Reckoning upon the apparently demoralized condition of his enemy, who had given way pre eipitately in the affair at Big Black Bridge, Grant on Slay 19th promptly assaulted the works in his front With a part of his force, but after some hours was obliged to desist and prepare to invest the city completely. After establish ing a depot of supplies and strengthening his communications with the Yazoo. Grant deter mined upon one more effort to dislodge the Con federate garrison. On the 21st he attacked with his entire force. The defenses were armed on the west and north sides with 128 guns, of which 36 were siege pieces: in addition water batteries comprising 44 guns protected the western front. The result again proved the superiority of the de fense under such advantages of pcwition. Al though Grant's troops got inside the advanced line of works, they could not penetrate farther, and after eight hours' exposure to a severe and continuous fire from the Confederate works the Union troops withdrew with the loss of 4075 men. The siege was now commenced in earnest: 12 miles of trenches and S9 batteries were con strueted, armed with 220 guns—most of which were field pieces; in addition at several points, where the hostile lines were separated by a few yards. small mortars were improvised by boring
out tough logs and strengthening them with iron bands. After twelve days of incessant bombard ment from the gunboats and the land forces, dur ing which the Confederate garrison, cut off from relief and reduced to one biscuit and a mouthful of bacon a day,' showed signs of mutiny, General Pemberton surrendered on July 4. 1863. The number actually paroled was 29,391 officers and men; 790 refused paroles. The artillery found comprised 172 pieces. The capture of Vicksburg and the simultaneous defeat of Lee at Gettys burg marked the turning point of the war.
Consult: the Official Records; .Johnson and Duel (eds.), Battles and Leaders of the Civil Wur (New York, 1887) ; Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant (ib., 1895) : Sherman, Memoirs (ib., 1892) : Greene. The Mississippi (ib., 1882), in the "Campaigns of the Civil War Series:" Swinton, Twelve Decisive Battles of the War (ib., 1S67) ; and Nieolay and Hay, Abraham Lincoln: A History (ib., 1890).