Fourth Grade
Worksheets
Vicksburg
There was heavy fighting in the East during the Civil War. There was also fighting in the West. The Mississippi River was very important to the southern army. Without control of this river, the South would be split in half. It would be cut off from getting the supplies that it badly needed.
Vicksburg seemed like it was safe from any attack. It sat high up on a hill. Below it was a sharp bend in the river. Union ships would be in danger if they came near the city. The Confederate army could easily take aim at the ships below them.
Also, Vicksburg was in a place with many swamps. The only land that was dry was to the east. The Confederate army was in control of that area. It seemed that the Union had no chance of taking control of the city.
General Ulysses S. Grant knew that it would be almost impossible to win Vicksburg. But he wanted to. He knew that the South would be crippled if it lost control of the Mississippi River.
Grant had tried to take the city during the winter of 1862 and the spring of 1863. He had tried to attack from the north. That hadn't worked. He had also tried to dig a canal near the bend in the river. He tried to move his boats where they would not be under attack from the city's guns. The canals were not deep enough.
