Reference Entry
FIRST ASSAULT ON VICKSBURG
Farther west, control of the Mississippi River became a central Union objective. After a bold overland campaign that saw victories at Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hill, and the Big Black River, General Ulysses S. Grant brought his army up to the defenses of Vicksburg, Mississippi. On May 19th, 1863, he ordered an immediate assault, hoping to capitalize on Confederate disarray and seize the fortress city by storm.
Dated Historical Context
A RECORDED MOMENT IN HISTORY
First assault on Vicksburg
Farther west, control of the Mississippi River became a central Union objective. After a bold overland campaign that saw victories at Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hill, and the Big Black River, General Ulysses S. Grant brought his army up to the defenses of Vicksburg, Mississippi. On May 19th, 1863, he ordered an immediate assault, hoping to capitalize on Confederate disarray and seize the fortress city by storm. Union troops pushed forward against strongpoints such as the Stockade Redan, climbing ravines and tangled slopes under rifle, artillery, and canister fire. In many places, attackers were pinned down short of the Confederate works, and efforts to bridge ditches or place scaling ladders broke apart. By day’s end, casualty lists showed that the city would not fall easily. The failed assault revealed how formidable Vicksburg’s earthworks and terrain really were and foreshadowed the difficulties of taking a well-prepared position overlooking a major river.
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