. History of the American Civil War . Lower Mississippi; the victories of Shiloh andMemphis had removed all obstructions down to Vicks-burg. Vicksburg occupies a high bluff immediately below themouth of the Yazoo. A railroad eastward connects itwith all the roads of the South, and one westward was incourse of construction toward Shreveport. The point of intersection of this west-east line of rail-roads with the Mississippi, the strategic di-vicksbmg to the rectrix of the North American continent, was Confederacy. in • /~i o therefore of vital importance to the Confed-eracy. The loss of Vicksbu
. History of the American Civil War . Lower Mississippi; the victories of Shiloh andMemphis had removed all obstructions down to Vicks-burg. Vicksburg occupies a high bluff immediately below themouth of the Yazoo. A railroad eastward connects itwith all the roads of the South, and one westward was incourse of construction toward Shreveport. The point of intersection of this west-east line of rail-roads with the Mississippi, the strategic di-vicksbmg to the rectrix of the North American continent, was Confederacy. in • /~i o therefore of vital importance to the Confed-eracy. The loss of Vicksburg meant not only the surren-der of the great river, but also the bisection of the Confed-erate territory. Accordingly, no pains had been spared to render thisposition impregnable. Batteries had been placed at everyavailable point, and at the time now under considerationthe defenses were held by a powerful army under Pem-berton. Though other points on the river toward New Orleanswere guarded, and one of them, Port Hudson, had been. THE VICliSBUKG CAMPAIGN. Chap. LXVL] OPERATIONS AGAINST VICKSBURG. 27 strengthened by formidable works, they could only be con-sidered as presenting a subordinate character—the fall ofVicksburg necessarily implied their surrender. Practically,therefore, all that was necessary for the reopening of theMississippi throughout its entire length was the capture orneutralization of that strong-hold. The capture or neutralization—for either was possible,possibility of neu- Looking at the map, it may be seen that intraiizingit. g,onj 0f yicksburg the Mississippi makes a sharp bend,forming the peninsula on which De Soto if a canal were cut across this tongue of land, a directpassage being given to the river current,Vicksburg wouldbe thrown inland, its military capabilities be rendered use-less—it would be General Williams came up the river with Farragutconstruction of m the summer of 1862, he undertook to cutwiiiiamss canai.
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