by Jeffrey Schaffer

Created on: October 22, 2009

On May 16, 1863, a pitched battle near a hill in Mississippi changed the course of the Civil War. Vicksburg had stood as the linchpin of the Confederate defense of the Mississippi. By holding onto Vicksburg, men, food, and supplies from Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana could support the Confederate armies fighting in Tennessee and Virginia. Not only did it help keep the Confederate Army supplied, but it prevented Northern businesses from shipping down the river causing pain to the Midwest States.

Grant and tried and failed. Five times he had tried to capture or bypass Vicksburg and through a combination of Confederate soldiers, poor weather and miserable terrain, he came up short. As April of 1863 arrived, General Grant realized that he could not retreat. Union defeats and setbacks in the winter of '62 had made the North grown war-wary and a retreat now would further depress the nation an might force Lincoln to dismiss him from command.

He decided to load his men onto boats and run them past the fortress and land them south of the city. He was able to keep Lieutenant General Pemberton from reacting to his move by sending Colonel Grierson on a cavalry raid through the length of the State of Mississippi and sending General Sherman corps to fake a landing at Snyder Bluff, which was north of the city. Having successfully landed his men on April 29, he cut his supply lines, marched northeast and captured Jackson by May 14th.

General Pemberton, a Philadelphia-born Confederate, immediately set about intercepting Grant and blocking his route to Vicksburg. Matters were complicated by the arrival of General Johnston, the overall commander of Confederate forces in Mississippi and Tennessee. Johnston arrived in Jackson and ordered Pemberton to advance with his force to attack Grant from the rear. Pemberton and his generals thought this was unwise and sought to move southeast against what they thought would be Grant's supply line. After Johnston was driven out of the city and moved northwest, he reiterated his command. Pemberton ordered his army to reverse course and march northwest in order to meet up with Johnston. Grant, informed of the Confederate's from a spy, sought to attack Pemberton's army while it was moving.

On May 16th, Grant's Army of 32,000 men caught up with Pemberton's force of about 23,000 men. Pemberton arrayed his men in a three mile long defensive line in the shape of a the number 7, with General Loring on the right flank, General Bowen in the center,

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