How Did The Battle Of Vicksburg Affect Women

The Battle of Vicksburg and the War did not only affect the lives of men, but the women were majorly affected. Before the war women were only allowed to take care of the home, the husband, children, and work in mills and farms (Encyclopedia Britannica). Women were not given a tenth of the respect or rights that men received, but as the war progressed that started to change. During many battles including the Battle of Vicksburg women were doing the household jobs, taking care of children, and doing the work that their husbands, fathers, and/or brothers would be doing if they were not drafted. Some women even disguised as men and fought in the war or acted as spies. Women started to receive education to bring in income for the family (Encyclopedia

Not all men went to fight. The drafts were typically for men eighteen through twenty five. Drafts required men of certain ages to enroll in the war (Ballard). The people that stayed back were called townspeople. Durring Battle of Vicksburg the town was besieged, or surrounded by Grants forces for foty days. No food or ammunition entered the town leaving the citizens eating mules and rats. Citizens lived in “dugouts” or “bomb proofs” that were holes dug out from the sides of hillsides. The townspeople starved but persevered. Many struggled to keep the city running. Without communication outside of the community, the people had very little food and water. They could not buy much of anything due to inflation. Food had become unaffordable and everything they had or grew was ruined or taken over by the soldiers (Encyclopedia Britannica). During the seize the townspeople had to hide and pray that the fighting would end. The townspeople had to also take care of the men that had deserted. The men came back to find that they could not do much, because all their plants were ruined. They deserters added more mouths to feed. The townspeople struggled during the Battle of

Abraham Lincoln had won the reelection against McClellan. Lincoln had won the reelection due to winning a surprise attack battle. The same tactics were used in the Battle of Vicksburg. These tactics were easy to convey due to the geography of Vicksburg. The Battle of Vicksburg, Mississippi, also called the Siege of Vicksburg, was the culmination of a long land and naval campaign by Union forces to capture a key strategic position during the American Civil War (Ballard). After crossing the Mississippi River on April 30, 1863, General Grant lead the Union Army to isolate the city of Vicksburg and the Confederates defending it (New York Times). Defeats at Champion Hill and Big Black River gave Confederate commander General Pemberton no choice but retreat to the defenses of Vicksburg and hold out until reinforcements could arrive. On May 19 and 22, Grant launched a series of frontal assaults against Pemberton’s fortifications which lead to suffering heavy losses. For forty seven days the Federal host bombarded the city while the Confederate soldiers and civilians alike suffered the hardships of siege warfare. Grant's success silenced many of his critics and increased his reputation with the Lincoln administration, ultimately leading to his appointment as General-in-Chief of the Union