman, Cadwallader C. Washburn and James B. McPherson, and
two brigades from the District of Northeast Louisiana under
the command of Brig.-Gen. Elias S. Dennis. During the
operations Gen. McClernand was superseded in the command of
the 13th corps by Maj.-Gen. E. O. C. Ord. The 9th corps was
composed of the 1st and 2nd divisions, commanded by Brig-Gens.
Thomas Welsh and Robert B. Potter. In the 13th corps the 9th
division was commanded by Brig-Gen. Peter J. Osterhaus, the
10th by Brig-Gen. Andrew J. Smith, the 12th by Brig-Gen. Alvin
P. Hovey, and the 14th by Brig.-Gen. Eugene A. Carr. The 15th
corps was composed of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd divisions,
commanded by Brig.-Gens. Frederick Steele, Frank P. Blair and
James M. Tuttle. The 16th corps included the 1st, 4th and
provisional divisions, commanded by Brig-Gens. William Sooy
Smith, Jacob Lauman and Nathan Kimball. From May 13 to 20,
Lauman's division was temporarily attached to the 15th corps.
The 17th corps contained four divisions, the 3rd, 6th and 7th,
and one commanded by Brig.-Gen. Francis J. Herron. The 3rd
division was commanded by Brig.-Gen. John A. Logan, the 6th by
Brig-Gen. John McArthur, and the 7th by Brig-Gens. Isaac F.
Quinby, Marcellus M. Crocker and John E. Smith, successively.
At the beginning of the campaign the Union army numbered about
43,000 men, but it was increased by reinforcements until at
the close of operations Grant had 75,000 men about the city
and its environs.

A valuable adjunct to the army in the reduction of
Vicksburg was the Mississippi Flotilla, under the command of
Rear-Adm. David D. Porter. It was composed of the flag-ship
Benton; the gunboat Essex; the ironclads DeKalb (former the
St. Louis), Cairo, Carondelet, Cincinnati, Louisville, Mound
City, Pittsburg, Choctaw, Lafayette, Chillicothe, Indianola
and Tuscumbia; the Rodgers gunboats Conestoga, Lexington and
Tyler; the Ellet rams Fulton, Horner, Lancaster, Lioness,
Mingo, Monarch, Queen of the West, Sampson and Switzerland,
the tinclads Brilliant, Cricket, Forest Rose, Glide, Juliet,
Linden, Marmora, Petrel, Rattler, Romeo and Signal; the mortar
boats Abraham, Clara Dolsen, Gen. Lyon, Grampus, Great
Western, Judge Torrence, New National and Red Rover, and the
despatch boat William H. Brown. On March 14-15, the following
vessels, belonging to the West Gulf Squadron and commanded by
Rear-Adm. David G. Farragut, passed the batteries at Port
Hudson and assisted in the siege of Vicksburg: Hartford
(flagship), Mississippi, Monongahela, Richmond, Genesee,
Kineo, Albatross, Estrella and Arizona. In addition to these
vessels various gunboats participated in some of the
operations, viz.: Alexandria, Argosy, Black Hawk, Champion,
Covington, Curlew, Hastings, Exchange, Key West, Kenwood,
Moose, New Era, Naumkeag, Pawpaw, Peosta, Prairie Bird, Queen
City, Reindeer, St Clair, Silver Cloud, Silver Lake,
Springfield, Tawah and Victory. Opposed to this force was the
Confederate army under the command of Lieut.-Gen. John C.
Pemberton, consisting of the divisions of Maj.-Gens. W. W.
Loring, Carter L. Stevenson, John H. Forney, Martin L. Smith
and John S. Bowen, the river batteries, commanded by Col.
Edward Higgins, and some unattached troops. The strength of
the Confederate forces at Vicksburg has been variously
estimated at from 40,000 to 60,000 men, the latter figure
being Grant's estimate. Pemberton, in his report, says that
when he moved within the defenses of Vicksburg his available
force aggregated about 28,000 men, but as over 31,000 were
surrendered as prisoners of war after a siege of nearly two
months, it is evident that his statement of his force is too
low.

The battle of Chickasaw bluffs had demonstrated the
strength of the Confederate works on the north side of the
city, and Grant decided to gain a foothold below and attack
from the south. To do this it was necessary to transport the
army and its supplies to some point down the river. The Queen
of the West ran past the batteries in front of Vicksburg on
the night of Feb. 2, and the Indianola on the night of the
13th. Although these single vessels had passed safely, it was
regarded as too hazardous an undertaking to attempt the
passage with a large number of transports loaded with men and
supplies, and a channel for the boats was sought elsewhere.
Three routes presented themselves for consideration. One was
the canal that had been excavated by Gen. Williams across the
southern part of the peninsula opposite the city, in June,
1862; the second was to connect Lake Providence near the
Arkansas line, with the Mississippi by a canal about a mile
long and send the fleet through Louisiana via the Tensas,
Black and Red rivers to a point on the Mississippi below
Natchez, the third was the Yazoo pass route on the eastern
side of the river. Work was commenced on the Williams canal
early in February, its course being changed to insure a better
current, and its construction was pushed vigorously. Rainy
weather set in and continued until March 7, just as the canal
was about completed when the levee gave way, inundating the
canal and the camps west of it, and forcing the abandonment of
the enterprise. Attention was then turned to the Lake
Providence route, which had been examined by engineers and
pronounced practicable, and by March 16, a canal was completed
connecting the lake with the river, but before it was turned
to any account Grant determined to try the route via the Yazoo
pass, the Coldwater and Tallahatchie rivers, in the hope of
gaining the high ground on the Yazoo above Haynes, bluff.
Yazoo pass was a bayou, connecting the Mississippi, through
Moon lake, with the Coldwater river, nearly opposite Helena,
Ark. In early times it had been used for the passage of boats
from Memphis to Yazoo City, but some years before the
beginning of the war it had been closed by a strong levee to
reclaim a large tract of land subject to overflow. This route
had been under consideration from the first. On Feb. 3, the
levee was blown up by a mine and four days later a gunboat
entered the pass.

The Confederate spies and pickets had kept Pemberton well
informed regarding every movement Grant made, and when it was
learned that the Federals were preparing to advance by the
Yazoo, steps were taken to offset the movement. Yazoo pass,
as well as the Coldwater river, ran through a forest. The
Confederates felled a large number of trees into the water,
thus impeding the progress of the vessel and causing a tedious
delay in removing the obstructions, the Coldwater not being
reached until the 21st, when the 13th division of McClernand's
corps, Brig.-Gen. Leonard F. Ross commanding, was ordered to
pass through to test the availability of the route for a
larger body of troops. Ross was delayed in procuring boats
and did not reach the Coldwater until March 2. On the 5th
Grant ordered McPherson to move his whole corps, about 30,000
men, down to Yazoo City and there effect a lodgment, while two
divisions of cavalry were to move to the eastward and cut the
enemy's communications. Pemberton in the meantime had sent
Loring, with about 2,000 men and 8 heavy guns to the mouth of
the Yallabusha to dispute the passage of the Yazoo. About 5
miles below the mouth of the Yallabusha where the waters of
the Yazoo and Tallahatchie are brought within a short distance
of each other by a sharp bend, Loring constructed a line of
works, to which he gave the name of Fort Pemberton. The delay
encountered by the Federals in clearing the streams above gave
Loring plenty of time to get the fort in a good state of
defense, and when the gunboats and transports with Ross'
division arrived before the fort on March 11, they found the
Confederates prepared to give battle. As the ground in front
of the fort was under water a charge on the works was out of
the question, and the only thing that could be done was for
the gunboats to try to silence the enemy's guns. On the 12th
a land battery was established about 800 yards from the fort
and the next day the bombardment was continued, but without
any perceptible injury to the fort. Ross moved back up the
Tallahatchie until he met Quinby's division. Quinby, being
the senior officer, assumed command and ordered the whole
expedition back to Fort Pemberton, where, after a short
bombardment on the 23rd, he determined to send to Helena for a
pontoon bridge, by means of which he could cross the
Yallabusha, gain the rear of the fort, and by cutting off
communications compel its surrender, but before the movement
could be executed a despatch was received from Grant, ordering
the entire force to return to the Mississippi.

While Ross was working his way down the Tallahatchie
Grant was informed that Loring was being reinforced from
Vicksburg and, fearing that Ross might be surrounded and
captured, planned an expedition to relieve him and at the same
time reach the Yazoo above Haynes' bluff. The route selected
was up the Yazoo to Steele's bayou; thence up that bayou for
about 40 miles to Black bayou; through that to Deer creek; up
Deer creek for about 30 miles, then through a cross stream
known as Rolling Fork to the Sunflower river, and down that
stream to the Yazoo. Porter, with the Pittsburg, Louisville,
Mound City, Cincinnati and Carondelet, four mortar boats and
two tugs, accompanied by Sherman, with one division of his
corps, started up the Yazoo on March 16, preceded by the 8th
Mo. to remove trees, etc., from the streams. On the evening
of the 18th, Porter was within a few miles of Rolling Fork and
it began to look as if this expedition was to be successful.
But the enemy had learned of the movement and sent a brigade
of infantry, with several pieces of artillery, up the
Sunflower to head it off. A battery was planted at the mouth
of the Rolling Fork and an attempt made to get in the rear of
Porter, with a view to cutting off his retreat and capturing
his gunboats. Porter sent word to Sherman, who hurried
forward his troops and on the 21st he had a sharp skirmish
with the Confederates, driving them back and extricating
Porter from his predicament. The expedition now turned back
and on the 27th reached the Mississippi adding another failure
to the efforts to gain a position on Pemberton's flank.

Two months had now been spent in futile efforts to find a
way by which the army could be transferred to a point below or
in the rear of Vicksburg. Although somewhat disappointed,
Grant was not altogether discouraged. The situation was
carefully canvassed and but three plans presented themselves
as being at all feasible: 1st, a direct assault on the enemy's
works; 2nd, to return to Memphis and reopen a campaign in the
rear of Vicksburg; or 3rd, to find a way through the bayous
and swamps on the western side of the Mississippi, cross that
river and move against the city from the south in accordance
with the original scheme. The idea of a direct assault was
rejected as too hazardous, defeat being almost certain.
Sherman urged the adoption of the second method as the one
most practicable, but the press and the public at the north
were clamoring for aggressive action, Grant was being daily
characterized as failure, and many were urging the president
to relieve him of the command of the army. To return to
Memphis would look like a retreat. Probably for this reason,
more than any other, Grant resolved to try the third plan. It
was full of risk, failure meant the destruction of his army,
but if it succeeded at all the success would be overwhelming.
A route was reconnoitered from Milliken's bend and Young's
point via Richmond, La., to New Carthage, about 30 miles below
Vicksburg. It was found that, by excavating a canal about 2
miles long a short distance below Duckport, the Mississippi
could be connected with Walnut bayou, thence by the sinuous
course of that stream and Roundaway bayou a passage could be
opened for light draft boats, by means of which the troops and
supplies could be conveyed to New Carthage, but the gunboats
and heavy transports would have to run the gauntlet of the
Vicksburg batteries. The canal was opened and one steamboat
and several barges passed through the channel, when the river
began to fall rapidly, rendering the route useless. It was no
longer needed, however, for with the receding of the waters it
became possible to march an army across the country. Even
while the canal was under construction Osterhaus' division
moved over the route, occupying Richmond on March 31, after a
short skirmish, and arriving at New Carthage on April 6.

On the night of April 16, the fleet ran past the
batteries at Vicksburg. Porter, with the flag-ship Benton,
was in the lead. Then followed, in the order named, the
Lafayette, Louisville, Mound City, Pittsburg and Carondelet.
Next came three transports, the Forest Queen, Silver Wave and
Henry Clay, barricaded with cotton bales, while the gunboat
Tuscumbia brought up the rear. Leaving the mouth of the Yazoo
at 10 o'clock, the vessels dropped slowly down the river and
about an hour later came within range of the Confederate guns,
which immediately opened a vigorous fire. As the gunboats
went by each one delivered a broadside on the town. The aim
of the Confederate gunners was fairly accurate as every vessel
was struck a number of times, but the only one seriously
damaged was the Henry Clay, on which the cotton was fired by a
bursting shell, and the crew becoming panic-stricken escaped
to the other vessels or the shore, allowing her to burn to the
water's edge. The batteries at Warrenton were passed without
difficulty and at 2 a m. on the 17th, the fleet landed at New
Carthage. On that day Grant started Grierson on a cavalry
raid from La Grange, Tenn., to Baton Rouge, La., as a
diversion, and to prevent reinforcements from being sent to
Pemberton. On the night of the 22nd the transports Tigress,
Anglo-Saxon, Cheeseman, Empire City, Horizon and Moderator,
loaded with army supplies, ran the batteries. Five of them were
more or less damaged. The Tigress received a shot in her hull
below the water line, but she was run to the Louisiana shore,
where she sank soon after passing beyond the range of the guns.

Grant's objective point was Grand Gulf, a small village
on the east side of the river on the first bluff south of
Vicksburg, and about 50 miles from that city. The enemy had
fortified the bluff by a strong line of earthworks, in two
sets of batteries, one above and another below the landing,
the two being connected by a covered trench. On April 24,
Grant and Porter made a reconnaissance of the batteries and
decided them too strong to attack from the position then
occupied some 20 miles up the river. Accordingly the line was
extended to Hard Times landing, about 3 miles above Grand
Gulf, and on the 29th, everything was in readiness for the
assault. At 7 a.m. Porter left Hard Times with his fleet, and
proceeded down the river followed by three divisions of
McClernand's corps in transports, with instructions to land
and carry the works by assault as soon as the enemy's guns
were silenced. The bombardment began at 8 a m. and continued
without cessation until 1 p.m., when the Confederates ceased
firing. In the action Porter lost 19 killed and 56 wounded.
Every one of his vessels had suffered to some extent, the
Tuscumbia having been struck 81 times, a number of the shells
penetrating her arm