Analysis Of The Battle And Siege Of Vicksburg

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Under Siege The town of Vicksburg, Mississippi was a strategic and vital location, militarily, for both the North and the South. Many, including President Abraham Lincoln, called Vicksburg the key to the Confederacy. Vicksburg was so important that the Union besieged it for forty-seven days, and when given the chance, the women and children within Vicksburg refused to leave. Under Siege tells the storyg of the Battle and Siege of Vicksburg through the eyes of two Confederate children and the son of Union general, Ulysses S. Grant. Through their diaries and accounts of the event, this is the summary of what happened in Vicksburg. In May and June 1862, Lucy McRae and William Lord Jr. witnessed the Union launch failed attempts to capture Vicksburg …show more content…

But it wasn't all war during the siege. According to the diary of some soldiers on both sides, they would act friendly towards each other while officers were not present and when there was a respite. The Union soldiers would even share rations the starving inside Vicksburg. But with the siege continuing and supplies decreasing, Confederate general Pemberton was at a lose since General Joe Johnston was not coming to his aid. General Johnston viewed the defending of Vicksburg as a waste of time, so he wouldn't arrive to reenforce Pemberton and Vicksburg until it was too late. Pressuring by his men and the dire situation of the townspeople, General Pemberton decided to surrender Vicksburg to Union generals Grant and Sherman, on July 4, 1863. For Lucy and William, the surrender was bitter. Lucy accounted in her diary how the defeated Confederate soldiers,as well as the citizens, cried as they surrendered of officially on July 6. Fred Grant, however, was jubilant. From the very beginning, the Battle of Vicksburg was a hopeless fight for the Confederates. Even though all, like Lucy and William, suffered during the siege, none wanted to surrender, not even the women or the children. When given the chance, they refused to leave their men in gray out of pride and loyalty. During the Siege of Vicksburg, the Confederates were glorified in the eyes of their enemies, and through their stories, Lucy, William, and Fred showed that none when spared the suffering of

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