Vicksburg

1. Vicksburg Federal Forces

2. Federal Forces: Army • Ulysses Grant’s Army of the Tennessee • Hurlbut- XVI Corps (headquartered in Memphis, largely performing rear area missions) • Sherman- XV Corps • McPherson- XVII Corps • McClernand- XIII Corps • Maneuver force of ten divisions (44,000 effectives)

3. Ulysses Grant • Persistent, offensive-minded, relentless • Victory at Forts Henry and Donelson in Feb 1862 gives him experience working with the Navy and earns him the nickname “Unconditional Surrender” Grant • Surprised and badly defeated the first day at Shiloh but his dogged determination results in a Federal victory the second day (April 1862)

4. Lincoln on Grant • Lincoln responded to criticisms of Grant after Shiloh by saying, “I can’t spare this man--he fights.” • Responding to complaints of Grant’s drinking, Lincoln said, “If I knew what brand of whiskey Grant drinks, I would send a barrel to my other generals.”

5. Ulysses Grant • “The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike at him as hard as you can, and keep moving on.” • Grant’s genius lies in maneuver, logistics, and an understanding of modern warfare Grant at Cold Harbor in an 1864 Matthew Brady photograph

6. William Sherman • Commands XV Corps • Graduated from West Point in 1840 • Served in California during the Mexican War • Limited previous combat experience; one of the best examples of a general that grows during the Civil War • Becomes the first superintendent of the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy in 1859 (today’s LSU)

7. William Sherman • Like Grant is a professional and modern general • Excelled at maneuver and logistics • Served at First Manassas, in Kentucky, and with Grant at Shiloh • Had a nervous breakdown in Kentucky • Had a close relationship with Grant • “Grant stood by me when I was crazy, and I stood by him when he was drunk. Now we stand by each other always.”

8. James McPherson • Commanded XVII Corps • Graduated first in the West Point class of 1853 • Served with Grant at Donelson and Shiloh • “I want to express my thanks to [Sherman] and McPherson as the men to whom, above all others, I feel indebted for whatever I have had of success.” • Grant upon his promotion to lieutenant general

9. John McClernand • Commanded XII Corps • Democrat and ally of Stephen Douglas, Lincoln’s opponent in the 1860 election • Received a brigadier general’s commission as a result of Lincoln’s desire to retain political connections with the Democrats of Southern Illinois • Served under Grant at Belmont, Donelson, and Shiloh McClernand, President Lincoln, and Allan Pinkerton at Antietam

10. John McClernand • Successfully used his political connections to obtain an independent command in late 1862 and in January 1863 superseded Sherman as the leader of the force that was to move down the Mississippi • After the distracting Arkansas Post expedition, Grant united his force with McClernand’s and assumed command • Throughout the Vicksburg Campaign McClernand would try to undercut Grant until Grant ultimately relieved him on June 18

11. Stephen Hurlbut • Commanded XVI Corps • Like McClernand was a political general • Mixed performance in Missouri and at Shiloh • Responsibility for rear area operations based in Memphis allowed him to focus on his strength (administration) but also indulge in his weaknesses (corruption and drunkenness) Hurlbut played a leading part in cotton smuggling in Memphis

12. Federal Forces: Navy • Navy • Mississippi River Squadron commanded by Flag Officer David Porter • About 60 combat vessels of which 20 to 25 would support the Vicksburg operation at any one time • 13 ironclads

13. David Porter • Son of War of 1812 hero Commodore David Porter • Born in 1813 • Sailed with his father to suppress piracy in the West Indies in 1824 • Joined the United States navy in 1829 and served in the Mexican War • Commanded 19 mortar boats with his foster brother Admiral David Farragut at New Orleans • When Farragut’s fleet passed the forts on the early morning of April 24, 1862, Porter covered its passage by bombarding Fort Jackson.

14. David Porter • Volatile and self-seeking • A fellow officer wrote that “Porter would assassinate the reputation of anyone in his way.” • Ability to cooperate with others was dependent on who the other person was • After New Orleans, he entered into a running squabble with MG Butler over Porter’s contribution that would carry over to Fort Fisher • Yet at Vicksburg, Grant would conclude, “The navy under Porter was all it could be, during the entire campaign... The most perfect harmony reigned between the two arms of the service. There never was a request made, that I am aware of, either of the flag-officer or any of his subordinates, that was not promptly complied with.”

15. Ironclads • In 1822 naval theorists began proposing wooden ships be replaced with iron ones • On March 9, 1862, the U.S.S. Monitor and the C.S.S. Virginia fight the first battle between two ironclads off Hampton Roads, VA • Chief role of the ironclads in the Vicksburg Campaign was to defeat the Confederate fortified batteries

16. Ironclads • Usually attacked the fort head-on to take advantage of the protection of the ironclad’s thickest armor • Ideally attacked from the downstream side to improve maneuverability and to allow the ironclad to drift safely away if disabled • Many engagements were within 100 yards of the fortification • Ironclad would blast the position with grape and exploding shell in an attempt to break down the earthen parapet of the fort and disable its guns

17. Rams • Converted riverboats by reinforcing their hulls and filling their bows with timber so that they could survive deliberate collisions with enemy boats • Existed strictly for combat against other boats • Since they carried little or no armament other than their rams, they were of limited utility once the Confederate fleet had ceased to be an immediate threat

18. Mortar boats • Unpowered scows or rafts, each carrying one squat, kettle-shaped 13-inch siege mortar which weighed 17,120 pounds. • With a full 20-pound charge, the mortar could lob a 200-pound shell a distance of over two miles • During the siege, thirteen mortar boats anchored on the western side of De Soto point and maintained a steady barrage

19. Tinclads • Most versatile vessel in the fleet • Constructed by modifying riverboats by covering them with 1/2-inch to 3/4 -inch thick iron plating that protected the power plant and pilot house from small-arms fire • Could double as troop transports in joint operations, each one carrying up to 200 infantry

20. Tinclads • Provided the naval presence that kept waterways under Union control, even when the riverbanks belonged to the Confederates. • Typical tinclad had six 24-pounder howitzers mounted facing the sides to drive off “bushwackers” • Shallow draft enabled them to prowl waterways inaccessible to heavier war vessels. • Some tinclads could float on as little as eighteen inches of water when lightly loaded

21. U.S.S. Cairo • Sailed up the Yazoo on December 12, 1862 to destroy Confederate batteries and clear the channel of torpedoes (underwater mines) • Came under fire seven miles north of Vicksburg and two explosions tore gaping holes in the ship's hull. • Within twelve minutes the ironclad sank • First ship in history to be sunk by an electrically detonated torpedo. • The wreck was located in 1956 and raised in 1965

22. Next • Confederate forces