While the U.S. Civil War (1861-65) battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg were both fought during the first week of July, 1863, they could not have been more different from one another. Union General Ulysses S. Grant's seizure of the vital Confederate seaport of Vicksburg, Mississippi, was the result of brilliant military strategy. What occurred at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on the other hand, was a complete accident. Still, both battles turned the tide of the war in the North's favor and ensured Union victory.
Vicksburg a Strategic Masterstroke
During the first week of July, 1863, the Union Army scored a much-needed victory on the western front. Ulysses S. Grant's successful seizure of Vicksburg, Mississippi, was largely facilitated by the fall of New Orleans in May, 1862. After New Orleans fell, Southern control of the Mississippi River became contingent upon the Confederacy's ability to maintain control of Vicksburg-- the "Gibraltar of the Confederacy." In the spring of 1863, Grant surrounded the natural fortress, which was strategically located in bluffs that overlooked a bend in the river.
Within weeks of Grant's arrival, 35,000 Vicksburg residents-- civilians and soldiers alike-- were starving and reduced to eating rats. In this weakened state, the city's inhabitants could not fend off the fire of more than 200 pieces of Union artillery. On July 4, 1863, Vicksburg finally surrendered. This surrender allowed Grant to seize all the Confederacy's remaining resources on the western front. Following the Battle of Vicksburg, the South became divided. Approximately 30,000 Confederate soldiers were taken prisoner. Rather than funding the prisoners' of war transportation and care, Grant sent the captured soldiers home. No one was more overjoyed about the Union's victory at Vicksburg than President Abraham Lincoln, who had once said, "Vicksburg is the key! The war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket." Upon hearing the good news, Lincoln stated that "the Father of Waters [the Mississippi River] again goes unvexed to the sea."
Gettysburg a Costly Accident
If Vicksburg was a strategic masterstroke, then the Battle of Gettysburg-- which took place July 1-3, 1863-- could be classified as a very costly accident. In a last ditch effort to secure Confederate victory, General Robert E. Lee invaded Pennsylvania in May, 1863. Rebel troops advanced toward Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, at the end of June, but neither side expected a battle. Then, at Gettysburg, both sides collided on July 1. The Union troops there refused to retreat, causing Lee to concentrate his forces in the town. In turn, the Union Army began to seek reinforcements. By this point, things were not looking good for the South, since Lee was now without Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, who was killed in May, and J.E.B. Stuart, who did not arrive until late into the siege of Gettysburg. On July 2, Lee made a serious tactical error when he ordered General George Pickett to send more than 15,000 men charging across an open field toward the Union's artillery line. Thousands of these men met violent deaths.
The following day, Lee's defeated army began retreating to Virginia. At the end of the battle, more than 50,000 Union and Confederate soldiers were dead, wounded, captured, or missing. (Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of the war.) Union General George Meade refused to further pursue surviving rebel troops, allowing Lee to continue fighting. As a result of Meade's actions, Lincoln relieved him of his command and appointed Grant as commander of all Union forces in Meade's place.
Source:
Author unkown. "The Union Turns the Tide: Vicksburg" and "The Union Turns the Tide: Gettysburg," excerpted from Abraham Lincoln: An Illustrated History of His Life and Times, p. 98 & 99. TIME Books, Time Inc., 2009.
