Seven Story Mountain

The Mississippi River was of vital importance to the Civil War efforts of both the North and South. Immediately after the attack on Fort Sumter, Confederate soldiers closed the Mississippi from New Orleans northward to Columbus, Kentucky, and Belmont, Missouri, effectively shutting off transportation and commerce to the northwestern states of the Union. President Lincoln responded with a national military strategy to regain control of the river, symbolized by the struggle to capture the town of Vicksburg.
It took seven attempts for General U.S. Grant to deploy his soldiers around the difficult terrain, and finally to confront face-to-face the Confederate soldiers entrenched in Vicksburg. The strategies, battlefield dynamics and innovative bridgebuilding techniques used are highlighted in this day-by-day account of Grant’s efforts in a pivotal campaign of the Civil War.

Phillip M. Thienel is an historian and writer from Pensacola, Florida.

Phillip M. Thienel
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 277
Bibliographic Info: photos, maps, tables, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 1998 [1994]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-0572-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3224-7
Imprint: McFarland

List of Illustrations      ix
Preface and Acknowledgments      xi
Introduction      1

1861–1862: First and Second Attempts to Take the Mountain      3
January 1863:Third and Fourth Attempts to Take the Mountain      21
February 1863: Fifth Attempt to Take the Mountain      39
March 1863: Sixth Attempt to Take the Mountain      59
April 1863: Seventh Attempt to Take the Mountain      107
April 30–May 22, 1863: The Other Side of the River      173
May 23–August 1, 1863: Siege and Surrender      209

Notes       239
Bibliography       245
Index       249

“chronicles a compelling and crucial Civil War campaign…carefully researched…provides useful detail…recommended”—Choice.