E.+Vicksburg,+Siege+of+Vicksburg,+Mississippi+River,+1863

__//**Siege of Vicksburg, Blockading the Mississippi **//__Thesis: A large navy is key component in imperial powers and was key in allowing the Union to blockade the Mississippi River. Mississippi River:
 * The river starts at Lake Itasca, Minnesota and ends at New Orleans, Louisiana.
 * Was the main supply line for the Confederate Army during the Civil War.
 * Blockading the Mississippi was a key part in the Union war strategy
 * Vicksburg was the last remaining Confederate stronghold along the Mississippi
 * Union commander of the Vicksburg Campaign was Major General Ulysses S. Grant and the Confederate commander was Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton
 * Jefferson Davis insisted Vicksburg should be held while fellow general Johnson said that Vicksburg was worthless. Pemberton chose to trap his army at Vicksburg

Siege of Vicksburg:
 * Grant immediately attacked Vicksburg, hoping to catch the Confederates by surprise and overwhelm them but was too late and was forced to pull back
 * Unable to break Vicksburg after several failed attempts to take it, Grant settled in for a long term siege.
 * 10's of thousands of cannon balls from artillery and ship bombardment alike were lobbed into Vicksburg
 * Starvation and diseases like malaria, scurvy, and dysentery slowly wore away at the confederate troops.
 * Several attempts were made by the Confederates to relieve Pemberton, but they were repulsed. Johnston had waited too long to make his move and was forced to retreat back to Jackson when he realized he couldn't get to Vicksburg
 * Pemberton finally surrendered and the conditions were finalized on Independence Day. Hoping the low moral would spread throughout the Confederacy, Grant released the prisoners.

Significance:
 * The Union's large navy was imperialistic