Reference Entry
SECOND ASSAULT ON VICKSBURG
Undeterred by the first setback, Grant prepared a larger, more coordinated assault for May 22nd, 1863. Union artillery pounded the Confederate lines through the morning, and attacking columns moved out with specially chosen volunteers—the so-called “forlorn hope”—carrying ladders and planks to cross obstacles. Across the front, Union regiments advanced against steep slopes, dense abatis, and well-sited rifle pits, enduring a storm of small-arms fire and exploding shells.
Dated Historical Context
A RECORDED MOMENT IN HISTORY
Second assault on Vicksburg
Undeterred by the first setback, Grant prepared a larger, more coordinated assault for May 22nd, 1863. Union artillery pounded the Confederate lines through the morning, and attacking columns moved out with specially chosen volunteers—the so-called “forlorn hope”—carrying ladders and planks to cross obstacles. Across the front, Union regiments advanced against steep slopes, dense abatis, and well-sited rifle pits, enduring a storm of small-arms fire and exploding shells. Some parties reached the outer faces of the Confederate works and clung there through the day, unable to break through but unwilling to fall back under such heavy fire. By evening, it was clear that even this larger effort had failed to crack the defenses, at the cost of thousands of casualties. The repeated repulse convinced Grant that Vicksburg would have to be taken by siege, not by direct assault, and many of the volunteers who had gone forward earned decorations for their persistence in an almost impossible task.
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