Thursday, July 4, 2013

The Fall of Vicksburg, Mississippi 150 Years Ago Today

From the Civil War Naval Chronology.

Vicksburg, long under assault and siege by water and land, surrendered this day to General Grant.  General W.T. Sherman congratulated Admiral Porter for the Navy's role: "No event in life could have given me more personal pride or pleasure than to have met you to-day on the wharf at Vicksburg--a Fourth of July so eloquent in events as to need no words or stimulants to elevate its importance."

However, Port Hudson remained under Confederate control so the Mississippi River was not entirely under Union control.  But, Sherman believed it would also fall and soon.

Porter wrote Welles that 13 Navy guns had been used ashore and that: "There has been a large expenditure of ammunition during the siege; the mortars have fired 7,000 mortar shells, and the gunboats 4,500; 4,500 have been fired from the naval guns ashore, and we have supplied over 6,000 to the different army corps."

Grant wrote: "The navy, under Porter, was all it could be during the entire campaign.  Without its assistance the campaign could not have been successfully made with twice the number of men engaged."

A Big Win for teh Union.  --Old B-Runner

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