Why was the Siege of Vicksburg such an immense turning point for the Union in the Civil War? This mainly was due to the capturing of the Mississippi River, which contained the South’s main ports for trading with foreign countries. Capturing the Mississippi demolished the Confederate’s leading position in the Civil War. This great achievement for the Union helped change the outcome of the war.
The Siege took place in Vicksburg, which is located near central Mississippi on the western side of the state. The city resides on the eastern bank of the Mississippi river, this is the last port the Union needed to take over the river. Ulysses S. Grant, the Union general, took his troops towards Vicksburg. The army stopped right outside of the city,
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General Grant did not want to accept this offer at first, due to the fact he would have to distribute his own armies supplies and living quarters to 30,000 soldiers. Instead, Grant came up with the theory that if he offered a plea to parole all of the Confederate soldiers, he would not have to manage the responsibilities of all of the Confederate soldiers. Despite the fact he did this, many soldiers were later exchanged back on July 6th to the Confederacy. After this, the renowned city of Vicksburg had come to an end, the city was destroyed by the Union and there was no turning back.
The capture of Vicksburg split the Confederacy in half and was a major turning point of the civil war. It was a distinct victory for the union. By beating the Confederacy, it restricted their ports across the Mississippi river. The Confederacy was unable to transfer supplies or communication across its breadth. Leading into three other battles in this campaign (Raymond, Port Gibson, and Champion Hill). At the end of this siege there were a total of 37,402 casualties. This all shows how without the victory of Vicksburg by the Union, the war could have turned out completely