The Mississippi River Campaign 1861 1863

Telling the story of the Civil War's Mississippi River Campaign through the experiences of leading officers, ordinary soldiers, and civilians, this book explains how the river campaign came to be one of the key tenets of the Union's strategy and a fundamental contributor to the war's ultimate outcome. It describes the Union's drive down the Mississippi River from Cairo, Illinois, the drive up the river from the Gulf of Mexico, and the capturing of key cities and rebel fortifications along the way, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Memphis, Vicksburg, and finally, Port Hudson, Louisiana. The text is supplemented with 24 historical photographs from the Library of Congress and the National Archives.

If the Civil War had a "forgotten theater," it was the Trans-Mississippi West. Starting in 1861 with the Lincoln administration's desire to maintain control of the far west, Jeffery Prushankin covers battles in New Mexico, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, including Pea Ridge in March 1862 and Pleasant Hill in April 1864. The Red River Expedition and Price's Raid are also described. The narrative places these campaigns and battles in their strategic context to show how they contributed to the outcome of the war.

The naval historian presents a “well-written, fast-paced” study of Civil War riverine combat based on the personal accounts of officers and sailors (Civil War News). As one of the most important transportation systems in the country, the Mississippi River became a strategically vital asset to both sides of the Civil War. The Confederacy relied on the river for cotton exportation as well as food and military supplies. The Union sought control of the river not only to disrupt Southern transport, but also to bisect the South as part of the Anaconda Plan. Drawing heavily on the diaries and letters of officers and common sailors, Barbara Brooks Tomblin explores the Union navy’s fight to win control of the Mississippi. Her approach provides fresh insight into major battles such as Memphis and Vicksburg as well as the fascinating perspectives of ordinary sailors who engaged in brown-water warfare. These men speak of going ashore in foraging parties, assisting the surgeon in the amputation of a fellow crewman's arm, and liberating supplies of whiskey from captured enemy vessels. They also offer candid assessments of their commanding officers, observations of the local people living along the river, and their views on the war. The Civil War on the Mississippi provides a comprehensive account of the action on the western rivers as well as a synthesis of vivid first-person accounts from the front lines.

Includes over 30 maps and Illustrations The Staff Ride Handbook for the Vicksburg Campaign, December 1862-July 1863, provides a systematic approach to the analysis of this key Civil War campaign. Part I describes the organization of the Union and Confederate Armies, detailing their weapons, tactics, and logistical, engineer, communications, and medical support. It also includes a description of the U.S. Navy elements that featured so prominently in the campaign. Part II consists of a campaign overview that establishes the context for the individual actions to be studied in the field. Part III consists of a suggested itinerary of sites to visit in order to obtain a concrete view of the campaign in its several phases. For each site, or “stand,” there is a set of travel directions, a discussion of the action that occurred there, and vignettes by participants in the campaign that further explain the action and which also allow the student to sense the human “face of battle.” Part IV provides practical information on conducting a Staff Ride in the Vicksburg area, including sources of assistance and logistical considerations. Appendix A outlines the order of battle for the significant actions in the campaign. Appendix B provides biographical sketches of key participants. Appendix C provides an overview of Medal of Honor conferral in the campaign. An annotated bibliography suggests sources for preliminary study.

The struggle for control of the Mississippi River was the longest and most complex campaign of the Civil War. It was marked by an extraordinary diversity of military and naval operations, including fleet engagements, cavalry raids, amphibious landings, pitched battles, and the two longest sieges in American history. Every existing type of naval vessel, from sailing ship to armored ram, played a role, and military engineers practiced their art on a scale never before witnessed in modern warfare. Union commanders such as Grant, Sherman, Farragut, and Porter demonstrated the skills that would take them to the highest levels of command. When the immense contest finally reached its climax at Vicksburg and Port Hudson in the summer of 1863, the Confederacy suffered a blow from which it never recovered. Here was the true turning point of the Civil War. ø This fast-paced, gripping narrative of the Civil War struggle for the Mississippi River is the first comprehensive single-volume account to appear in over a century. Vicksburg Is the Key: The Struggle for the Mississippi River tells the story of the series of campaigns the Union conducted on land and water to conquer Vicksburg and of the many efforts by the Confederates to break the siege of the fortress. William L. Shea and Terrence J. Winschel present the unfolding drama of the campaign in a clear and readable style, correct historic myths along the way, and examine the profound strategic effects of the eventual Union victory.

The Vicksburg Campaign, November 1862-July 1863 continues the series of campaign brochures commemorating our national sacrifices during the American Civil War. Author Christopher R. Gabel examines the operations for the control of Vicksburg, Mississippi. President Abraham Lincoln called Vicksburg "the key," and indeed it was as control of the Mississippi River depended entirely on the taking of this Confederate stronghold.

Has it come so soon as this? Secession and Confederate statehood -- I will gladly give my life for a victory: Kansas and Missouri, June-December 1861 -- The wolf is come: war in the Indian nation, 1861-1862 -- The only man in the army that was whipped: the Pea Ridge campaign, February 1862 -- Charge 'em! damn 'em, charge, charge, charge! The struggle for the Southwest, July 1861-July 1862 -- We are men and braves: Indian warfare in the Far West -- No feeling of mercy or kindness: the Prairie Grove campaign, March 1862-January 1863 -- Hold out till help arrived or until all dead: the capture of Arkansas post, 9-11 January 1863 -- Texas must take her chances: coastal defense and the battle of Galveston, April 1861-January 1863 -- All New England men and of the best material: the federal occupation of south Louisiana, April 1862-April 1863 -- Cannot you do something to operate against them on your side of the river! Milliken's Bend and the campaign for Vicksburg, spring 1863 -- Courage and desperation rarely equaled: the rebel assault on Helena, 4 July 1863 -- Much unmerited loss and suffering: Quantrill's Lawrence raid and the war on the Missouri-Kansas border, 21 August 1863 -- Drive him routed from our soil: the Little Rock campaign, July-October 1863 -- More remarkable than Thermopylae: Texas coastal defense and the battle of Sabine Pass, January 1863-June 1865 -- Our troops should occupy and hold at least a portion of Texas: Banks's overland campaign, July-November 1863 -- The land of coyotes, tarantulas, fandangos, horn-toads, and jack-rabbits: Banks's Texas campaign, October 1863-August 1864 -- No nobler death: the Indian Territory, July 1863-February 1865 -- We must fight them and whip them: Banks's drive toward Shreveport, November 1863-April 1864 -- I am going to fight Banks if he has a million of men! the battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill, 8-9 April 1864 -- A brisk and brilliant six weeks' campaign: Steele's Camden expedition and Banks's retreat from Pleasant Hill, April and May 1864 -- Destroy property and recruit men: Price's Missouri raid, August-November 1864 -- Let come what will, we'll fight the Yankees alone: Confederate collapse in the Trans-Mississippi

The prolonged 1863 Vicksburg campaign featured culminated in a final, relentless siege and a decisive Union victory just one day after Gettysburg. It was to prove decisive to the outcome of the American Civil War.