Vicksburg, Mississippi, was a major Civil War stronghold. Confederate president Jefferson Davis referred to it as "the nailhead that held the South's two halves together."[1] The city was positioned in a vital location for the Confederate supply line, allowing the South to receive food and other needed materials from the West.[2] As such, Vicksburg was an obvious target for the Union forces under Major General Ulysses S. Grant.

Major General William Tecumseh Sherman began his advance on Vicksburg in December of 1862. Grant joined him there in March of 1863. Initial attempts to approach the city failed, but in late April 1863, "Union gunboats and troop transport boats ran the batteries at Vicksburg and met up with Grant's men who had marched overland in Louisiana. On April 29 and April 30, 1863, Grant&#...

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