Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The Battle of Vicksburg

Episode Date: April 27, 2025

The most famous battles of the US Civil War all occurred in the eastern theater, such as Gettysburg, Antietam, Shiloh, and Bull Run.  However, one of the most important battles, from both a strategic and tactical standpoint, took place in the west.  It was one of the most brilliant led battles of the entire conflict, and it vaulted into prominence a man who would go on to lead the Union to victory and ultimately the Presidency.  Learn more about the Battle of Vicksburg and how it changed the course of the Civil War on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Mint Mobile Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/eed Quince Go to quince.com/daily for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order! Stitch Fix Go to stitchfix.com/everywhere to have a stylist help you look your best Tourist Office of Spain Plan your next adventure at Spain.info  Stash Go to get.stash.com/EVERYTHING to see how you can receive $25 towards your first stock purchase and to view important disclosures. Subscribe to the podcast!  https://everything-everywhere.com/everything-everywhere-daily-podcast/ -------------------------------- Executive Producer: Charles Daniel Associate Producers: Austin Oetken & Cameron Kieffer   Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everythingeverywhere Update your podcast app at newpodcastapps.com Discord Server: https://discord.gg/UkRUJFh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingeverywhere/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/everythingeverywheredaily Twitter: https://twitter.com/everywheretrip Website: https://everything-everywhere.com/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The best known battles of the American Civil War, such as Gittysburg, Antietam, Shiloh, and Bull Run, all occurred in the Eastern Theater. However, one of the most important battles, from both a strategic and tactical standpoint, took place in the West. It was one of the most brilliantly led battles of the entire conflict, and had vaulted into prominence a man who would go on to lead the Union to victory and ultimately the presidency. Learn more about the Battle of Vicksburg and how it changed the course of the Civil War

on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. What if your perceptions about the past were wrong? ThruLine is a podcast that takes you back in time to uncover the parts of the story that may have gone unnoticed. It effectively turned day into night. And how it shaped the world now. Time travel with us every week on the ThruLine podcast from NPR. As I mentioned in the introduction, most of the famous battles of the Civil, Civil War occurred in the east. This was where the large armies were, as well as most of the

population centers and the capital cities. In terms of sheer numbers, battles like Gittesburg, Antietam, Shiloh, and Bull Run were some of the biggest battles of the entire conflict, and they deserve attention. These battles were in many respects, reminiscent of the large set-piece battles that Europe saw during the Napoleonic Wars decades earlier. That might be a bit of an oversimplification, but I think it's largely true. What happened in the Western theater of the war is often overlooked, but it was just as important. The battles fought in the West tended to be different, given the different objectives the Union was pursuing, and this was especially true with the Battle of Vicksburg. In a previous episode, I covered Operation Anaconda, which was the Union's overarching strategy for the entire war.

Conceived by General Winfield Scott, the plan was to surround and cut off the Confederacy from the rest of the world and itself. One major element of Operation Anaconda was the blockade of major ports in the south to prevent Confederate ships from trading with Europe. But the other major element of the plan was controlling the Mississippi River. By controlling the Mississippi, it took the largest inland waterway out of the rebels' hands and also completely cut off Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana from the rest of the Confederacy. The Union campaign on the Mississippi had gone well. By early 1863, they had captured New Orleans in Memphis, making Vicksburg the last

major Confederate stronghold on the river. Vicksburg, Mississippi is situated on high bluffs overlooking a sharp bend in the river. Its fortifications and strategic location made it nearly invulnerable to a direct river assault. Confederate President Jefferson Davis called it, quote, the nailhead that holds the South's two halves together. For the Confederacy, losing Vicksburg would be catastrophic. For the Union, capturing it would be a game-changing victory. The Union General and Command of the Vicksburg operation was someone you're probably familiar with, Ulysses S. Grant. Grant had made several attempts to capture Vicksburg throughout

late 1862 and early 1863, but initial efforts were skimied. He tried the Overland campaign, which took place in November and December of 1862. However, supply line issues and Confederate cavalry raids forced Grant to withdraw. In the bayou expeditions from January to March 1863, Grant attempted various routes through the bayous and waterways around Vicksburg, all of which failed due to natural obstacles and Confederate resistance. Grant also attempted to build a canal that would bypass Vicksburg entirely, but that effort was also unsuccessful.

Grant finally realized that a direct assault was not feasible without isolating the city first. In April of 1863, Grant devised a risky but ingenious. plan. The first stage of the plan was to have Union naval forces under Admiral David Porter run past the Vicksburg batteries at night to transport part of Grant's army across the Mississippi to the south of the city. Grant would then march another part of the army down the western bank of the Mississippi and cross south of Vicksburg at Bruinsburg, where the Union controlled the river. Brunsburg is about 25 miles south of Vicksburg. Finally, once Grant crossed the river, he would work is way inland, living off the land, to cut off Vicksburg from the rest of Mississippi.

On April 30th, Grant and his forces crossed the river and proceeded to win a series of battles. On May 1st, the Union secured a beachhead at Port Gibson. On May 12th, Grant defeated a Confederate force at Raymond Mississippi. On the 14th, Grant captured Jackson, the Mississippi State Capitol, to prevent reinforcements from reaching Vicksburg. And on May 16th, the largest and bloodiest battle of the campaign, at Champion and Hill resulted in a decisive Union victory. Finally, on May 17th, the Big Black River Bridge was taken in the final battle before Vicksburg, forcing Confederates back to the defensive lines.

On May 18th, with Vicksburg now surrounded, Confederate Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton retreated into the city's defensive works. The Union Army at this time numbered about 35,000 men, but would eventually be reinforced to over 70,000. Pemberton's defenders, however, numbered approximately 30,000, all of which were inside the city. Grant attempted two major assaults on May 19th and 22nd, but both were repulsed with heavy union casualties. Realizing that continued frontal assaults would be too costly, Grant shifted to a classic siege operation. His forces built extensive trenches and fortifications around the city, steadily closing in and cutting off all supplies and reinforcements. From the very beginning,

Union artillery bombarded the city almost continuously, turning homes, businesses, churches, and public buildings into rubble. The Confederate defensive works, the earth and forts and trenches radiating around Vicksburg's perimeter, were relentlessly shelled, and sharpshooters made movement during the day dangerous for soldiers and civilians alike. Food quickly became the greatest concern. Vicksburg had been partially stocked in preparation for a siege, but not nearly enough to withstand a prolonged encirclement by a vastly larger army. The rations were initially supplemented by local sources,

livestock, gardens, and remaining stores of food, but these were rapidly exhausted. Confederate soldiers were soon reduced to quarter rations, and civilians fared even worse. Cornmeal became everyone's staple diet, but as supplies dwindled further, the people of Vicksburg were forced to find substitutes. They ate mules, horses, dogs, and even rats became part of their diet. Multiple conditions Contemporary accounts describe families' boiling shoe leather to make it edible. Flower was so scarce that it was replaced with ground corn husks or acorns. Coffee, a southern favorite, disappeared entirely, replaced by bitter bruise made with parched corn or chickory.

Disease spread rapidly under these conditions. The crowded city, combined with the scarcity of clean water and food, became a breeding ground for illnesses such as dysentery, typhoid fever, malaria, and scurvy. The Confederate Army was already weakened by malnutrition and poor sanitation, but the civilians, particularly children and the elderly, were even more vulnerable. Medical supplies were practically nonexistent, and hospitals were overwhelmed using torn cloth or even paper as bandages. The dead, both military and civilian, could not always be buried properly due to the constant shelling. Shallow graves or mass burials became common with little

ceremony. In order to escape the incessant artillery fire from Grant's forces, which rain shells into the heart of the city day and night, many civilians took to living underground. They dug caves into the bluffs and hills surrounding Vicksburg, creating entire networks of improvised underground dwellings. These caves ranged from simple dugouts to complex boroughs large enough to house multiple families. Although life in the caves was difficult and claustrophobic, they offered protection from the shelling. People referred to them grimly as prairie dog villages. Inside these caves, residents endured stifling heat, darkness, pests, and the constant fear that a direct hit could collapse their shelter. Despite these hazards, many families lived in these caves for weeks on end,

emerging only under the cover of night to scavenge supplies or check on their homes. The Confederate forces manning the defenses were stretched thin and increasingly demoralized. Pemberton tried to maintain morale. and discipline, but desertions began to rise. Soldiers were exhausted, hungry, and sick, and they understood that no relief force was coming. General Joseph E. Johnson, who commanded Confederate forces east of Vicksburg, was slow and cautious in mounting any attempt at relief, and by the time he made serious efforts, it was too late to save the city. Letters from soldiers and civilians captured a deepening sense of abandonment and hopelessness

as the siege dragged on through June. The fall of Vicksburg came not with a final union assault, but with Pemberton recognizing that continued resistance was futile. On July 1st, his men were so weakened that they could no longer mount effective counterattacks, and there was almost no food left. After discussions with his generals and with the city's civilian leadership, who implored him to end the suffering, Pemberton sought negotiations. On July 3rd, under a flag of truce, he met with Grant. Grant initially demanded unconditional surrender, but then agreed to parole the Confederate soldiers rather than imprison them. The terms allowed the Confederates to be released on the condition that they would not take up arms again unless formally exchanged,

although many of them would later rejoin the fight regardless. When Vicksburg formally surrendered, on July 4, 1863, the Union Army took control of the devastated city. Paroled Confederate soldiers were marched out and sent home. Many were so malnourished and sick that they could barely walk. The Union also captured 172 cannons. Civilians emerged from their caves to find their city in ruins. Even after the siege ended, survival remained a grim challenge for them. Supplies were slow to arrive, and many families faced continued hunger and disease in the months that followed.

The ramifications of the Union-taking Vicksburg were far-reaching. With the taking of Vicksburg, Port Hudson, Louisiana, which was the only other Confederate-controlled city on the river, surrendered immediately. And that gave the Union complete control of the Mississippi River from the headwaters all the way to the sea. Operation Anaconda's goal to completely surround the Confederacy was, for all practical purposes, achieved. The Confederacy was also now fully divided in two. This division severely disrupted the flow of troops, food, cattle, and other critical supplies that had previously moved eastward to support Confederate armies. Although some supplies still trickled across via tenuous routes,

the separation made coordination extremely difficult and isolated large numbers of potential Confederate recruits. It weakened the Confederacy's ability to sustain prolonged resistance. The loss of Vicksburg also had a serious impact on the morale of both the North and the South. What no one around Vicksburg knew at the time was that on July 3rd, the day before the surrender, the Union had won the Battle of Gettysburg. Politically and psychologically,

the loss of Vicksburg shattered Confederate morale, as it demonstrated that the Union strategy of dividing and conquering the South was succeeding. It also bolstered northern confidence, reinforcing belief in ultimate victory, and strengthening support for President Lincoln's leadership and war policies. Gettysburg and Vicksburg were a one-two punch that the South would never recover from.

The victory at Vicksburg dramatically elevated General Ulysses S. Grant standing in both the Union Army and among political leaders in Washington. Prior to Vicksburg, Grant had already demonstrated his aggressive and relentless style of warfare in battles such as Fort Donaldson and Shiloh. However, the capture of Vicksburg proved his ability to conduct complex operation involving joint land and naval forces, strategic maneuvering, siege warfare, and managing large armies across difficult terrain. His success ended any lingering doubts about his competence, silenced many of his critics, and showcased his capacity for independent command over a major

theater of operations. As a result of his victory, Grant was promoted to Major General in the regular army, the highest rank at the time, and was eventually appointed General-in-Chief of all Union armies in early 1864, a position from which he would orchestrate the final campaigns that led to the Confederacy's Surrounder. And of course, all of this eventually led him to win the presidency. As for the city of Vicksburg, they didn't forget what happened to them during the siege. For decades afterward, Vicksburg bore the memory of its suffering and the city refused to celebrate Independence Day the day the day the city was surrendered for nearly 80 years. The Battle of Xpert may not have been the greatest battle of the Civil War, but it was enormously

important. It completed Operation Anaconda, it split the Confederacy in two, totally swung the momentum for both sides of the war, and set Ulysses-S. Grant on a path that would eventually lead to the White House. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Austin Oakden and Cameron Kiefer. I want to thank everyone who supports the show over on Patreon. Your support helps make this podcast possible. I'd also like to thank all the members of the Everything Everywhere community who are active on the Facebook group and the Discord server.

If you'd like to join in the discussion, there are links to both in the show notes. And as always, if you leave a review or send me a boostagram, you too can have it read on the show.