The siege of Vicksburg can be seen as a turning point in the Civil War. Vicksburg was fought after territory for both sides because of the value it encompassed. Particularly to the Confederates, Vicksburg was their last chance of keeping unity of command. Without control of Vicksburg the southern confederate states would be divided into two. As well as unity of command, possession of Vicksburg was critical to controlling the lower Mississippi River. The Mississippi River supplied the armed forces with troops, supplies, and equipment. Loss of Vicksburg would prove to be devastating to the South as they were now divided, lacked unity of command, and had lost their remaining control over the Mississippi making it difficult to maneuver troops and …show more content…
Surrendering in defeat on July 4th 1863, the Confederates lost one of the most valuable pieces of territory they had controlled during the Civil War. Vicksburg was a port city situated along the Mississippi. After the fall of New Orleans and Memphis it was the only Confederate stronghold blocking the Union from the Mississippi River. Under the control of Brigadier General Martin Smith over 3,000 confederacy troops were occupying the city before it fell to the North (The Oxford Companion to American Military History). When analyzing Vicksburg from a military, political, and economic perspective, one can see its outstanding importance during the Civil War. With the fall of Vicksburg to Union forces, the South lost control of the lower Mississippi River and therefore divided the southern states, leaving Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas isolated from the rest of the southern states and cutting off Richmond (Vicksburg Siege, n.d.). Without southern control of the Mississippi River, the North now had access to continue bringing reinforcements and supplies to continue the war. The Siege of Vicksburg has been described as a decisive victory that would give the North an upper hand in the Civil War. The city of Vicksburg was crucial to the control of the Mississippi River and the movement and maneuvers of southern troops and supplies during the Civil War, unity of command in the south, and held key terrain features vital to an offensive position along the Mississippi
Overall, Document A shows that The Battle of Gettysburg was the one battle in the entire war that was fought in the North, and this is significant because the Confederate army was always on the defensive and the southerners were continually in danger from the warfare happening around them. Following this, the casualties that the South suffered significantly reduced the size of their army. This was bad for the Confederates because their army was already small
It also gave the Union control of the Mississippi River. The Battle of Vicksburg was one of the most important Battles of the Civil War, and it helped speed up the end of the long fought war. It also let the north go into the deep south so they could eradicate the “Rebels”. It split the Confederacy in half. It made it easier to defeat the “Rebels” when they were not able to communicate with their other half.
The long 47 day siege has finally come to an end. The town of Vicksburg, Mississippi and the Confederate troops have made the decision to surrender to the Union army. It is another very disappointing loss for the Confederate troops. It lasted from May 18 - July 4, 1863. There are a total estimate of 37,402 casualties.
Not only did New Orleans allow the Confederacy to have control over the Mississippi river, which gave it a lot of economic influence and power, but it was also the largest city which they possessed. This battle could prove to be one the major events which leads to the Confederacy’s demise. General Butler is already taking steps to dismantle the oppressive laws of the Confederacy over slavery and ensuring that there will be little resistance in New
This also was a critical event to the coming of the Civil War as it separated the north and south even greater by physically dividing them into two
In conclusion, the Battle of Shiloh was a major battle, fought between four major generals. This battle led to the demise of the Confederate Army and rise of the Union Army. The battle resulted in the loss of the Corinth railroad station. The Confederate Army no longer could transport necessities among themselves to aid in the
”(Wiss, Janney, & Elstner Associates, 27) Therefore, the Battle of Stones River was not only important because of its railroad location, but as emotional victory to boost the spirits of Union soldiers. This battle was not only a costly defeat for the Confederate army, but was also a sure sign of the imminent defeat of the South as a whole. To start, I have always
The Siege of Vicksburg is the name of the battle and it is possibly a more decisive battle than even Gettysburg. The Old Northwest considered the Mississippi River to be theirs as much as anybody else consider and viewed the river and Gulf of Mexico as an inexpensive, economic lifeline to the east. The country built waterways and railroads
The most important turning point of the war was the battle of Vicksburg because it split the Confederacy in half, led to the rise of Ulysses S. Grant, and gave the Union control of the Mississippi. The battle of Vicksburg “cut” the Confederacy in half- Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana were cut off from the rest of the Confederacy. This cut off supplies to the Confederacy from the West. It was a major blow both economically and psychologically. Vicksburg led to the rise of the general Grant; the Union victory lead to Grant being promoted to the General-In-Chief of all Union armies.
With very little in the amount of supplies for the troops, and almost no way of selling their cotton overseas, the Confederacy was in a rough situation. Even North Carolinan, Hinton Helper agreed that “we are dependant on northern capitalists for the means necessary to build our railroads, canals and other public improvements.” (Doc.3) Eventually they would need help, and the European countries wouldn’t aid them. Slavery was an issue that England and France both hated, so they would not choose to support anyone that wanted to fight for it, no matter how much cotton they were missing out on.
In general, the South was forced to get all of its bare necessities from the North which included material for railroads, canals, and steamships (Document 3). The South could never survive without the North and the North knew this. In effect, the sections spread further apart causing sectionalism to expand between them. Eventually, the South got angry and attacked leaving no option for the North, but to retaliate back. The distinct economies of the North and South helped influence
Losses because the South lost more soldiers than the north. For these reasons Gettysburg was a major turning point in the Civil
In September 1862, a battle was fought in a small town in Maryland. More lives were lost than any other battle or war that the United States has ever experience before or since. This battle had no true winner but it did have consequeses that changed the course of the Civil War. In James M. McPherson’s book Crossroads of Freedom Antietam The Battle That Changed the Course of the Civil War, he shows how small events added up to lead to the Battle of Antietam and ultimately to the North winning the Civil War.
The Battle of Saratoga in September and October of 1777 is the turning point of the Revolutionary War because the French joined with allies, British troops surrendered their arms, and the Patriots had crucial victories. It was a victory for the Patriots in the American Revolution and is the most decisive battles in history. The Battle began as a plan by the British to control New York and isolate New England from the Southern colonies and put an end to the Revolution. Which ended as an opportunity for the Patriots.
The rising numbers of death in the South tremendously weakened their army, which allowed for a Northern succession. William C. Davis asserts, “Industrially the South couldn’t keep up in output and in manpower. By the end of the war, the South had, more or less, plenty of weaponry still, but it just didn’t have enough men to use the guns”. Having such a small army, the South was not able to sustain a decent amount of soldiers for the war. Henceforth, the Northern advantage of having more soldiers had a large impact on the Southern loss in the Civil