VICKSBURG, CAMFAIGN AGAINST. The cam paign or series of operations in 1862 and 1863. during the Civil War, which had for its object the capture by the Union troops under Generals Grant and Sherman of Vicksburg, Miss. It. was pronounced by Sherman 'one of the greatest eampaigns in history! The year 1862 had been Milani in reverses to the Union cause. and the Washington authorities realized that, both for political and military reasons, redoubled efforts must he made to turn the tide. In the West the great territorial object was the possession of the :Mississippi River, which in the autumn of 1862 remained in the hands of the Confederates, who maintained strong garrisons at several points be low Memphis—Se largest force, under General Pemberton, being stationed at In October, 1S62, the Union forces near the and Memphis line comprised about 45.000 amen under General Grant. He decided to assume the offensive, and having concentrated (November. 4th) a part of his command on the Mississippi Central Railroad (which in that vicinity runs parallel to the great river) at Grand Junction, prepared to move upon Vicksburg with an ex pedition down the Mississippi River under Sher man, and a force under his personal direc tion advancing by the way of the railroad. Sherman started December 20t11 with 32.000 men and 60 guns, reached Milliken's Bend, on this Ya zoo River, twenty miles from Vicksburg. attacked the Confederate position at Chickasaw Bluffs (q.v.), and was repulsed with a loss of 2000 men. In the meanwhile Grant's communications had been cut by cavalry under Forrest and Van Dorn, the latter having destroyed the Union depot of supplies at Holly Springs, while the former tore up the railroads in Grant's rear. compelling him to retire and recall Sherman. The project of a combined lan0 and water movement upon Vicksburg had failed through -the cowardice or incapacity of the commanding officer at Holly Springs, who surrendered the post without strik ing a blow, and from the unforeseen strength of the Confederate position at Chickasaw mon, McClernand. who had been assigned to Command the river from Washington simultane ously with Sherman's advance, but whose order miscarried, now assumed command. Escorted by gunboats under Admiral Porter. he ascended the Arkansas River to Arkansas Post. Here was a strong work known as Fort Hindman. defended by 5000 men and 17 guns under General Church ill. A combined attack of land and naval forces resulted in the capture of the entire garrison on January Il, 1863, of which 200 were killed, the Union loss aggregating 977 killed, wounded. and missing. A new campaign was now planned by Grant to get below Vicksburg and operate from the south. At first he intended to pass around the city through a canal to be cut across the peninsula opposite Vicksburg, but after much labor on the work it was abandoned. An at
tempt was then made to get in rear of the city by land from the north, several methods being tried and in turn rejected. These at tempts to pass around the Confederate right involved tremendous labor in penetrating ey pre swamps and enlarging the bayous to en able the gunboats to pass through. and served to illustrate the wonderful ingenuity and resource fulness of the American soldier. They also illus trated the pertinacity of the commander, which quality eventually enabled him to achieve com plete success. Finally it was determined to move the Union land force by a series of bayous run ning from Milliken's Bend past Richmond to New Carthage, on the west hank of the Missis sippi, thirty miles below Vicksburg, while the gunboats ran the batteries protecting the city. This was successfully done on the night of April 1863. by the naval force under Porter, consist ing of S gunboats, 3 transports, with army sup plies, and a number of barges loaded with coal. Al though under fire for an hour. during which each vessel was hit, a coal barge or two sunk, and one of the transports burned and abandoned by her crew. but very little damage was done to the ves sels and less than a dozen men were wounded, and those only slightly. On the 20th six trans ports loaded with supplies, protected by cotton bales, and towing twelve coal barges, also ran the batteries, with the loss of one transport. The ensuing, operations, which brought Grant's army in rear of Vicksburg and to its final investment. must be referred to very briefly. Within a period of three weeks the battles of Grand Gulf (April 29th) , Port Gibson (Slay 1st) , Raymond (Slay 12th), Jackson (Slay 14th), Champion's Hill (Slay 16th), and Big Black Bridge (Slay 17th), and two assaults upon Vicksburg (Slay 19th and 22(1). recurred. On the last day of March General Pemberton's returns showed an effective strength of 50.000 men. Grant's returns for April gave the actual strength of time forces operating against Vicksburg as 50.000, including t he troops guarding his communications. Against the advantage of a naval auxiliary force may be set the superiority of position on the other side and familiarity with the country. It was there fore an even thing between the opposing armies except in point of leaders: on the one side Grant, Sherman, and McPherson; on the other Pemberton and Johnston. The Confederate gen erals (how•eve•r able one at lead was) were handi capped by divided responsibility and widely separated forces. The casualties on the Con federate side were 8000 in killed, wounded, and missing,. and there was also a loss of 88 guns: on the Union side, 3408 men.