Jeff Davis called it the nail that held the Confederacy together; Abe Lincoln called it the key to winning the war. It doesn’t get as much attention from people who aren’t well-versed in the history of this war, but the Vicksburg Campaign was at least as important as the battle of Gettysburg in bringing about the eventual Union victory in this conflict — and many experts argue that Vicksburg was actually much more important in the grand strategic equation.

(Note: Slip of the tongue, when discussing Braxton Bragg, I accidentally said he won at “Chattanooga”; meant to say “Chickamauga.” Caught it in post, but decided that correcting it at that point would make for an awkward edit, so just left it as-is. Interestingly, I got the battle correct when mentioning the flip side of it — ie, Rosecrans’ defeat there.)

Join CJ as he discusses:

• The Battle of Stones River/Murfreesboro
• A little biographical info on Generals John Pemberton, Joseph Johnston, Braxton Bragg, William Rosecrans, and William Sherman
• Early Union attempts at Vicksburg in late 1862 and early 1863, which failed
• The final, successful campaign against the Confederate stronghold, which resulted in its fall on July 4, 1863
• The Union seizure of Port Hudson, which sealed up Union control of the Mississippi watershed

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Internal Links

• DHP Ep. 0131: Opening Gambits: The Not-So-Civil War Part 1
• DHP Ep. 0132: Upping the Ante: The Not-So-Civil War Part 2

External Links

• A great live version of the SteelDrivers’ “River Runs Red,” a song about the Battle of Stones River
• ‘View of Vicksburg and Plan of Canal, Fortifications, and Vicinity’ (1863)