For our returning viewers, these are the same productions as before, just with our new American Battlefield Trust opening. We wanted a more cohesive look moving forward as our audience continues to grow. As always we appreciate your support and look forward to continuing to share our passion for American history.
There were many of my ancestors on the Union side who were killed in this leg of the Civil War , I’m just going through some War diaries from RI now of the day to day misery both sides suffered , it seems the 7 th regiment of volunteers was hit very hard with casulties. Its very sad seeing how many young men died at Vicksburg , not just my family but all of the men who fought in the Civil War .. it was such a tragedy . My ancestors were all so young as were their wives & children left at home . Many of the young war widows went on to marry again but I know there were many very hard years with some women never recovering after the loss of their husbands . I’m looking forward to being a new subscriber to your channel .
My Great Great Grandfather was a corporeal with the Wisconsin 23rd at Vicksburg. He was wounded and left on the field for dead. He survived and was discharged after the battle. He returned to Neillsville, Wisconsin and later moved to Baron Co. where he started a community named Sioska, known today as Canton, WI.
chaosXpert Interesting how family's move around. My Great Grandfather moved the family to California in 1919 due to health issues. He contracted a lung disease while in Puerto Rico fighting with the Wisconsin 3rd during the Spanish American war and the doctors recommended he move to a drier climate. We travelled to Wisconsin last summer as I had always wanted to see where our family was from. Many of the buildings and houses in Neillsville haven't changed much. I wasn't able to locate my Great Great Grandfathers home or business but it was interesting seeing the area. We missed going to Barron County due to time constraints. So hopefully one day we will get back that way, it is a beautiful state. And hey you have really good beer out there! "Leinenklugel's (I don't think I have the spelling right). I made sure to bring two case home with me.
I wish that I had paid better attention but in addition to the Battle of Vicksburg, the Battle of Jackson MS was fought multiple times. Jackson gained the nickname of Chimneyville because it was burned by the Yankees multiple times and only chimneys were left. I used to own a house in an historic neighborhood there that was built on the battlefield. The neighborhood has historical markers everywhere showing where each of the Union companies were. I believe there was a marker not far from my house (block and a half) that was for Wisconsin. The southernmost road of the neighborhood is called Fortification Street. It was the Confederate fortifications. Historical markers are also everywhere on the campus of the University of Mississippi Medical Center that anchors the neighborhood to the north. Because the Union was so thorough in their destruction, there is not much to see in Jackson that pertains to the Civil War. Vicksburg and especially Natchez were not burned. Port Gibson was also spared. But other communities were not as lucky.
I grew up in Jackson, Mississippi. I've been to the the Vicksburg Military Park. It is the only American civil war battlefield that I have been to. Our parents took us there. It was sobering to me. I was about 14...a black boy looking in amazement at all those graves.
i grew up in upstate NY and got to go to some of the forts and battle sites of the revolutionary war. It was awe inspiring. Listening to civil war and revolutionary war audio books for about a year now.
Did you get the chance to visit the Cairo museum? I remember being absolutely captivated by the USS Cairo and the fact that it was pulled from the Yazoo river after being submerged for over 100 years. It was one menacing looking gunboat lol.
St. Cros I’ve visited many, Antietam, Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Bull Run, Chickamauga, etc., but have never made it to the “West” such as Shiloh, etc. Its on my bucket list. All of them offer something different but are similar in their poignancy and solemn remembrance of hallowed ground.
@James Richardson ~ Try to visit Vicksburg during a very hot July day and, you'll get a bit of an idea of what the soldiers had to deal with. They were, without doubt, super tough!
For anyone who was ever interested in American history, you can't do better than this series. This is the best I've seen. Regarding Vicksburg read Vicksburg: Grants campaign that broke the Confederacy by Donald L. Miller. Outstanding book!
You can do a lot better in the People’s history of the United States for example. I’m tired of hearing about history from the points of view of warlords and aristocrats. I want to hear it from the people who actually fought these battles, who had to sacrifice. The generals and politicians of the time did not. They sat in that ivory northern castles. All the poor were forced into warfare there’s nothing to do with, and have no representation.
@@borger99it's not a choice between one or the other. You can read all accounts related to historical events. Your assertions that the accounts of Commanding General of an entire army with his strategic view of the war is not valuable is quite hilarious! Are you still smarting from the defeat of traitors to their country?
@FightsatJim’splace Please stop spreading misinformation. Grant did not run his grand strategy drunk. He was conscious of his problem and only indulged when he was safely insulated from consequences.
You know its at that point the south should of realized " hmm you know what were fucked" but to keep going on and killing all those men for nothing!!??🤔 yea yea i understand no retreat no surrender !! But dam to send all tjose men to a useless death!!??🤔 damm someone should of did something you know maybe Lee??
My 4th great grandfather was the 3rd Minnesota during the battle of vicksburg, he had recently entered the union army and was an immigrant from Sweden, he survived the battle but would die just before the war ended
American battlefield trust is a worthy group to support and has provided much in actually raising funds to purchase land made sacred by blood sacrifice of brave Americans
Grant that was just as important: He was a master of the art of surrender. As the byproduct of a string of battlefield victories, he forced the unconditional surrender of three enemy armies, something no other general officer in American history ever accomplished - not Dwight Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, George Washington or Winfield Scott.
Other than Fort Donelson, I'm not aware of any unconditional surrenders' of Confederate armies to Grant. At Vicksburg Pemberton refused to surrender unconditionally, as this video states around 17:32, and Grant offered him terms. At Appomattox Grant offered Lee magnanimous terms, which Lee accepted.
@@williamaustin1 Grant could’ve forced an unconditional surrender but it was at the advice of his council that he did not. In the end it worked in his favor as he didn’t it have to handle and manage thousands of POWs and as a result many confederate soldiers abandoned the war. Though Grant before hand already had a reputation of unconditional surrender. This is a fact
Was surprised that Lincoln’s comment that “...the father of waters flows unvexed to the sea.” is not included. It is still heartbreaking even today to contemplate the terrible costs that this struggled inflicted on both sides, and continues to haunt the nation even in our own times.
I have no sympathy for the Confederate. My ex girlfriend's 2x great grandfather was a white colonel in his early 40's that raped and impregnated his 14 year old 2x great grand mother.
@@amRUTHLESS12 it's not just one guy. Loom up NYTimes reporter Caroline Randall Williams. Her great great grandfather is General Edmund Pettus who raped her great grand mother and eventually became grand wizard of the kkk in 1877. There is a reason that African Americans are 25% European. According to genetic research, that DNA entered their gene pool roughly just before the civil war. That's not just mere coincidence.
Just moved to Florida. On my way, I drove through Vicksburg, and stopped there about a month ago. The only Civil War battlefield I’ve ever seen. Something special about standing in the same place that giants such as Sherman and Grant stood. Still seeing the trenches and craters that are still there is incredible. Such a pivotal and important event in the period of our history that defines us to this day.
THIS is a great video…linking past to present and giving Gen. Grant his due as one of the USA very best strategic and tactical battlefield commanders. Outstanding.
I grew up in Vicksburg/Edwards on the big black and have metal detected so many civil war things we have a whole room that’s like a mini civil war museum at my house
I am a big admirer of General U.S. Grant. He started from poverty, virtually nothing and when the Civil War broke out, got back into the army getting a commission to Colonel of a Illinois regiment then eventually rising throught the ranks. In the Western theater he was making a name for himself: victories at Fort Henry, Fort Donaldson, where he Got his nickname Unconditional Surrender Grant, Shiloh, although he was caught off guard by a surprised Confederate attack as his army was preparing to March towards The vital Confederate rail junction of Cornith, Mississippi from Pittsburgh landing on the Tennessee River, but turned the tide on the battles second day, being relived of command by Halleck for his army's high casualties and accused of being drunk. Only Lincoln stepped in and said, "I cannot spare this man". "He fights". Even General Sherman, who was there at Shiloh, encourage him to stay. Grant , in a way was master of the Western theater. His highlight was the Vicksburg campaign. He was the type of Union General that didn't give up that easy. It paid off with Vicksburg's Surrender on July 4th, 1863, and his biggest victory: lifting the Confederate siege of Chattanooga and routing Bragg's army from Missionary Ridge, which he was promoted to Lt General and command of all union armies. Lincoln found the General he needed to take on Robert E. Lee's army of Northern Virginia. Some Confederate officers were bragging about Grant and said he should not be a problem like the previous Union Generals they faced.Think again! General James Longstreet, Grant's best friend and classmate at West Point, advised Lee and anyone present of who they were going up against. Grant was going to fight them to the point of where the Army of Northern Virginia will be unable to wage war. Grant made it clear during his overland campaign. After the stalemate at the battle of the wilderness, instead of retreating, he advanced towards Richmond. His men cheered and applauded him. But there were still some bloody engagements to come: Spotsylvania court house, Cold Harbor, Petersburg. After all before him, Grant took Lee down.🇺🇲
@swingrfd I have a DVD that talks about Grant and it tells the truth about how he struggled to support his family. He even pawned his watch to buy Christmas presents. He did everything he could even selling firewood. His big break was when the civil war broke out. His first command was Col of a Illinois regiment which he trained well. He eventually rose to fame and earned the nickname "unconditional surrender Grant".
I recently toured The battle of Vicksburg and it was beautiful! The monuments are incredible and standing on Union lines and looking across a ravine seeing the Confederate lines was breath taking.
I did that the other night watching one on Gen. Sherman. As I halfway was dozing off, I noticed that when they said "Sherman", I started to picture a Sherman Tank marching through Georgia.
It is good information. But, I keep getting distracted by the civil war re-enactors. Hard to believe so many of the 19th century troops would have been waddling fat dudes in their 50's with almost all of them wearing glasses - but at least the belt buckles and shirt buttons no one notices are accurate!
This was incredibly well done and explains the ebb and flow of this campaign extremely well. Personally, I think the loss of Vicksburg was much more damaging to the South than Lee's loss in Gettysburg which happened the same day. On a side note, it was a nice surprise to see my cavalry reenacting group shown at the 3:05 point.
Without a doubt Vicksburg was by far the worst loss. Even if Lee had won at Gettysburg it would not have made much difference. His army was so beat up and low on ammo he would have had to shortly turn back home.....the end result being the same, the "invasion" fails without much to show for it. Vicksburg, on the other hand meant the loss, as the video stated, of vital supplies for the remainder of the war. The CSA west of the river basically became an independent state, not able to contribute much.
Grant's Vicksburg Campaign was pure American genius. This so called life loser was the first general to grasp the concept of total war. The quicker you remove the means to make war the quicker you defeat your enemy and mitigate your losses. He correctly calculated that once his army crossed into Mississippi he could victual from the area and use his limitted supply lines for ammo. He kept his army between Pemberton and Johnston, defeating each in turn. Great study on this.
TRUMP UNIVERSE then shortly after it said because of grants victory the union controlled the Mississippi River and cut the south almost in half....100% worth it.
I'm sure it's why the Marines train every marine to be a rifleman. We were taught that supply lines and support units are soft targets, the first thing the enemy goes for...so don't be soft!
When Vicksburg fell, Port Hudson surrendered soon after. On a visit to the Port Hudson battlefield I found that my 2nd Great Grandfather had been in the 39th Mississippi Infantry, G Co. and surrendered there.
My family has a letter from my 4th great-uncle who was stationed there. He was in the 15th. He was later captured, sent to Camp Chase and died the same day of disease that President Lincoln was assassinated. Several of his cousins as well as a brother were there as well.
I love how the narrator is way too into his job. He sounds so excited to be doing this, I especially love the way he emphasizes random words, such as "Confederate Corp". I guess I just have a weird sense of humor.
My family had a restaurant attached to The Battlefield Inn in Vicksburg called Jaques I’ve spent many hours at the battlefield I still get goosebumps every time i enter
I love these videos. I've been reading McPherson's "Battle Cry of Freedom" and while it does an excellent job of explaining the Vicksburg campaign in a few pages, the animated maps really give an unparallelled sense of troop movements and the shifting geography of battles.
The first book on a single aspect of the ACW I read (after a couple of general histories) was Shelby Foote's The Beleaguered City. Detailed, concise, and riveting. Highly recommended (though there are no animated maps!).
You've got some great Italian history too, dude. Andrea Doria, Sforza, Sigismundo Malatesta, Garibaldi. Battle of Lepanto. Also, didn't Italy have something to do with the Roman Empire?
@@andrewbell2712 The Americans realized in modern times that made the Roman Empire great. Before Christianity, religion in Rome was a civil religion, and their goddess was the goddess Rome. For the Romans first came Rome, then the interests of individuals, what Americans do today. The only difference with Italian history is that it boasts two thousand years of history, but if Americans in just two centuries have done what they did, what would they do in two thousand years? 😜
@@robyonekenoby5647 Roby! May the force be with you, by the way. Have you been to Pompei since the new archaeologist has taken over? He sounds like a terriffic guy. There are new areas now open to the public there. The museum in Naples is supposed to be spectacular, too.
One of my favorite writers is Shelby Foote. He is a novelist who writes history, with a novelist's eye for detail. His most famous book is called The Civil War: A Narrative. His friend, the novelist Walker Percy, called this book the American Iliad. It's in three volumes, about 1,000 pages per book. There are a couple of high lights of the book. One section is called "The Stars in their Courses." This part is about the Gettysburg campaign. My favorite part is called "The Vicksburg Campaign". This is about General Grant's duel with Colonel Pemberton. Some people think this was the most important battle/campaign in the war. After Grant won, the confederates lost control of the Mississippi, they lost the major food source for supplying their troops, and they got cut off from the state of Texas. No other major battle or campaign had such dire consequences for the south. If you like the videos, but also like to read, you're in for quite a treat.
@@robyonekenoby5647 Rome is unsurpassed in their technology of the period. In their medical field they used silver instruments and sutures, bacteria cannot survive on silver. Not to mention their political structure which the U.S.A. copied..
My Great Great Grandfather was with the 76th Illinois and was there during the siege. In my home I have a piece of the surrender tree that Grant and Pemberton sat under when they discussed the surrender terms.
I recently learned that my Great Great Great Grandfather was in the 33rd Illinois! He volunteered at age 19 after immigrating from Ireland. Learning all sorts of new things about the Civil War now. I visited his grave for the first time last week in Lincoln, IL.
All but two of my great-great-great-grandfathers were there but they were from Mississippi and on the other side. None died there but several were wounded.
Interesting. I had several ancestors that participated in this huge battle. I believe that had Lee came to the relief of Vicksburg rather than invading Pennsylvania, the results may have been different.... maybe not.... who knows. I do believe that Lt. General Pemberton was not a suitable commander to face both Grant and Sherman.... (not sure would have been up to the task of facing those two giants with all of their men and supplies that were just not available to the Confederate forces.)
Congratulations American Battlefield Trust. To all concerned, these videos are better for the classroom at any level than a human professor. Very insightful and the commentators commentary, draws you in completely. Thank you for your efforts, You have gained a supported.
Finally some actual proper maneuvering. Too many Union generals moved in a rigid fashion. Napoleon managed to defeat his enemy in detail and cut of their retreat, yet so many Union generals fight as if they have never even attended a military academy
Yeah,but thing is:much of those officers that actually fought,or veterans of Mexican war chose to side with Confederacy,while Union's ones were actually low ranking ones at the start of war.
Neither side had any real maps of the roads since none were ever drawn. The roads had signs at intersections showing which direction the nearest town was. Signs were taken down so scouts had to ask local residents where the roads led to. Many gave both armies wrong directions since they didn't want soldiers crossing and fighting on their farmland. Union forces were prone to get lost for an entire day so weren't allowed to venture far away from the main body of their army.
Grant still doesn't get nearly enough credit. In a war (and indeed, a profession) in which so many men perform well in lessor roles, but prove to be outmatched when given more responsibility, Grant always managed to grasp the broader strategic goals and fight to win the war, not just the battle. He avoided the petty politics and egotism endemic to his peers, and showed great loyalty to the people who gave him loyalty, like Lincoln and Sherman. Lee gets all the credit as the genius of the war, and he undoubtedly was one of the most brilliant commanders in history, but Grant it took Grant only a glance at the map and a count of his men to know exactly what formula was needed to beat him.
John Flanagan Exactly right. And he carried it East. Following the battle of the Wilderness in 1864 when Lee expected the “whipped” Army of the Potomac to withdraw north again as it did so many times previous. Instead, when Grant slid left and maneuvered to the East and South, Lee knew then it was only a matter of time.
Northern newspapers were very hard on the troop commanders, pretty much like Democrat and Republican differences today. Southern papers gave full support and praised their leaders much of that contributing to legends of gen Lee etc that only commanded an Army group in virginia area not planning the whole offensive like Grant, Grant however was revered in Europe as the top military planner or the century, as they were so used to wars every 20-30 years or so , they were great admirers of military leadership.
Spent two days at this battlefield. I can't imagine dragging a cannon up and down those hills, and then put them back together to fight the other side. Some of those hills are 60 degree inclines. Loved seeing the iron side boat though, first time I had seen one in person.
I've been to Gettysburg, Antietam, Manassas, Shenandoah, and recently to Vicksburg. This presentation was SUPERB! Thank you very much. Keep up the great work. I enthusiastically look forward to seeing more of it.
I’ve been to Vicksburg and walked in the battlefields and seen the trenches and fortifications. I tour the graveyard and looked out over the bluff down to the rivers bend. Even after seeing all the sights, It’s still hard to fathom all the lives lost in battle. 🇺🇸
This documentary is amazing. Ist has everything. A great narrator, a compelling story and a comprehensive approach. Ist shows the genius of Grant, the bravery and determination on both sides and the tragedy of a civil war. Thank you so much for that. Every one who thinks America is soft should take a lesson from this. Every one who believes you should make America great again, take this as a lesson that you have always been great. Sorry for the rambling. Carry on America. Greatings from the EU. 😬 This one moved me so much, I felt compelled to write my longest comentary ever. Great job 👍🏻
Vicksburg was much worse then the loss at Gettysburg in my opinion. The loss of supplies from Texas and Louisiana and the surrender of 29,000 men was too much. Also freeing up Grants army. Lee should’ve sent Longstreet with 30,000 men and relieved Vicksburg, while holding a strong defense. He should’ve known better even at that time. I think he gambled, thinking if he won at Gettysburg and took Washington he could end the war right there and the loss of Vicksburg wouldn’t matter. It’s quite a marvelous battlefield to see. Very well maintained.
@@gabe9346 Would strongly disagree with you there. Firstly, Lee wasn’t going to simply walk into Washington if he won at Gettysburg. It was defended. Even if he took Washington with what remaining troops he had, exhausted and low on supplies. He most likely wouldn’t be able to hold it. In the war of 1812, the British marched into Washington D.C., caused a few American ships to be lost and burned the capitol. So it might not have ended it either way. Even if the union lost at Gettysburg, there would still be a union army in the vicinity. Like at Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, etc.
@@gabe9346 Secondly, the only logical way I see his best chance of winning was to prolong the war. The war was very unpopular in the North. The elections were coming up near the end and George B. McClellan was the more favored choice, especially in 1863. The year of Gettysburg. McClellan was heavily against the war as well. Look how long and how many lives it took even with that victory. Imagine had he went on the defensive before that battle and was able to preserve Vicksburg. I think they could’ve drawn out the war at least another year. Btw, I believe it was good the Union won the war.
@lexevo sure that's what he *should've* done from a historical standpoint, with the benefit of knowing the intricacies of both sides 160 years later. I was speaking from what Lee knew *at that moment*. Did he know Gettysburg was going to be exhaustive, let alone disastrous? Of course not, that's why we went there in the first place. Did he know the political climate of the North, and it's the support for the war? Very little, at best. He saw a superior opponent in numbers and supplies, and figured time was his enemy, not his ally. So as a military General, he gambled for the military victory, instead of waiting out the political victory.
Vicksburg has always been overshadowed by Gettysburg, which I never have understood. I guess that is because even in the North everybody secretly admired Lee. And I am sure, when Lee got the news about the fall of Vicksburg, he already knew, it would only be Grant defeating him. The North finally had found its commander, it did not have before.
@@TorianTammas That's true. I am just saying the victory at Vicksburg was the more important. It cut the Confederacy apart. Gettysburg was a classic battle, with large armies, full of bloody fighting but also full of gallantry and events becoming myths of their own, like Chamberlain's attack downhill at Little Round Top or Pickett's Charge. Everybody knows them. Vickyburg, on the other hand, was a dirty brawl in the middle of nowhere which could have happened even 150 years later in Afghanistan. Nobody really wanted to know what exactly had happened on the banks of the Mississippi river because if was everything but chivalrous fighting. And it happened far away in the Midwest, while Gettysburg took place just a few hours of train travel from Washington. Jackh.1416 has emphazied that
Robert E. Lee was probably not feeling so great about things on July 5th, 1863. Pickett's Charge was a disaster and then Vicksburg fell the next day. Go America!
I grew up across the river from vicksburg if you have never been to the Civil War park i highly recommend going , there is a lot of river museums as well in town lots of old shops
My gg Grand father John Layfette Veal was one of the "Paroled" confederates. He did return to his home in Roopville GA, where he re-enlisted into the calvary (8th GA I believe.), His son, born abt 1865, and my grandfathers father, became a doctor on Roopville and saw many of the area through a typhoid epidemic.
This is a great series very easy to understand and comprehensive thanks for the effort to educate us on the horror of civil war. I am a WW 2 buff and would love to see your efforts there... thank you
I love Civil War history. I have been fortunate enough to visit Gettysburg when I was 12. I rewatch Ken Burns Civil War once a year. I just found this channel today and this is the 2nd video Ive watched so far. Thank you for creating this.
My ancestor fought here and earlier at chickasaw bayou where his regiment made a name for themselves. Pvt. Jean Pierre Boudreaux of the 26th LA infantry. He was in shoups brigade at thayers approach. He survived, was catured, then paroled and returned to the confederate army.
What General U.S. Grant did during the Vicksburg campaign was amazing. In the early stages of the campaign, he try every attempt to take the city by any means, which was unsuccessful. But after crucial Union victories and cutting off Confederate rail lines and communications, it all came down towards Grant laying siege to Vicksburg. The Confederate garrison, holding out at any cost, was now cut off from supplies and any hope of being reinforced, facing constant bombardments from union gunboats on the Mississippi river and from land batteries, Grant starved the Confederate army and the civilian population at Vicksburg into submission, resulting in their Surrender on July 4th, 1863. I am impressed That General Grant was the type of General that did not give up that easy. He rose to fame again at Chattanooga. His promotion to command of all Union forces was only a matter of time.🇺🇸
The note at the end about the building of the open-air museum and national battlefield are key lessons to be learned from history. At one point, our country was torn apart by war so intense that 600,000 Americans were killed. To date, it is the bloodiest war our nation has ever fought. Brothers literally fought brothers over this. Reconciliation took decades and required enormous efforts to compromise on both sides, including recognizing men who had fought nobly and with honor, even if they had fought for the other side. We have many monuments to such people in the South. They are not monuments intended glorify racism or slavery. They are monuments erected in the spirit of reconciliation from a nation torn apart by those things. They're monuments to Principle, to Duty, to Honor, and to Sacrifice. We are not a perfect people. There are none living who can claim to be. We learn from our mistakes and move on with the intent to form a _more_ perfect union. But let us remember those lessons of the past, rather than simply trying to delete history which is unsightly or painful and pretend it never existed. We have to tell the stories and tell them honestly. Thank you to the historian(s) at American Battlefield Trust who have preserved this history of a key turning point in that war and who have shared that story in such an engaging video here on this channel.
The Big Muddy, the Mighty Mississip, Ol’ Blue, the nation’s life line. It will be here long after us. An ironclad guarantee. Old Man River will just keep rolling along. He don’t plant taters, he don’t plant cotton, and thems that plants ‘em, is soon forgotten. But Old Man River he just keeps rolling along.
What a fantastic production! I'm a visual learner, and so these animations of maneuvers and battles help me tremendously to understand and get the info straight. THANK YOU so much for taking the time to produce this video. So very valuable.
I am reading Grant’s memoir. He was quite a good writer, but his descriptions are so detailed, it is difficult for me to understand all the particulars. This visual presentation makes it so clear. One thing is clear from Grant’s own description of this campaign: he is so matter-of-fact about his thoughts at the time, his strategy, his decisions, etc, there is no hint of doubt as to what he had to do. He took calculated risks and acted aggressively, something his predecessors did not do. He was indeed the man of the moment for the Union and should be more celebrated than he is
Aye. Especially when you consider how low his life had sunk in the years prior to the war. Having to crawl back to his father for a job just to make ends meet and then seizing the opportunity that was the Civil War to turn his life around. Most of his tenacity during the war must surely have come from these times.
Lee may have won all the glory, but Grant got results. 38,000 Confederate casualties, massive loss of weapons and war material, and complete control of the Mississippi river for the loss of just 10,000 casualties on Grant's side. Did Lee ever accomplish anything even close to that?
The boats did not "hug the shore" for a better shot. They hugged to shore because the Confederates could not lower their guns to shoot down enough to hit the boats close to shore on the Vicksburg side.
Admiral Porter realized when the cannon balls were just hitting the smokestacks of their ironclads, he immediately took the opportunity to run the gauntlet near the shore. The USS Cairo was the only warship sunk during that battle and today is one of the oldest surviving Union ironclad still relatively intact on public display.
Humans are so capable at adapting. This is what makes generals great. Grant made mistakes but those mistakes open the door to new tactics. Definitely one of my favorites in American history.
Well... within one day of each other. Gen. Lee's defeat at Gettysburg happened July 3, 1863, and The Fall of Vicksburg happened on July 4, 1863. Talk about a lethal 1-2 punch! After that, the Confederacy was never the same. They continued to fight for 20+ months though, in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War, and longer than that in the Western Theatre of the Civil War, finally surrendering in the East in April, 1865, and in the Western Theatre of the Civil War, in the summer of 1865.
@@footballnick2 I definitely wouldn’t say overrated, I would honestly say he’s underrated. His channel is sooo good with getting people to like history, and thats what most people forget that the channels purpose isn’t really to tell new things for people to learn but to tell the basics of the war in a interesting and fun way so that people can get into history, and after that then they can start digging more into that topic after they the basic understanding of it, thats what happened with me and alot of people
This place is stuck in my head from the xbox game, Juarez, it sits in my mind like i actally witnessed a movie about it, even saw it live in a way, the realism is such that if you indulge yourself and forget the real horrors and bravery in loyalty, it feels like you breathed the air of that battle, if they ever develop scratch n sniff cards again, they will have real false memory casualties.
I had an ancestor who was involved in the siege of Vicksburg. He served in the LA 28th infantry division. He was captured by the Union and held as prisoner for one year. He survived the war and lived on to tell the stories.
xrmweho Amen and well said. Grant, Lincoln and Sherman should be considered on the same level of the Founders and Patriots from our War for Independence. I have never understood why Americans must endure statues to the very people who tried to destroy our country. Statues to traitors and losers. Who else on earth does that?
His Presidential record is tarnished by corruption in a number of places, but not involving him. Grant' problem in politics and in civilian business life was that he was completely honest to the point he couldn't believe anyone else wasn't. Contrary to his demeanor in actual combat, he was also soft-hearted, and couldn't bring himself to collect debts. He also was the last President who actually tried to make Reconstruction work.
Outstanding documentary, primarily due to the "animated" graphics. Ordinarily I can't follow battlefield accounts, but this provides an excellent sense of what took place.
Another good perspective on this campaign comes from Ron Chernow's biography of Grant. It's interesting to see it from his perspective, so to speak, and see the steady progress down the river.
@TRUMP UNIVERSE Because he decided to be nice. Surely he could have dragged the siege on longer and forced it. Pemberton let his pride get in the way of saving people's lives. It's a common problem these days as well.
@@TheBargles Also he personally knew Pemberton from West Point. Grant knew that Pemberton would not surrender his troops to be taken into prisoner of war camps. He would have fought to the last man. Grant knew him and was being the good man that he was in trying to not annihilate hundreds of thousands of men.
According to Sherman, McClernand didn't have the "foothold" he claimed to, but had only taken an outer parapet on a redoubt. The lives lost trying to "maintain pressure" so McClernand could exploit his foothold were a total waste, and this led to McClernand being relieved.
I was doing a little research and found out my great great (?) Uncle was injured on the 1st day. Injured in left thigh. Released from service july 8th.
Don't be surprised if it happens again with this tyrannical administration.... I believe they are ready to make total war on anyone that doesn't drink their brand of koolaid.
As a retired Marine officer, it's my estimate that union riverine gunboats just artillery barges because a river gave no room for maneuver to execute classic naval tactics. It's good to have them, but the outcome shows that they were supporting arms like all land-based artillery and the victory had to be won ashore. And it was.
There's a video documentary entitled "The Forgotten March" which covers the Red River Campaign. It was a low budget production but surprisingly good and informative. Uses footage from a 1994 re-enactment.
My grandfather was a young Mississippi Confederate soldier. He was captured at Gettysburg and transported north. He survived imprisonment ( or I wouldn’t be writing this) and at the end of the war walked home. He was a farmer and never owned a slave. He married and had six children, one of whom was my father, born in 1881. I am 75 years old. In today’s world, “the sacrifices made by both sides” would not be tolerated, as our country’s history is under assault and many wish to deny and eradicate it.
No. What's happening is that we're recognizing that the Confederates were anti-American rebels and traitors and they do not deserve statues in their honor in American cities.
My father was born and raised near Vicksburg at Redwood, MS. He said that for many years until after WW2, they didn't celebrate the fourth of July. Also, when plowing for the Garden each spring they'd find many Minette balls, and some other rusted battle relics.
Grant was the only General to capture 3 Confederate Armies, intact, in the field: Ft, Donaldson, Vicksburg and Appomattox. No other General, North or South captured even one!
@@michaelfitzgerald434 Thats incredible !! as much as ive heard of him doing that!! I think its because everybody thinks Lee was so great!! But i know one thing Lee really fucked up at Gettysburg!!
@@robinrodriguez480 Lee was "great" because he fought defensive battles where the terrain made it easier to maintain defensive positions. The two times he went on the offensive, he nearly got they destroyed. If the union command weren't so passive, they could have ended the war if they maintained the initiative and kept attacking the confederate as they were retreating. They didn't even try to disrupt their supply lines as they were retreating.
@@MariE-bz2eq - Oh yeah we all saw what happened at Gettsburgh!! Take lil round top at any cost?? Well yea real defensive his arrogance lost him and the south the battle the war and the respect of sensible people he should of quit right then and there to stop all the senseless killing!!
@@MariE-bz2eq That is correct. Little Mac had the confederates at Malvern Hill but he was the only general that managed to turn a win into a defeat like that. At Antietam, Mac had the cigar papers for two days before he even moved his army, thus allowing Lee to accidentally get out of a trap that Mac COULD have made, probably destroying REL and his myth of greatness.
For our returning viewers, these are the same productions as before, just with our new American Battlefield Trust opening. We wanted a more cohesive look moving forward as our audience continues to grow. As always we appreciate your support and look forward to continuing to share our passion for American history.
What is the name of the song at the end of the video?
Do a wargame if this battle, a mix of the Gettysburg wargame fan votes as well as the Napoleon battle multi tables army movements.
There were many of my ancestors on the Union side who were killed in this leg of the Civil War , I’m just going through some War diaries from RI now of the day to day misery both sides suffered , it seems the 7 th regiment of volunteers was hit very hard with casulties. Its very sad seeing how many young men died at Vicksburg , not just my family but all of the men who fought in the Civil War .. it was such a tragedy . My ancestors were all so young as were their wives & children left at home . Many of the young war widows went on to marry again but I know there were many very hard years with some women never recovering after the loss of their husbands . I’m looking forward to being a new subscriber to your channel .
Absolutely superb videos, I just found your channel and I'm hooked
Always great to revisit our history on You Tube, now that #covid19 got us locked in doors. 🇺🇸 #MillionThanks #USCivilWar
My Great Great Grandfather was a corporeal with the Wisconsin 23rd at Vicksburg. He was wounded and left on the field for dead. He survived and was discharged after the battle. He returned to Neillsville, Wisconsin and later moved to Baron Co. where he started a community named Sioska, known today as Canton, WI.
Hey fellow Wisconsinite! Thanks for everything your Great Great Grandfather did! He's a hero!
chaosXpert Interesting how family's move around. My Great Grandfather moved the family to California in 1919 due to health issues. He contracted a lung disease while in Puerto Rico fighting with the Wisconsin 3rd during the Spanish American war and the doctors recommended he move to a drier climate. We travelled to Wisconsin last summer as I had always wanted to see where our family was from. Many of the buildings and houses in Neillsville haven't changed much. I wasn't able to locate my Great Great Grandfathers home or business but it was interesting seeing the area. We missed going to Barron County due to time constraints. So hopefully one day we will get back that way, it is a beautiful state. And hey you have really good beer out there! "Leinenklugel's (I don't think I have the spelling right). I made sure to bring two case home with me.
My relation george huffman died here
Thats real cool brother many thanks to him reason for freedom!
I wish that I had paid better attention but in addition to the Battle of Vicksburg, the Battle of Jackson MS was fought multiple times. Jackson gained the nickname of Chimneyville because it was burned by the Yankees multiple times and only chimneys were left. I used to own a house in an historic neighborhood there that was built on the battlefield. The neighborhood has historical markers everywhere showing where each of the Union companies were. I believe there was a marker not far from my house (block and a half) that was for Wisconsin. The southernmost road of the neighborhood is called Fortification Street. It was the Confederate fortifications. Historical markers are also everywhere on the campus of the University of Mississippi Medical Center that anchors the neighborhood to the north. Because the Union was so thorough in their destruction, there is not much to see in Jackson that pertains to the Civil War. Vicksburg and especially Natchez were not burned. Port Gibson was also spared. But other communities were not as lucky.
I grew up in Jackson, Mississippi. I've been to the the Vicksburg Military Park. It is the only American civil war battlefield that I have been to. Our parents took us there. It was sobering to me. I was about 14...a black boy looking in amazement at all those graves.
i grew up in upstate NY and got to go to some of the forts and battle sites of the revolutionary war. It was awe inspiring. Listening to civil war and revolutionary war audio books for about a year now.
Did you get the chance to visit the Cairo museum? I remember being absolutely captivated by the USS Cairo and the fact that it was pulled from the Yazoo river after being submerged for over 100 years. It was one menacing looking gunboat lol.
LouisianaBoy1990 I went today and I was amazed at the condition of the items pulled from the water.
St. Cros I’ve visited many, Antietam, Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Bull Run, Chickamauga, etc., but have never made it to the “West” such as Shiloh, etc. Its on my bucket list. All of them offer something different but are similar in their poignancy and solemn remembrance of hallowed ground.
@James Richardson ~ Try to visit Vicksburg during a very hot July day and, you'll get a bit of an idea of what the soldiers had to deal with. They were, without doubt, super tough!
This is more than just an animated battle map, this is a fantastic mini-documentary!
Absolutely agree. It’s fun to watch the maps whilst reading Shelby Foote’s narrative of the same.
@@soarabove337 feels like back in the day coming home from school and watching tv
For anyone who was ever interested in American history, you can't do better than this series. This is the best I've seen. Regarding Vicksburg read Vicksburg: Grants campaign that broke the Confederacy by Donald L. Miller. Outstanding book!
You can do a lot better in the People’s history of the United States for example. I’m tired of hearing about history from the points of view of warlords and aristocrats. I want to hear it from the people who actually fought these battles, who had to sacrifice. The generals and politicians of the time did not. They sat in that ivory northern castles. All the poor were forced into warfare there’s nothing to do with, and have no representation.
@@borger99it's not a choice between one or the other. You can read all accounts related to historical events. Your assertions that the accounts of Commanding General of an entire army with his strategic view of the war is not valuable is quite hilarious! Are you still smarting from the defeat of traitors to their country?
It's kinda incredible that the last day of Gettysburg and the day Vicksburg surrenders are one day apart.
It was the one-two punch that did the Confederacy in, all they could do from that point was delay their inevitable defeat.
I wonder how many decisions Grant made ripped on whisky
@FightsatJim’splace Please stop spreading misinformation. Grant did not run his grand strategy drunk. He was conscious of his problem and only indulged when he was safely insulated from consequences.
You know its at that point the south should of realized " hmm you know what were fucked" but to keep going on and killing all those men for nothing!!??🤔 yea yea i understand no retreat no surrender !! But dam to send all tjose men to a useless death!!??🤔 damm someone should of did something you know maybe Lee??
@@ryanjones9498 not many. The drinking is a myth.
My 4th great grandfather was the 3rd Minnesota during the battle of vicksburg, he had recently entered the union army and was an immigrant from Sweden, he survived the battle but would die just before the war ended
American battlefield trust is a worthy group to support and has provided much in actually raising funds to purchase land made sacred by blood sacrifice of brave Americans
Grant that was just as important: He was a master of the art of surrender. As the byproduct of a string of battlefield victories, he forced the unconditional surrender of three enemy armies, something no other general officer in American history ever accomplished - not Dwight Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, George Washington or Winfield Scott.
What about general Patton? Just asking my dad fought under him in E T O he respected him a lot
Douglas McArthur is a scam lmao. He's great at PR but mediocre at leading armies.
Other than Fort Donelson, I'm not aware of any unconditional surrenders' of Confederate armies to Grant. At Vicksburg Pemberton refused to surrender unconditionally, as this video states around 17:32, and Grant offered him terms. At Appomattox Grant offered Lee magnanimous terms, which Lee accepted.
@@williamaustin1 Grant could’ve forced an unconditional surrender but it was at the advice of his council that he did not. In the end it worked in his favor as he didn’t it have to handle and manage thousands of POWs and as a result many confederate soldiers abandoned the war.
Though Grant before hand already had a reputation of unconditional surrender. This is a fact
@@williamaustin1 yeah pretty much no, kasee bested you. Admit it. Bet you won’t because of your pride tho
I love these videos, especially this one. It’s hard to understand troop movements (and their contexts) just by reading them on texts or a static map
And that is why it took them forever to end the war.
Was surprised that Lincoln’s comment that “...the father of waters flows unvexed to the sea.” is not included. It is still heartbreaking even today to contemplate the terrible costs that this struggled inflicted on both sides, and continues to haunt the nation even in our own times.
I have no sympathy for the Confederate. My ex girlfriend's 2x great grandfather was a white colonel in his early 40's that raped and impregnated his 14 year old 2x great grand mother.
@@amRUTHLESS12 it's not just one guy. Loom up NYTimes reporter Caroline Randall Williams. Her great great grandfather is General Edmund Pettus who raped her great grand mother and eventually became grand wizard of the kkk in 1877. There is a reason that African Americans are 25% European. According to genetic research, that DNA entered their gene pool roughly just before the civil war. That's not just mere coincidence.
Just moved to Florida. On my way, I drove through Vicksburg, and stopped there about a month ago. The only Civil War battlefield I’ve ever seen. Something special about standing in the same place that giants such as Sherman and Grant stood. Still seeing the trenches and craters that are still there is incredible. Such a pivotal and important event in the period of our history that defines us to this day.
THIS is a great video…linking past to present and giving Gen. Grant his due as one of the USA very best strategic and tactical battlefield commanders. Outstanding.
"If you cannot feed us, Surrender us." I had never heard that.
It has been said that Civilisation is only 3 missed meals from Anarchy!
@@jamesalexander5623 This is one of the most relevant quotes Ive ever heard. Thanks. Hope you don't mind if I keep using it.
I will forever think of July 4th in a different way.
@@jamesalexander5623 Great quote!
Yea crazy they were officially whipped at thay point !! Someone should of did something to send those poor guys home !!🤔 General lee!!
I grew up in Vicksburg/Edwards on the big black and have metal detected so many civil war things we have a whole room that’s like a mini civil war museum at my house
I am a big admirer of General U.S. Grant. He started from poverty, virtually nothing and when the Civil War broke out, got back into the army getting a commission to Colonel of a Illinois regiment then eventually rising throught the ranks. In the Western theater he was making a name for himself: victories at Fort Henry, Fort Donaldson, where he Got his nickname Unconditional Surrender Grant, Shiloh, although he was caught off guard by a surprised Confederate attack as his army was preparing to March towards The vital Confederate rail junction of Cornith, Mississippi from Pittsburgh landing on the Tennessee River, but turned the tide on the battles second day, being relived of command by Halleck for his army's high casualties and accused of being drunk. Only Lincoln stepped in and said, "I cannot spare this man". "He fights". Even General Sherman, who was there at Shiloh, encourage him to stay. Grant , in a way was master of the Western theater. His highlight was the Vicksburg campaign. He was the type of Union General that didn't give up that easy. It paid off with Vicksburg's Surrender on July 4th, 1863, and his biggest victory: lifting the Confederate siege of Chattanooga and routing Bragg's army from Missionary Ridge, which he was promoted to Lt General and command of all union armies. Lincoln found the General he needed to take on Robert E. Lee's army of Northern Virginia. Some Confederate officers were bragging about Grant and said he should not be a problem like the previous Union Generals they faced.Think again! General James Longstreet, Grant's best friend and classmate at West Point, advised Lee and anyone present of who they were going up against. Grant was going to fight them to the point of where the Army of Northern Virginia will be unable to wage war. Grant made it clear during his overland campaign. After the stalemate at the battle of the wilderness, instead of retreating, he advanced towards Richmond. His men cheered and applauded him. But there were still some bloody engagements to come: Spotsylvania court house, Cold Harbor, Petersburg. After all before him, Grant took Lee down.🇺🇲
Grant was quite amazing, but Lee was not the genius some made him up to be.
@@TorianTammasLee was nothing more than a traitor to the nation
Grant did not grow up in poverty. His family was what we would call middle class today.
@swingrfd I have a DVD that talks about Grant and it tells the truth about how he struggled to support his family. He even pawned his watch to buy Christmas presents. He did everything he could even selling firewood. His big break was when the civil war broke out. His first command was Col of a Illinois regiment which he trained well. He eventually rose to fame and earned the nickname "unconditional surrender Grant".
TL: DR. Already know Grant’s life story.
If the makers of this video and the others like could see me right now, I'd give you a standing ovation. Incredible. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I recently toured The battle of Vicksburg and it was beautiful! The monuments are incredible and standing on Union lines and looking across a ravine seeing the Confederate lines was breath taking.
me at 3am: I should get some sleep
also me at 3am: *civil war documentary*
lmao me right now
Hahaha 2 am right now
I did that the other night watching one on Gen. Sherman. As I halfway was dozing off, I noticed that when they said "Sherman", I started to picture a Sherman Tank marching through Georgia.
I hear that
It is good information. But, I keep getting distracted by the civil war re-enactors. Hard to believe so many of the 19th century troops would have been waddling fat dudes in their 50's with almost all of them wearing glasses - but at least the belt buckles and shirt buttons no one notices are accurate!
This was incredibly well done and explains the ebb and flow of this campaign extremely well. Personally, I think the loss of Vicksburg was much more damaging to the South than Lee's loss in Gettysburg which happened the same day. On a side note, it was a nice surprise to see my cavalry reenacting group shown at the 3:05 point.
Without a doubt Vicksburg was by far the worst loss. Even if Lee had won at Gettysburg it would not have made much difference. His army was so beat up and low on ammo he would have had to shortly turn back home.....the end result being the same, the "invasion" fails without much to show for it. Vicksburg, on the other hand meant the loss, as the video stated, of vital supplies for the remainder of the war. The CSA west of the river basically became an independent state, not able to contribute much.
@@twilightgamedesigns4887good
Grant's Vicksburg Campaign was pure American genius. This so called life loser was the first general to grasp the concept of total war. The quicker you remove the means to make war the quicker you defeat your enemy and mitigate your losses. He correctly calculated that once his army crossed into Mississippi he could victual from the area and use his limitted supply lines for ammo. He kept his army between Pemberton and Johnston, defeating each in turn.
Great study on this.
TRUMP UNIVERSE then shortly after it said because of grants victory the union controlled the Mississippi River and cut the south almost in half....100% worth it.
@TRUMP UNIVERSE And captured 35 thousand Confederate soldiers, although he pardoned them.
I'm sure it's why the Marines train every marine to be a rifleman. We were taught that supply lines and support units are soft targets, the first thing the enemy goes for...so don't be soft!
@@jdmac44
Exactly!
Its pure Napoleon at his best. Split and defeat in detail. Out maneuver your opponent. Live off the land.
I’ve been to the Vicksburg battlefield several times. Never gets old revisiting. I learn something new every time. Thanks!
When Vicksburg fell, Port Hudson surrendered soon after. On a visit to the Port Hudson battlefield I found that my 2nd Great Grandfather had been in the 39th Mississippi Infantry, G Co. and surrendered there.
My family has a letter from my 4th great-uncle who was stationed there. He was in the 15th. He was later captured, sent to Camp Chase and died the same day of disease that President Lincoln was assassinated. Several of his cousins as well as a brother were there as well.
I love how the narrator is way too into his job. He sounds so excited to be doing this, I especially love the way he emphasizes random words, such as "Confederate Corp".
I guess I just have a weird sense of humor.
It reminds me of old History Channel documentaries - only better researched, lol.
If someone isn't effected emotionally by history, they shouldn't be teaching it.
My family had a restaurant attached to The Battlefield Inn in Vicksburg called Jaques I’ve spent many hours at the battlefield I still get goosebumps every time i enter
I still have a wooden nickel for a complementary breakfast. Was a very fine restaurant and inn.
I ate there once. It had good food
I love these videos. I've been reading McPherson's "Battle Cry of Freedom" and while it does an excellent job of explaining the Vicksburg campaign in a few pages, the animated maps really give an unparallelled sense of troop movements and the shifting geography of battles.
The first book on a single aspect of the ACW I read (after a couple of general histories) was Shelby Foote's The Beleaguered City. Detailed, concise, and riveting. Highly recommended (though there are no animated maps!).
This is what the History channel should do. Quality channel!
From Italy too we can apreciate this excellent video about great American history.
You've got some great Italian history too, dude. Andrea Doria,
Sforza, Sigismundo Malatesta,
Garibaldi. Battle of Lepanto.
Also, didn't Italy have something to do with the Roman Empire?
@@andrewbell2712 The Americans realized in modern times that made the Roman Empire great. Before Christianity, religion in Rome was a civil religion, and their goddess was the goddess Rome. For the Romans first came Rome, then the interests of individuals, what Americans do today. The only difference with Italian history is that it boasts two thousand years of history, but if Americans in just two centuries have done what they did, what would they do in two thousand years? 😜
@@robyonekenoby5647 Roby! May the force be with you, by the way. Have you been to Pompei since
the new archaeologist has taken
over? He sounds like a terriffic
guy. There are new areas now open to the public there. The museum in Naples is supposed to be spectacular, too.
One of my favorite writers is Shelby Foote. He is a novelist
who writes history, with a novelist's
eye for detail. His most famous book is called The Civil War: A Narrative. His friend, the novelist Walker Percy, called this book the
American Iliad. It's in three volumes, about 1,000 pages per book. There are a couple of high lights of the book. One section is called "The Stars in their Courses."
This part is about the Gettysburg campaign. My favorite part is called "The Vicksburg Campaign".
This is about General Grant's duel with Colonel Pemberton. Some people think this was the most important battle/campaign in the
war. After Grant won, the confederates lost control of the
Mississippi, they lost the major food source for supplying their troops, and they got cut off from the state of Texas. No other major battle or campaign had such dire consequences for the south. If you like the videos, but also like to read, you're in for quite a treat.
@@robyonekenoby5647 Rome is unsurpassed in their technology of the period. In their medical field they used silver instruments and sutures, bacteria cannot survive on silver. Not to mention their political structure which the U.S.A. copied..
My Great Great Grandfather was with the 76th Illinois and was there during the siege. In my home I have a piece of the surrender tree that Grant and Pemberton sat under when they discussed the surrender terms.
I recently learned that my Great Great Great Grandfather was in the 33rd Illinois! He volunteered at age 19 after immigrating from Ireland. Learning all sorts of new things about the Civil War now. I visited his grave for the first time last week in Lincoln, IL.
My great grandfather was also there. Fighting with one of the Indiana brigades. He was 21 at the time.
All but two of my great-great-great-grandfathers were there but they were from Mississippi and on the other side. None died there but several were wounded.
Interesting. I had several ancestors that participated in this huge battle. I believe that had Lee came to the relief of Vicksburg rather than invading Pennsylvania, the results may have been different.... maybe not.... who knows. I do believe that Lt. General Pemberton was not a suitable commander to face both Grant and Sherman.... (not sure would have been up to the task of facing those two giants with all of their men and supplies that were just not available to the Confederate forces.)
Golden
Congratulations American Battlefield Trust. To all concerned, these videos are better for the classroom at any level than a human professor. Very insightful and the commentators commentary, draws you in completely. Thank you for your efforts, You have gained a supported.
Finally some actual proper maneuvering. Too many Union generals moved in a rigid fashion.
Napoleon managed to defeat his enemy in detail and cut of their retreat, yet so many Union generals fight as if they have never even attended a military academy
Yeah,but thing is:much of those officers that actually fought,or veterans of Mexican war chose to side with Confederacy,while Union's ones were actually low ranking ones at the start of war.
Neither side had any real maps of the roads since none were ever drawn. The roads had signs at intersections showing which direction the nearest town was. Signs were taken down so scouts had to ask local residents where the roads led to. Many gave both armies wrong directions since they didn't want soldiers crossing and fighting on their farmland. Union forces were prone to get lost for an entire day so weren't allowed to venture far away from the main body of their army.
My childhood home is about 200 yards from Grant's HQ. When the leaves are off the trees, I can see his statue from the porch.
Wow, that's pretty cool. Where was his headquarters ?
I truly love these videos, learn more here than I ever did in school about the civil war
Grant still doesn't get nearly enough credit. In a war (and indeed, a profession) in which so many men perform well in lessor roles, but prove to be outmatched when given more responsibility, Grant always managed to grasp the broader strategic goals and fight to win the war, not just the battle. He avoided the petty politics and egotism endemic to his peers, and showed great loyalty to the people who gave him loyalty, like Lincoln and Sherman. Lee gets all the credit as the genius of the war, and he undoubtedly was one of the most brilliant commanders in history, but Grant it took Grant only a glance at the map and a count of his men to know exactly what formula was needed to beat him.
I agree. He's one of the best generals the US ever had, but his reputation has been slandered by Lost Cause propaganda
I mean all the comments here are slobbering over him... you'd hope a general with way more resources (manpower, supplies, time) would eventually win.
This video is great! Helps to prove what an underated genius Grant was.
Here ,here I love this channel,
John Flanagan Exactly right. And he carried it East. Following the battle of the Wilderness in 1864 when Lee expected the “whipped” Army of the Potomac to withdraw north again as it did so many times previous. Instead, when Grant slid left and maneuvered to the East and South, Lee knew then it was only a matter of time.
@@dtmjax5612 not only that Grant wiped 3 Confederate armies
Northern newspapers were very hard on the troop commanders, pretty much like Democrat and Republican differences today. Southern papers gave full support and praised their leaders much of that contributing to legends of gen Lee etc that only commanded an Army group in virginia area not planning the whole offensive like Grant, Grant however was revered in Europe as the top military planner or the century, as they were so used to wars every 20-30 years or so , they were great admirers of military leadership.
Underrated? I only heard and red the best description on his career. I consider him personally no less than the general who defeated the south alone.
Spent two days at this battlefield. I can't imagine dragging a cannon up and down those hills, and then put them back together to fight the other side. Some of those hills are 60 degree inclines. Loved seeing the iron side boat though, first time I had seen one in person.
Living in Mobile Alabama all my life I can only imagine how it was fighting like that in that time of year the conditions were brutal
I've been to Gettysburg, Antietam, Manassas, Shenandoah, and recently to Vicksburg. This presentation was SUPERB!
Thank you very much. Keep up the great work. I enthusiastically look forward to seeing more of it.
The greatest campaign of the Civil War and directed by its greatest commander.
I’ve been to Vicksburg and walked in the battlefields and seen the trenches and fortifications. I tour the graveyard and looked out over the bluff down to the rivers bend. Even after seeing all the sights, It’s still hard to fathom all the lives lost in battle. 🇺🇸
This documentary is amazing. Ist has everything. A great narrator, a compelling story and a comprehensive approach. Ist shows the genius of Grant, the bravery and determination on both sides and the tragedy of a civil war. Thank you so much for that. Every one who thinks America is soft should take a lesson from this. Every one who believes you should make America great again, take this as a lesson that you have always been great. Sorry for the rambling. Carry on America. Greatings from the EU. 😬
This one moved me so much, I felt compelled to write my longest comentary ever. Great job 👍🏻
Thank you!
Never underestimate your opponent and his resolve.
"Give me liberty, or give me death."
Patrick Henry - March 23, 1775
A great narrator would know the difference between Calvary and cavalry. He even has the closed captions spelling it "Calvary".
Good move by Grant not sticking to the unconditional surrender legend.
Vicksburg was much worse then the loss at Gettysburg in my opinion. The loss of supplies from Texas and Louisiana and the surrender of 29,000 men was too much. Also freeing up Grants army. Lee should’ve sent Longstreet with 30,000 men and relieved Vicksburg, while holding a strong defense. He should’ve known better even at that time. I think he gambled, thinking if he won at Gettysburg and took Washington he could end the war right there and the loss of Vicksburg wouldn’t matter. It’s quite a marvelous battlefield to see. Very well maintained.
Good points; I'm inclined to agree.
Of course Lee gambled to take Washington. That was the only way they were going to win the war, not by protracted attrition.
@@gabe9346 Would strongly disagree with you there. Firstly, Lee wasn’t going to simply walk into Washington if he won at Gettysburg. It was defended. Even if he took Washington with what remaining troops he had, exhausted and low on supplies. He most likely wouldn’t be able to hold it. In the war of 1812, the British marched into Washington D.C., caused a few American ships to be lost and burned the capitol. So it might not have ended it either way. Even if the union lost at Gettysburg, there would still be a union army in the vicinity. Like at Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, etc.
@@gabe9346 Secondly, the only logical way I see his best chance of winning was to prolong the war. The war was very unpopular in the North. The elections were coming up near the end and George B. McClellan was the more favored choice, especially in 1863. The year of Gettysburg. McClellan was heavily against the war as well. Look how long and how many lives it took even with that victory. Imagine had he went on the defensive before that battle and was able to preserve Vicksburg. I think they could’ve drawn out the war at least another year. Btw, I believe it was good the Union won the war.
@lexevo sure that's what he *should've* done from a historical standpoint, with the benefit of knowing the intricacies of both sides 160 years later. I was speaking from what Lee knew *at that moment*. Did he know Gettysburg was going to be exhaustive, let alone disastrous? Of course not, that's why we went there in the first place. Did he know the political climate of the North, and it's the support for the war? Very little, at best. He saw a superior opponent in numbers and supplies, and figured time was his enemy, not his ally. So as a military General, he gambled for the military victory, instead of waiting out the political victory.
Vicksburg has always been overshadowed by Gettysburg, which I never have understood. I guess that is because even in the North everybody secretly admired Lee. And I am sure, when Lee got the news about the fall of Vicksburg, he already knew, it would only be Grant defeating him. The North finally had found its commander, it did not have before.
It was no different then than now. What happens in the NE or East Coast is the only thing that matters, esp. if it's close to D.C.
Tge president did not hold the Gettysburg address in Vicksburg.
@@TorianTammas That's true. I am just saying the victory at Vicksburg was the more important. It cut the Confederacy apart. Gettysburg was a classic battle, with large armies, full of bloody fighting but also full of gallantry and events becoming myths of their own, like Chamberlain's attack downhill at Little Round Top or Pickett's Charge. Everybody knows them. Vickyburg, on the other hand, was a dirty brawl in the middle of nowhere which could have happened even 150 years later in Afghanistan. Nobody really wanted to know what exactly had happened on the banks of the Mississippi river because if was everything but chivalrous fighting. And it happened far away in the Midwest, while Gettysburg took place just a few hours of train travel from Washington. Jackh.1416 has emphazied that
Robert E. Lee was probably not feeling so great about things on July 5th, 1863. Pickett's Charge was a disaster and then Vicksburg fell the next day. Go America!
@@TorianTammasit would be strangely named if he had
My 3rd Great Grandfather died at Vicksburg, fought for the Union.
This is great and makes me glad I have donated money to the American Battlefield Trust.
😂 gtfoh
I'm glad blacks are free
I grew up across the river from vicksburg if you have never been to the Civil War park i highly recommend going , there is a lot of river museums as well in town lots of old shops
Excellent video of Grant's masterpiece campaign.
yes brilliant examples of indirect attack. Also his understanding of communications and feints in that open theater of operations.
My gg Grand father John Layfette Veal was one of the "Paroled" confederates. He did return to his home in Roopville GA, where he re-enlisted into the calvary (8th GA I believe.), His son, born abt 1865, and my grandfathers father, became a doctor on Roopville and saw many of the area through a typhoid epidemic.
Wow, thank you for sharing that piece of your family's history.
Recognition and respect for your ancestors, sir.
Cavalry not Calvery.
This is a great series very easy to understand and comprehensive thanks for the effort to educate us on the horror of civil war. I am a WW 2 buff and would love to see your efforts there... thank you
I love Civil War history. I have been fortunate enough to visit Gettysburg when I was 12. I rewatch Ken Burns Civil War once a year. I just found this channel today and this is the 2nd video Ive watched so far. Thank you for creating this.
This sounds nuts, but I use some of general Grants tactics when playing Age of Empires 3. Works evert time ...
My ancestor fought here and earlier at chickasaw bayou where his regiment made a name for themselves. Pvt. Jean Pierre Boudreaux of the 26th LA infantry. He was in shoups brigade at thayers approach. He survived, was catured, then paroled and returned to the confederate army.
What company was he in?
@@marshalney6150 company I
@@shesaidyousaid6181 My fourth great grandfather was in G Company
I love Vicksburg, it's a beautiful little city..
What General U.S. Grant did during the Vicksburg campaign was amazing. In the early stages of the campaign, he try every attempt to take the city by any means, which was unsuccessful. But after crucial Union victories and cutting off Confederate rail lines and communications, it all came down towards Grant laying siege to Vicksburg. The Confederate garrison, holding out at any cost, was now cut off from supplies and any hope of being reinforced, facing constant bombardments from union gunboats on the Mississippi river and from land batteries, Grant starved the Confederate army and the civilian population at Vicksburg into submission, resulting in their Surrender on July 4th, 1863. I am impressed That General Grant was the type of General that did not give up that easy. He rose to fame again at Chattanooga. His promotion to command of all Union forces was only a matter of time.🇺🇸
you should read medieval siege mate, this one took longer than that their stubborn
@@ronanchristiana.belleza9270 I like to read and post stuff like this to anyone who wants to listen.
@@haynes1776 yeah if he is in medieval times that would his great challenge and we would never know how long it will take him to siege a city
I had two ancestors at Vicksburg . Wilhelm "William bretz of the 16th Indiana , and William s. coleman of the 5th Illinois cavalry.
I just found out I had an ancestor get shot in the thigh on day 1. Ohio 56th company h. Released from service july 8th.
The note at the end about the building of the open-air museum and national battlefield are key lessons to be learned from history. At one point, our country was torn apart by war so intense that 600,000 Americans were killed. To date, it is the bloodiest war our nation has ever fought. Brothers literally fought brothers over this. Reconciliation took decades and required enormous efforts to compromise on both sides, including recognizing men who had fought nobly and with honor, even if they had fought for the other side. We have many monuments to such people in the South. They are not monuments intended glorify racism or slavery. They are monuments erected in the spirit of reconciliation from a nation torn apart by those things. They're monuments to Principle, to Duty, to Honor, and to Sacrifice. We are not a perfect people. There are none living who can claim to be. We learn from our mistakes and move on with the intent to form a _more_ perfect union. But let us remember those lessons of the past, rather than simply trying to delete history which is unsightly or painful and pretend it never existed. We have to tell the stories and tell them honestly.
Thank you to the historian(s) at American Battlefield Trust who have preserved this history of a key turning point in that war and who have shared that story in such an engaging video here on this channel.
Excellent summary!
I disagree, most southern monuments are meant to praise and glorify the racial injustice of the confederacy. No monuments to traitors I say.
...and the Fourth of July was not celebrated in Vicksburg until WW2.
Actual longer then that according to some recorders
@Doug Bevins yes you are libturd
This is an old myth that has no basis. Vicksburg had 4th of July celebrations as early as the turn of the 20th century.
@@ChessJew nuh huh
@@alanlashbrook6442 Galaxy brain thinking to call the president a traitor instead of the secessionists.
This series of videos should be used to educate any student required to learn the history of this country good or bad! Fantastic, thank you!
The Big Muddy, the Mighty Mississip, Ol’ Blue, the nation’s life line. It will be here long after us.
An ironclad guarantee. Old Man River will just keep rolling along.
He don’t plant taters, he don’t plant cotton, and thems that plants ‘em, is soon forgotten.
But Old Man River he just keeps rolling along.
What a fantastic production! I'm a visual learner, and so these animations of maneuvers and battles help me tremendously to understand and get the info straight. THANK YOU so much for taking the time to produce this video. So very valuable.
All of these are absolutely fantastic to watch. As a Civil War Buff it’s nirvana. Keep up the great work! 👍
Thank you so much for these ABT! Your videos are absolute gems.
I am reading Grant’s memoir. He was quite a good writer, but his descriptions are so detailed, it is difficult for me to understand all the particulars. This visual presentation makes it so clear.
One thing is clear from Grant’s own description of this campaign: he is so matter-of-fact about his thoughts at the time, his strategy, his decisions, etc, there is no hint of doubt as to what he had to do. He took calculated risks and acted aggressively, something his predecessors did not do. He was indeed the man of the moment for the Union and should be more celebrated than he is
Aye. Especially when you consider how low his life had sunk in the years prior to the war. Having to crawl back to his father for a job just to make ends meet and then seizing the opportunity that was the Civil War to turn his life around. Most of his tenacity during the war must surely have come from these times.
Awesome video. Your organization does an excellent job. Every Civil War video or program I have ever watched is fantastic!
Having spent a summer below Memphis in a hot warehouse. I wonder at the soldiers endurance.
I don't think the Confederacy thought that northern soldiers could make a march of the kind Grant commanded.
Lee may have won all the glory, but Grant got results. 38,000 Confederate casualties, massive loss of weapons and war material, and complete control of the Mississippi river for the loss of just 10,000 casualties on Grant's side. Did Lee ever accomplish anything even close to that?
The boats did not "hug the shore" for a better shot. They hugged to shore because the Confederates could not lower their guns to shoot down enough to hit the boats close to shore on the Vicksburg side.
Correct.
Admiral Porter realized when the cannon balls were just hitting the smokestacks of their ironclads, he immediately took the opportunity to run the gauntlet near the shore. The USS Cairo was the only warship sunk during that battle and today is one of the oldest surviving Union ironclad still relatively intact on public display.
"Hugging the river banks below to withstand their fire." Sounds like that's exactly what the narrator said.
Humans are so capable at adapting. This is what makes generals great. Grant made mistakes but those mistakes open the door to new tactics. Definitely one of my favorites in American history.
Grant knew what he had and did the best with it and just like Sherman Grant was one of the fathers of modern warfare
LOVE using these fantastic videos in conjunction with GOOGLE MAPS and seeing where history was made..
Wow I had no idea Vicksburg ended the same time as Gettysburg.
Well... within one day of each other. Gen. Lee's defeat at Gettysburg happened July 3, 1863, and The Fall of Vicksburg happened on July 4, 1863. Talk about a lethal 1-2 punch! After that, the Confederacy was never the same. They continued to fight for 20+ months though, in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War, and longer than that in the Western Theatre of the Civil War, finally surrendering in the East in April, 1865, and in the Western Theatre of the Civil War, in the summer of 1865.
As a fellow historian and an OIF combat veteran , I appreciate the telling it as it is and preserving History's truth
“...And better yet, it was the 4th of July” -Oversimplified, American Civil War part 2
Was it not the 4th of July? Do you know something that Historians don't?
@@stephenmeier4658 I think he's just stating something from an overrated TH-cam channel.
@@stephenmeier4658 he’s quoting something from the channel “oversimplified” that they said in their American Civil war video.
@@footballnick2 I definitely wouldn’t say overrated, I would honestly say he’s underrated. His channel is sooo good with getting people to like history, and thats what most people forget that the channels purpose isn’t really to tell new things for people to learn but to tell the basics of the war in a interesting and fun way so that people can get into history, and after that then they can start digging more into that topic after they the basic understanding of it, thats what happened with me and alot of people
Lol Margret we are leaving...not Intel my hair is dried..😂 love oversimplified
Excellent video. Brave souls on both sides. May they lie sweetly at rest, duty done.
Just found out my Great Great Great Grandpa Jacob Reuben fought with the 87th Regiment Illinois Infantry (company k) and was in this battle!!!!
This place is stuck in my head from the xbox game, Juarez, it sits in my mind like i actally witnessed a movie about it, even saw it live in a way, the realism is such that if you indulge yourself and forget the real horrors and bravery in loyalty, it feels like you breathed the air of that battle, if they ever develop scratch n sniff cards again, they will have real false memory casualties.
"The Father of Waters again goes unvexed to the sea."
-A. Lincoln
I had an ancestor who was involved in the siege of Vicksburg. He served in the LA 28th infantry division. He was captured by the Union and held as prisoner for one year. He survived the war and lived on to tell the stories.
Ulysses Grant deserves far more respect than he is often given. He was an outstanding General, and a good President.
xrmweho Amen and well said. Grant, Lincoln and Sherman should be considered on the same level of the Founders and Patriots from our War for Independence. I have never understood why Americans must endure statues to the very people who tried to destroy our country. Statues to traitors and losers. Who else on earth does that?
His Presidential record is tarnished by corruption in a number of places, but not involving him. Grant' problem in politics and in civilian business life was that he was completely honest to the point he couldn't believe anyone else wasn't. Contrary to his demeanor in actual combat, he was also soft-hearted, and couldn't bring himself to collect debts. He also was the last President who actually tried to make Reconstruction work.
Outstanding documentary, primarily due to the "animated" graphics. Ordinarily I can't follow battlefield accounts, but this provides an excellent sense of what took place.
I thought I knew a lot more about this campaign. Much detail seems to have been lost in terms of details and basic facts. Good documentary.
Another good perspective on this campaign comes from Ron Chernow's biography of Grant. It's interesting to see it from his perspective, so to speak, and see the steady progress down the river.
My great grandfather, an irish immigrant, fought at Vicksburg. His commitment to the Union was based on englands support of the south.
U.S. (Unconditional Surrender) Grant.
@TRUMP UNIVERSE Because he decided to be nice. Surely he could have dragged the siege on longer and forced it. Pemberton let his pride get in the way of saving people's lives. It's a common problem these days as well.
I know you know that Grant's birth name was "Hiram Ulysses"
@@TheBargles Also he personally knew Pemberton from West Point. Grant knew that Pemberton would not surrender his troops to be taken into prisoner of war camps. He would have fought to the last man. Grant knew him and was being the good man that he was in trying to not annihilate hundreds of thousands of men.
Thanks these animated Battle maps are very good and I learn a lot.
According to Sherman, McClernand didn't have the "foothold" he claimed to, but had only taken an outer parapet on a redoubt. The lives lost trying to "maintain pressure" so McClernand could exploit his foothold were a total waste, and this led to McClernand being relieved.
I was doing a little research and found out my great great (?) Uncle was injured on the 1st day. Injured in left thigh. Released from service july 8th.
It's hard to imagine active warships patrolling the Mississippi river.
Don't be surprised if it happens again with this tyrannical administration.... I believe they are ready to make total war on anyone that doesn't drink their brand of koolaid.
@@stevestringer7351 I believe you could be right.
They built modern warships at New Orleans at a shipyard there until a few years ago.
@@christisking1576 I believe you are as big of a moron as he is.
@@stevestringer7351 bunch of cynical nonsense. Cut it out. We survived the Civil War, but this uncivil war is way harder to get past.
As an Englishman , i find these videos interesting. Thanks for posting these!!!!
As a retired Marine officer, it's my estimate that union riverine gunboats just artillery barges because a river gave no room for maneuver to execute classic naval tactics. It's good to have them, but the outcome shows that they were supporting arms like all land-based artillery and the victory had to be won ashore. And it was.
This campaign is a chefs kiss on a five star meal like seriously
Abe Lincoln - "Hey Jeff....how was your Fourth of July weekend?" Jeff Davis - "Well Abe...it could have been better"
War between the States was an example of Capitalism destroying Feudalism !
Ahhaha 👍
@James Richardson -ahahahaha Yea it was 👍
Definitely one of ABT's better documentaries. This is the most fun I've had in school since 3rd grade!
Would love to see more about the siege of Port Hudson, or the Red River Campaign, as a Civil War reenactor
There's a video documentary entitled "The Forgotten March" which covers the Red River Campaign. It was a low budget production but surprisingly good and informative. Uses footage from a 1994 re-enactment.
God bless the souls of our American soldiers, North and South. They were all heroes.
Grant dispersed THREE entire rebel armies during this war. 1. Washington 2. Grant 3. Patton -- That's the HOLY trinity of American generalship.
this type of history should be shown in all schools,kids would get history shown in this way
My grandfather was a young Mississippi Confederate soldier. He was captured at Gettysburg and transported north. He survived imprisonment ( or I wouldn’t be writing this) and at the end of the war walked home. He was a farmer and never owned a slave. He married and had six children, one of whom was my father, born in 1881. I am 75 years old. In today’s world, “the sacrifices made by both sides” would not be tolerated, as our country’s history is under assault and many wish to deny and eradicate it.
No, we just don’t want to honor Traitors with statues and having Army Forts named after them. ie. Forts Bragg or Hood.
No. What's happening is that we're recognizing that the Confederates were anti-American rebels and traitors and they do not deserve statues in their honor in American cities.
My father was born and raised near Vicksburg at Redwood, MS. He said that for many years until after WW2, they didn't celebrate the fourth of July. Also, when plowing for the Garden each spring they'd find many Minette balls, and some other rusted battle relics.
WOW now im really impressed with Grants leadership absolutely brilliant campain!#👍
Grant was the only General to capture 3 Confederate Armies, intact, in the field: Ft, Donaldson, Vicksburg and Appomattox. No other General, North or South captured even one!
@@michaelfitzgerald434 Thats incredible !! as much as ive heard of him doing that!! I think its because everybody thinks Lee was so great!! But i know one thing Lee really fucked up at Gettysburg!!
@@robinrodriguez480 Lee was "great" because he fought defensive battles where the terrain made it easier to maintain defensive positions. The two times he went on the offensive, he nearly got they destroyed. If the union command weren't so passive, they could have ended the war if they maintained the initiative and kept attacking the confederate as they were retreating. They didn't even try to disrupt their supply lines as they were retreating.
@@MariE-bz2eq - Oh yeah we all saw what happened at Gettsburgh!! Take lil round top at any cost?? Well yea real defensive his arrogance lost him and the south the battle the war and the respect of sensible people he should of quit right then and there to stop all the senseless killing!!
@@MariE-bz2eq That is correct. Little Mac had the confederates at Malvern Hill but he was the only general that managed to turn a win into a defeat like that. At Antietam, Mac had the cigar papers for two days before he even moved his army, thus allowing Lee to accidentally get out of a trap that Mac COULD have made, probably destroying REL and his myth of greatness.
Gary this was a battle most of us are probably unaware of at Fort Craig in New Mexico . Wonderful presentation . Thanks for sharing!
💯❤️👍👊