1. Vicksburg
May 18- July 4, 1863
This overlaps Gettysburg (the bloodiest battle)
It’s also a BURG

2. Background First Union attempt to capture Vicksburg happened in 1862
The Union kept failing and eventually moved on
They returned in 1863
Largest amphibious operation ever conducted by Americans prior to WWII

3. Confederate strategy Protect river fortress at Vicksburg
Use the geography to keep Vicksburg as a Confederate territory

4. Union strategy Surprise amphibious landing Push inland quickly
Strategy was way ahead of its time and will be used in Normandy during WWII

5. Confederate general John C. Pemberton Born in Philadelphia in 1814
Was roommates at West Point with General Meade
Married Martha Thompson, from Virginia
Resigned from the Union army because of his wife
Served in the Confederacy in South Carolina
Was ordered to keep Vicksburg for the Confederacy
After his loss, the Confederacy branded him a traitor
Returned north after the war
Died in Philadelphia in 1881

6. Union general Ulysses S. Grant Known as Sam by his friends
Served with distinction before the Civil War
When he wasn’t at war, he drank heavily
Was quickly promoted during the war
Earned the nickname “Unconditional Surrender” Grant
Was Secretary of War and then President after the Civil War
Died at 63
Buried in New York in the largest mausoleum in the country

7. battle
Union victories at Champion Hill and Big Black Bridge weakened the Confederacy
Grant sieged the city of Vicksburg
Civilians and soldiers endured Union occupation for 47 days
Pemberton surrendered on July 4, 1863

8. maps

9. Result Pemberton had no choice but to surrender
Grant tried to force him to unconditionally surrender, but Pemberton would not agree
The two men met and agreed to a cease fire
That night, Grant offered parole to Pemberton and his army
The Confederacy surrendered the next day
UNION VICTORY

10. Battle facts Total Soldiers Engaged: 110,000 Total Casualties: 37,402
Union: 77,000
Confederate: 33,000
Total Casualties: 37,402
Union: 4,910
Killed: 806
Wounded: 3,904
Missing: 164
Confederate: 32,492
Killed: 805
Wounded: 1,938
Missing: 29,620

11. Fun facts
Confederate guerilla soldiers hid in bushes and attacked a laundry boat, which led to the start of this campaign
The capture of Vicksburg split the Confederacy in half
Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis both saw Vicksburg as the key to the Confederacy
Because the Confederacy surrendered on July 4, 1883, the town of Vicksburg did not celebrate Independence Day for 81 years
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