The Mississippi River Wars

Paper Summary:

The paper explores the strategies that led to the battle of Vicksburg that raged on the Mississippi. The paper relates that the battle for Vicksburg is considered one of the pivotal clashes of the Civil War, mainly because it was such a strategic spot on the river. The paper explains that it also dealt a blow to the Confederacy when it opened up traffic in the Mississippi to Union supplies and troops. The paper concentrates on several aspects of the battle for Vicksburg.

From the Paper:

"A book called Grant Wins The War: Decision at Vicksburg goes into great detail about the city of Vicksburg, and the fight for the city on the Mississippi River. As far as fortifications against attacks, Vicksburg had a natural advantage; the high ground east of the city was a serious of bluffs, up to 260 feet high. With powerful cannons positioned heavily on those bluffs, it made it very problematic for the northern naval forces to make it past, either from the south or north. In addition to the high bluffs, there was a sharp bend in the river right at that point; "naval guns could not elevate sufficiently to engage batteries along the blufftops," Arnold writes on page 14. The rebels had "two heavy batteries," a four-gun battery on the highest ground, and 50 feet above the river another battery."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Arnold, James R. Grant Wins the War: Decision at Vicksburg. New York: John Wiley & Sons,1997.
• Confederate Military History, Vol. 7, Chapter IX. "The Vicksburg Campaign." The Siege of Vicksburg (May 18 - July 4, 1863). Retrieved 23 Nov. from http://www.civilwarhome.com/siegeofvicksburg.htm.
• Faust, Patricia L. "The Battle of Vicksburg." Historical Times Encyclopedia of the Civil War.Retrieved 20 Nov. 2006 from http://www.civilwarhome.com/battleofvicksburg.htm.
• Grant, Ulysses S. "The Vicksburg Campaign." The Siege of Vicksburg. Retrieved 22 Nov. 2006 from http://www.civilwarhome.com/siegeofvicksburg.htm.
• Hoehling, A. A. Vicksburg: 47 Days of Siege. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1969.

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