Engineering Victory: The Union Siege of Vicksburg

Union major general Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee laid siege to Vicksburg, Mississippi, on May 25, 1863, and surrendered on July 4, yielding command of the Mississippi River to Union forces. This book by Justin S. Solonick offers the first detailed study of how Grants midwesterners serving in the Army of the Tennessee engineered the siege, shattering the Lost Cause myth that Vicksburgs Confederate garrison surrendered due to lack of provisions. Solonick discusses the stages of the siege and the implements and tactics Grants soldiers used to achieve victory, demonstrating a remarkable ability to adapt in the face of adversity. He concludes with a description of the surrender, an analysis of the sieges effect on the outcome of the Civil War, and a discussion of its significance in western military history.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 306 pages
Publication date: 02 February 2024
Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press

On May 25, 1863, Union major general Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee laid siege to the fortress city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. With no reinforcements and dwindling supplies, the Army of Vicksburg finally surrendered on July 4, yielding command of the Mississippi River to Union forces and effectively severing the Confederacy. In this illuminating volume, Justin S. Solonick offers the first detailed study of how Grants midwesterners serving in the Army of the Tennessee engineered the siege of Vicksburg, placing the event within the broader context of U.S. and European military history and nineteenth-century applied science in trench warfare and field fortifications. In doing so, he shatters the Lost Cause myth that Vicksburgs Confederate garrison surrendered due to lack of provisions. Instead, Solonick explains, the Confederates were dug out.

Solonick begins with a sophisticated examination of nineteenth-century military engineering and the history of siege craft. He then discusses the stages of the Vicksburg siege and the implements and tactics Grants soldiers used to achieve victory. As Solonick shows, though Grant lacked sufficient professional engineers to organize a traditional siege—an offensive tactic characterized by cutting the enemys communication lines and digging forward-moving approach trenches—the few engineers available gave Union troops a crash course in military engineering. Ingenious midwestern soldiers, in turn, creatively applied engineering maxims to the situation at Vicksburg, demonstrating a remarkable ability to adapt in the face of adversity. When instruction and oversight were not possible, the common soldiers improvised.

Solonick also explores the broader implications of the Vicksburg siege for the Civil War and the United States. He argues that the siege marked a turning point in the war, as it demonstrated the effectiveness of Union forces in the field and the limitations of Confederate defensive strategies. Solonick also examines the role of technology in the siege, including the use of rifled artillery and the development of new siege tactics.

Overall, Solonicks book is a valuable addition to the literature on the Civil War and the history of warfare. He provides a detailed and nuanced account of the Vicksburg siege, challenging the traditional narratives and revealing the remarkable contributions of midwestern soldiers and engineers to the Union victory. Solonicks work will be of interest to scholars, students, and anyone interested in the Civil War and the history of military technology.

Weight: 472g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780809339341