Vicksburg Is the Key: The Struggle for the Mississippi River (Great Campaigns of the Civil War) [Paperback]

William L. Shea (Author), Terrence J. Winshel (Author)

Book Description

Series: Great Campaigns of the Civil War | Publication Date: September 15, 2005

The struggle for control of the Mississippi River was the longest and most complex campaign of the Civil War. It was marked by an extraordinary diversity of military and naval operations, including fleet engagements, cavalry raids, amphibious landings, pitched battles, and the two longest sieges in American history. Every existing type of naval vessel, from sailing ship to armored ram, played a role, and military engineers practiced their art on a scale never before witnessed in modern warfare. Union commanders such as Grant, Sherman, Farragut, and Porter demonstrated the skills that would take them to the highest levels of command. When the immense contest finally reached its climax at Vicksburg and Port Hudson in the summer of 1863, the Confederacy suffered a blow from which it never recovered. Here was the true turning point of the Civil War.

 

This fast-paced, gripping narrative of the Civil War struggle for the Mississippi River is the first comprehensive single-volume account to appear in over a century. Vicksburg Is the Key: The Struggle for the Mississippi River tells the story of the series of campaigns the Union conducted on land and water to conquer Vicksburg and of the many efforts by the Confederates to break the siege of the fortress. William L. Shea and Terrence J. Winschel present the unfolding drama of the campaign in a clear and readable style, correct historic myths along the way, and examine the profound strategic effects of the eventual Union victory.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Vicksburg Is the Key is a masterful synthesis bolstered by fresh and insightful analysis, and it is a major contribution to the literature on the Civil War.”—Thomas DeBlack, Journal of Southern History

(Thomas DeBlack Journal of Southern History )

"Many books have been published about the Vicksburg Campaign, perhaps more than about any other military event in the West. . . . This book is one of the best."—Albert Castel, The North Carolina Historical Review

(Albert Castel The North Carolina Historical Review )

"[A] very perceptive and well crafted study of the operations along the Mississippi River in 1862-1863, the authors have expertly prepared a book that reveals the essence of the Vicksburg Campaign, yet it is not so detailed as to obscure the central course of events. The overview of the significance, maneuvers, strategy, and fighting is superb, and this book will be a welcome introduction for many to the critical events and personal performances at Vicksburg and Port Hudson."—Wiley Sword, Blue and Gray

(Wiley Sword Blue and Gray )

"A superb, highly readable account of the extraordinarily diverse and complicated Vicksburg campaign. . . . This well-written book highlights the military planning and execution-within their strategic, political, and economic contexts-of the Union operations to seize, and Confederate efforts to defend, the ''Gibraltar of the Mississippi.''"—Military Heritage

(Military Heritage )

"The Shea and Winschel volume provides the best overview of the operations that opened the Mississippi River for the Union. This book is essential reading for all students of modern warfare."—Edgar F. Raines Jr., Journal of Illinois History

(Edgar F. Raines Jr. Journal of Illinois History )

"A fascinating look into an amazingly complex and intriguing operation. . . . Vicksburg is the Key will stand as the best overall one-volume account for many years."—Timothy B. Smith, Georgia Historical Quarterly

(Timothy B. Smith Georgia Historical Quarterly )

“Vicksburg is the Key is a masterful synthesis bolstered by fresh and insightful analysis, and it is a major contribution to the literature on the Civil War.”—Thomas A. DeBlack, Journal of Southern History

(Journal of Southern History )

"An excellent overview of this crucial episode. . . . An engaging, well-written narrative."—William Feis, The Journal of Military History

(William Feis The Journal of Military History )

"Shea and Winschel do an outstanding job of placing their narrative in the context of the war in the Western theater."—Kurt Hackemer, Louisiana History

(Kurt Hackemer Louisiana History )

“This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the Civil War. It is a very well-written, succinct account of one of the most vital campaigns of the war. The authors pack volumes into a short two hundred pages and never lose their engaging narrative momentum.”—Lorien Foote, Arkansas Historical Quarterly

(Lorien Foote Arkansas Historical Quarterly )

“Well written and tightly edited, Vicksburg is the Key keeps readers apace of developments in- and outside Vicksburg throughout the campaign, providing sufficient detail to understand tactics and strategy without yielding to the temptation of troop movement minutia.”—Gordan Olson, H-Net Book Reviews - H-CivilWar

(Gordan Olson H-Net Book Reviews - H-CivilWar )

“A concise and comprehensive study that goes just far enough beyond the textbook level to create a lively narrative replete with valuable perspective and insight. . . . The book is very well organize; the maps are wonderfully and unusually adequate; and the narrative is consistently well written.”—James A. Ramage, Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

(James A. Ramage Register of the Kentucky Historical Society )

“Authors William L. Shea and Terrence J. Winschel know Vicksburg well, and their careful study reflects their extensive knowledge. Chapters are short, but loaded with detail; maps are clear and frequent. . . . This is a valuable and informative book.”—Lesley J. Gordon, Gulf South Historical Review

(Lesley J. Gordon Gulf South Historical Review )

“The authors have produced a concise and very readable study of the hard-fought campaigns in the Mississippi River valley that sealed the fate of the Confederacy. . . . certainly a most worthy addition to the libraries of all those who enjoy reading about the Civil War.”—Roger Cunningham, Journal of America’s Military Past

(Roger Cunningham Journal of America's Military Past )

From the Inside Flap

The struggle for control of the Mississippi River was the longest and most complex campaign of the Civil War. It was marked by an extraordinary diversity of military and naval operations, including fleet engagements, cavalry raids, amphibious landings, pitched battles, and the two longest sieges in American history. Every existing type of naval vessel, from sailing ship to armored ram, played a role, and military engineers practiced their art on a scale never before witnessed in modern warfare. Union commanders such as Grant, Sherman, Farragut, and Porter demonstrated the skills that would take them to the highest levels of command. When the immense contest finally reached its climax at Vicksburg and Port Hudson in the summer of 1863, the Confederacy suffered a blow from which it never recovered. Here was the true turning point of the Civil War.

This fast-paced, gripping narrative of the Civil War struggle for the Mississippi River is the first comprehensive single-volume account to appear in over a century. Vicksburg Is the Key: The Struggle for the Mississippi River tells the story of the series of campaigns the Union conducted on land and water to conquer Vicksburg and of the many efforts by the Confederates to break the siege of the fortress. William L. Shea and Terrence J. Winschel present the unfolding drama of the campaign in a clear and readable style, correct historic myths along the way, and examine the profound strategic effects of the eventual Union victory. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 242 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803293445
• ISBN-13: 978-0803293441
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #513,224 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong entry in a strong series, November 4, 2003

By 

Kenneth W. Noe (Auburn, AL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vicksburg Is the Key: The Struggle for the Mississippi River (Great Campaigns of the Civil War) (Hardcover)

The University of Nebraska Press's Great Campaigns in the Civil War Series has become a great boon to period historians. It offers concise overviews and refreshing new perspectives on the conflict written by knowledgable scholars. I have yet to be disappointed with a volume in this fine series, but this entry has become my favorite, so much so that I felt compelled to praise it. Shea and Winschel simply provide the clearest and most useful one-volume history of the war around Vicksburg. I learned quite a bit that soon will find its way into lecture notes, and I'm suddenly yearning to revisit Vicksburg after many years. Highly recommended.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Beginning of the Confederacy's End, May 11, 2004

By 

E. E Pofahl (HUNTINGTON, WV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vicksburg Is the Key: The Struggle for the Mississippi River (Great Campaigns of the Civil War) (Hardcover)

The text notes that General Winfield Scott observed "The Mississippi is the backbone of the Rebellion.... it is the key to the whole situation." The rapid movement of men and equipment from one front to another in the vast western theater was a strategic advantage rivers gave Union military leaders. Conversely, with its seaports blockaded, unhampered ability to move men and supplies eastward on and across the Mississippi River was critical for Confederate survival. Thus, the Mississippi River was of strategic importance to both the Union and the Confederacy.

The text notes that New Orleans was the South's largest, wealthiest, and most industrialized city. However, New Orleans surrendered to Farragut in 1862, only one year after Fort Sumter. The Federals then began the complex/long campaign, not completed until July 1863, to clear the entire Mississippi River. By the spring of 1863, Vicksburg and Port Hudson were the only two Confederate forts blocking the Mississippi River. The authors, William L. Shea and Terrence J. Winschel, present an interesting narration of the campaign of Grant's progress down the river to Vicksburg and General Banks march north to an unfilled union with Grant. In many respects this was a trial and error campaign; Grant found that it was almost impossible to attack Vicksburg from the north or west, and he decided to cross the Mississippi River south of Vicksburg and attack the city from the southeast or east.

Most interesting during this campaign was the successful combined operations of army and navy resources. Admiral Porter made a dramatic run down the Mississippi past the Vicksburg batteries in order to ferry Union soldiers across the river below Vicksburg. In addition, while Vicksburg was under siege, Porter bombarded the city with his naval cannons.

After much bloody fighting east of Vicksburg, in May 1863 Grant's army reached the Vicksburg fortifications. After two unsuccessful direct assaults on the Rebels, a series of thirteen trenches were dug to the very face of the Confederate fortifications bringing Vicksburg under siege and sealing its doom. When completed over sixty thousand feet of excavations, manned by Union troops, were completed. By July Vicksburg's Confederate General Pemberton and his soldiers were hungry, sick and despaired of rescue. On July 3 General Pemberton asked Grant for surrender terms; Grant's answer was "unconditional surrender." Grant rejected Pemberton proposed surrender terms and promised to send amended terms of surrender that night to Pemberton that he accepted early on July 4.

The authors review the question of the lack of Confederate aid for Vicksburg noting that by early June, Richmond had sent Johnston thirty-two thousand troops and urged General Joe Johnston to relieve Vicksburg. Apparently Johnston never intended to save Vicksburg. Grant next moved east to turn on General Johnston. After eight weeks, Johnston abandoned Jackson, Mississippi and fled east eastward away from Grant.

The text concludes with an account of the battle for Port Hudson. Like Grant, Union General Banks, made a direct assault on the Rebel fortifications with disastrous results.Banks next initiated digging the way into Port Hudson; but impatient for results, tried another disastrous direct assault on June 14. Upon receiving word of Vicksburg surrender, Port Hudson surrendered on July 9, and General Banks informed Grant "The Mississippi is open.". On July 16 the steamboat Imperial, eight days out of St. Louis, docked in New Orleans. The struggle for the Mississippi River was over.

This is a readable account. Most interesting is to witness the development of General Grant into a first rate field general. The last chapter in the book is an EPILOGUE that provides a brief account after Vicksburg of several major commanders after Vicksburg.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BASIC OVERVIEW, February 2, 2009

By 

Daniel P. Moran "Daniel P. Moran" (Sykesville, Maryland, United States of America) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vicksburg Is the Key: The Struggle for the Mississippi River (Great Campaigns of the Civil War) (Paperback)

If you ever had trouble comprehending the time tables of manuever and operations to this immense and incredibly important campaign, Mr. Shea and Mr. Winschel's narrative is just what you're looking for. In just over two hundred pages the authors skillfully share the all important basics to this great Civil War story that designed and eventually robbed the Confederacy of the Mississippi River. Its an enjoyable short read that should forever clear up the confusion to the grand plan of taking both Vicksburg, Mississippi and Port Hudson, Louisiana.