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Battle of Port Gibson
The Campaign for Vicksburg
The primary strategic objective of the Union in the western theater of the Civil War was to obtain full control of the entire course of the Mississippi River, thus making it available for Northern commerce. Also, Union control of the Mississippi would geographically cut the Confederacy in two. By the winter of 1862-63, Union control had been established as far south as Vicksburg, and as far north as Baton Rouge. However, the Confederacy had retained control of the Mississippi between those points by holding powerful fortresses at Vicksburg and Port Hudson.
Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton commanded the Confederate Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant commanded the Union Army of the Tennessee. Both assumed command during October 1862 and both were West Pointers. Grant’s initial offensive to gain control of the Mississippi using the railroads of western Mississippi as a main supply line failed on 20 December 1862 when Confederate cavalry destroyed his base of supply. This forced Grant to return to Memphis, and sealed the fate of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s cooperating amphibious expedition at Chickasaw Bayou on 27-29 December 1862. Early in1863, Grant moved the bulk of his army from Memphis to three camps in Louisiana opposite Vicksburg: Lake Providence, Milliken’s Bend, and Young’s Point.
During a miserably wet winter, Grant’s attempts to bypass Vicksburg by digging canals at Lake Providence, DeSoto Point, and Duckport all failed. Other Bayou Expeditions also failed: The Yazoo Pass Expedition at Fort Pemberton on 20 March, and the Steele’s Bayou Expedition on Rolling Fork Creek in late March. The Vicksburg defenses seemed invulnerable.
However, Grant never lost sight of his objective: "To secure footing upon dry ground on the east side of the river from which the troops could operate against Vicksburg." On 31 March, Grant marched his army southward through Louisiana, corduroying roads and building bridges as he went. He
hoped to find a lightly-defended point on the Mississippi shore south of Vicksburg.
Grant’s first plan was to cross the Mississippi River at Confederate occupied Grand Gulf. At Grant’s request, on the night of 16 April, Flag Officer David D. Porter ran the Vicksburg batteries. Porter’s seven ironclads and four transports were to provide gunnery support and transport for Grant’s troops. By 28 April, the bulk of Grant’s army had assembled at Hard Times Plantation, Louisiana, with plans to land at Grand Gulf, Mississippi. The next day, a determined effort by Porter’s ironclad gunboats failed to knock out the Grand Gulf guns. Undaunted, Grant moved his army further south to Disharoon’s Plantation.
On 30 April his men, transported by Porter’s boats (which had run the Grand Gulf batteries the previous night), landed unopposed at Bruinsburg. Moving inland, on 1 May the Union force encountered Brig. Gen. John Bowen’s Confederates five miles west of Port Gibson.
Though the Confederates were greatly outnumbered, they fought so tenaciously that an entire day was required to drive them back across Bayou Pierre. Grant then outflanked Bowen by a river crossing of Bayou Pierre at Grindstone Ford and advanced to Hankinson’s Ferry on the Big Black River. This forced Bowen to evacuate Grand Gulf. Grant immediately converted Grand Gulf to a forward supply depot. Grant decided not to advance directly on Vicksburg from Hankinson’s Ferry because of considerations of terrain and tactics.
He boldly turned northeast toward Edwards to cut the railroad. He planned to cut off Pemberton’s supplies, as well as to draw the Confederates out of their fortifications. Grant’s plan changed after the battle of Raymond on 12 May, when Maj. Gen James McPherson’s corps was attacked by Confederate Brig. Gen. John Gregg’s brigade. While at Dillon’s farm Grant was informed of the Union victory at Raymond.
He daringly decided to turn his army toward Jackson, assuming that a large Confederate force was assembling there. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston hadrecently arrived at Jackson with 5,000 Confederate troops. He abandoned Jackson on 14 May after a brief fight with Grant’s soldiers. The next day the Union army turned toward Vicksburg, leaving Sherman’s corps behind to destroy the city. Pemberton had moved 23,000 men eastward out of Vicksburg to defend his railroad supply line.
On 15 May, he marched to interdict the Union supply line at Dillon’s farm. The Union and Confederate armies clashed at Champion Hill on 16 May, where a decisive Confederate defeat forced Pemberton to withdraw toward Vicksburg. Pemberton withdrew the bulk of his army across the Big Black Bridge, leaving Bowen with a force of 7,000 men to defend a fortified bridgehead. Bowen’s defenses collapsed under Union assault early on 17 May, turning an orderly retreat into the Vicksburg defenses into a rout. By nightfall, Sherman had bridged the Big Black River at Bridgeport, and was on the road to Vicksburg.
Pemberton was able to rally his disorganized and demoralized troops in the trenches of Vicksburg. On 19 May they to repulsed an assault, primarily by Sherman’s corps. On 22 May a second assault by Grant’s entire army was also repulsed.
Unwilling to expend more lives in attempts to take the city by storm, Grant began siege operations. By the end of June, with all communication by either land or river cut off, Pemberton realized that he could neither break out nor hope for rescue by Johnston’s Army of Relief. After 47 days of siege, Pemberton accepted Grant’s terms, including the parole of all Confederate troops.
Fortress Vicksburg was officially surrendered at 10:00 a.m. on 4 July 1863. Port Hudson on the Mississippi River was now flanked and rendered inconsequential due to the surrender of Vicksburg. The river fortress was surrendered on 9 July 1863. Union control of the Mississippi was complete, and the strategic objective in the west had been achieved. Grant would write, “The fate of the Confederacy was sealed when Vicksburg fell.”
Vicksburg National Military Park
National Park Service
Battle of Port Gibson
The Campaign for Vicksburg
The primary strategic objective of the Union in the western theater of the Civil War was to obtain full control of the entire course of the Mississippi River, thus making it available for Northern commerce. Also, Union control of the Mississippi would geographically cut the Confederacy in two. By the winter of 1862-63, Union control had been established as far south as Vicksburg, and as far north as Baton Rouge. However, the Confederacy had retained control of the Mississippi between those points by holding powerful fortresses at Vicksburg and Port Hudson.
Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton commanded the Confederate Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana. Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant commanded the Union Army of the Tennessee. Both assumed command during October 1862 and both were West Pointers. Grant’s initial offensive to gain control of the Mississippi using the railroads of western Mississippi as a main supply line failed on 20 December 1862 when Confederate cavalry destroyed his base of supply. This forced Grant to return to Memphis, and sealed the fate of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s cooperating amphibious expedition at Chickasaw Bayou on 27-29 December 1862. Early in1863, Grant moved the bulk of his army from Memphis to three camps in Louisiana opposite Vicksburg: Lake Providence, Milliken’s Bend, and Young’s Point.
During a miserably wet winter, Grant’s attempts to bypass Vicksburg by digging canals at Lake Providence, DeSoto Point, and Duckport all failed. Other Bayou Expeditions also failed: The Yazoo Pass Expedition at Fort Pemberton on 20 March, and the Steele’s Bayou Expedition on Rolling Fork Creek in late March. The Vicksburg defenses seemed invulnerable.
However, Grant never lost sight of his objective: "To secure footing upon dry ground on the east side of the river from which the troops could operate against Vicksburg." On 31 March, Grant marched his army southward through Louisiana, corduroying roads and building bridges as he went. He
hoped to find a lightly-defended point on the Mississippi shore south of Vicksburg.
Grant’s first plan was to cross the Mississippi River at Confederate occupied Grand Gulf. At Grant’s request, on the night of 16 April, Flag Officer David D. Porter ran the Vicksburg batteries. Porter’s seven ironclads and four transports were to provide gunnery support and transport for Grant’s troops. By 28 April, the bulk of Grant’s army had assembled at Hard Times Plantation, Louisiana, with plans to land at Grand Gulf, Mississippi. The next day, a determined effort by Porter’s ironclad gunboats failed to knock out the Grand Gulf guns. Undaunted, Grant moved his army further south to Disharoon’s Plantation.
On 30 April his men, transported by Porter’s boats (which had run the Grand Gulf batteries the previous night), landed unopposed at Bruinsburg. Moving inland, on 1 May the Union force encountered Brig. Gen. John Bowen’s Confederates five miles west of Port Gibson.
Though the Confederates were greatly outnumbered, they fought so tenaciously that an entire day was required to drive them back across Bayou Pierre. Grant then outflanked Bowen by a river crossing of Bayou Pierre at Grindstone Ford and advanced to Hankinson’s Ferry on the Big Black River. This forced Bowen to evacuate Grand Gulf. Grant immediately converted Grand Gulf to a forward supply depot. Grant decided not to advance directly on Vicksburg from Hankinson’s Ferry because of considerations of terrain and tactics.
He boldly turned northeast toward Edwards to cut the railroad. He planned to cut off Pemberton’s supplies, as well as to draw the Confederates out of their fortifications. Grant’s plan changed after the battle of Raymond on 12 May, when Maj. Gen James McPherson’s corps was attacked by Confederate Brig. Gen. John Gregg’s brigade. While at Dillon’s farm Grant was informed of the Union victory at Raymond.
He daringly decided to turn his army toward Jackson, assuming that a large Confederate force was assembling there. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston hadrecently arrived at Jackson with 5,000 Confederate troops. He abandoned Jackson on 14 May after a brief fight with Grant’s soldiers. The next day the Union army turned toward Vicksburg, leaving Sherman’s corps behind to destroy the city. Pemberton had moved 23,000 men eastward out of Vicksburg to defend his railroad supply line.
On 15 May, he marched to interdict the Union supply line at Dillon’s farm. The Union and Confederate armies clashed at Champion Hill on 16 May, where a decisive Confederate defeat forced Pemberton to withdraw toward Vicksburg. Pemberton withdrew the bulk of his army across the Big Black Bridge, leaving Bowen with a force of 7,000 men to defend a fortified bridgehead. Bowen’s defenses collapsed under Union assault early on 17 May, turning an orderly retreat into the Vicksburg defenses into a rout. By nightfall, Sherman had bridged the Big Black River at Bridgeport, and was on the road to Vicksburg.
Pemberton was able to rally his disorganized and demoralized troops in the trenches of Vicksburg. On 19 May they to repulsed an assault, primarily by Sherman’s corps. On 22 May a second assault by Grant’s entire army was also repulsed.
Unwilling to expend more lives in attempts to take the city by storm, Grant began siege operations. By the end of June, with all communication by either land or river cut off, Pemberton realized that he could neither break out nor hope for rescue by Johnston’s Army of Relief. After 47 days of siege, Pemberton accepted Grant’s terms, including the parole of all Confederate troops.
Fortress Vicksburg was officially surrendered at 10:00 a.m. on 4 July 1863. Port Hudson on the Mississippi River was now flanked and rendered inconsequential due to the surrender of Vicksburg. The river fortress was surrendered on 9 July 1863. Union control of the Mississippi was complete, and the strategic objective in the west had been achieved. Grant would write, “The fate of the Confederacy was sealed when Vicksburg fell.”
Vicksburg National Military Park
National Park Service