Vicksburg Campaign Facts

Date and Location

• December 26, 1862–July 4, 1863
• In and around the area of Vicksburg, Mississippi, including in portions of Louisiana.

Timeline of the Vicksburg Campaign

These are the main battles and events of the Vicksburg Campaign in order.

• December 26–29, 1862 — Battle of Chickasaw Bayou
• February 3–April 8, 1863 — Yazoo Pass Expedition
• March 11–18, 1863 — Battle of Fort Pemberton
• April 29, 1863 — Battle of Grand Gulf
• May 1, 1863 — Battle of Port Gibson
• May 12, 1863 — Battle of Raymond
• May 14, 1863 — Battle of Jackson
• May 16, 1863 — Battle of Champion Hill
• May 17, 1863 —  Battle of Big Black River Bridge
• May 25–July 4, 1863 — Siege of Vicksburg
• July 4, 1863 — Surrender at Vicksburg
• July 4, 1863  — Battle of Helena

Principal Union Commanders

• Major General Ulysses S. Grant
• Major General William T. Sherman

Principal Confederate Commanders

• Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton

Union Forces Engaged

• Army of the Tennessee, Mississippi River Squadron

Confederate Forces Engaged

• Army of Mississippi

Number of Union Soldiers Engaged

• Roughly 75,000

Number of Confederate Soldiers Engaged

• Roughly 30,000

Estimated Union Casualties

• 10,142 (1,581 killed, 7,554 wounded, 1,007 missing)

Estimated Confederate Casualties

• 38,586 (1,413 killed, 3,878 wounded, 3,800 missing, 29,495 surrendered)

Result

• Union victory

Impact of the Vicksburg Campaign

• Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton’s surrender of the Army of the Mississippi marked the second time that an entire Confederate army surrendered to Grant, the first being at Fort Donelson.
• Before the Vicksburg Campaign began, President Abraham Lincoln stated, “Vicksburg is the key. The war can never be brought to a close until the key is in our pocket.”
• Before the Vicksburg Campaign began, Confederate President Jefferson Davis stated, “Vicksburg is the nail head that holds the South’s two halves together.”
• Vicksburg’s fall gave the Union complete control of the Mississippi River, reestablishing trade through the Gulf of Mexico.
• Vicksburg’s fall severed the Confederacy’s connections with territories in the American West, denying the South essential agricultural supplies.
• The success of the Vicksburg Campaign also restored Grant’s reputation, which had suffered after the surprise Confederate attack at Shiloh.