He aptly referred to the mighty Mississippi River back in 1862 as “the backbone of the Rebellion key to the whole situation.” As long as the Confederates held it, they could “obtain supplies of all kinds, and it a barrier against our forces.” Taking the strongholds along the Mississippi had to be done in order to bring all the southern states back into the union. Mississippi River: Backbone of the Rebellionįrom the get go, President Abraham Lincoln understood the strategic situation, aka big picture.
Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia lay to the east.
Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana lay to the west. By 1863, Vicksburg was the last remaining junction that connected the communication lines across the breadth of the Confederacy. Furthermore, Port Hudson, Louisiana and other forts south of the city would become untenable if Vicksburg fell. The Confederacy also could only challenge the Federal Navy’s control of the river by means of the land-based artillery at Vicksburg. The side that held this town thus commanded the tons of supplies moving to-and-fro. Vicksburg was the last stronghold guarding the Mississippi River. One line ran east and connected with other roads “leading to all points of the Southern States.” The other railroad line started from the opposite side of the river and extended “west as far as Shreveport, Louisiana.” Steamboat on the Mississippi River On land, two railroad lines traversed through the region. It occupied the first high ground south of Memphis, overlooking the Mississippi River-the most important highway in the nation. Why was Vicksburg so important? Think of the town like the hub of a wagon wheel, that’s how significant its location was. Still, the fall of this small, quiet town played a pivotal role in the destruction of the Confederacy some twenty-one months later. I’m at fault for neglecting this event as well. Gettysburg and Fourth festivities take precedent. This campaign often gets hastily passed over in history conversations. Grant’s army captured Vicksburg, Mississippi.
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