Alabama |
At the time of the Civil War, the Mississippi River was the single most important
economic feature of the continent; the very lifeblood of America. Upon the secession of
the southern states, the river was closed to unfettered navigation, which threatened to
strangle northern commercial interests. President Abraham Lincoln told his civil and
military leaders, "See what a lot of land these fellows hold, of which Vicksburg is the key. The war can never be brought to a close
until that key is in our pocket.... We can take all the northern ports of the Confederacy,
and they can defy us from Vicksburg." Lincoln assured his listeners that "I am
acquainted with that region and know what I am talking about, and as valuable as New
Orleans will be to us, Vicksburg will be more so."
The Vicksburg
campaign was waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. It involved over
100,000 troops with battles in west-central
Mississippi at: Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hill, Big Black River
and 47 days of Union siege operations against Confederate
forces defending the city of Vicksburg.
Located high on the bluffs, Vicksburg was a
fortress guarding the Mississippi River. It was known as "The Gibraltar of the
Confederacy." Its surrender on July 4, 1863, coupled with the fall of Port Hudson,
Louisiana, divided the South, and gave the North undisputed control of the Mississippi
River. |
Alabama |
