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Vicksburg, 1863 Vicksburg, 1863 (2009)

by Winston Groom(Favorite Author)

4 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0307271498 (ISBN13: 9780307271495)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Vintage Books USA

review 1: To Mr. Groom's critics . . . Leave him alone, what's wrong with being a good storyteller? Maybe history would be more appreciated if it was well told. My takeaways . . . * As in Grant's memoirs I was struck by the role of the navy in the Civil War, of course and especially in the battles for the Mississippi* All sorts of commanders and troops tried to conquer Vicksburg a total of 9 times. After the last such failure came the siege.* Pemberton is much villified, and often rightly so. His commanders must share the responsibility though as he was getting contradictory and often unclear messages from his Commander in Chief (Jeff Davis) and the military line command.* Joe Johnston should be considered a traitor to the confederate cause. He should have backed up Pembert... moreon but chose to do nothing or retreat. Seems like his career was one big retreat.* US (Unconditional Surrender) Grant!* Had read a lot about Grant's drinking. Very nice description of one such bender puts it in perspective. He couldn't hold his liquor. Highly recommend this if it's a genre you like.
review 2: THe title may be a bit misleading but this is a very-well written account of the battles in the West that culminated with the surrender of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863. Groom covers the battles that led to this siege and surrender and goies into detail about the major personalities of the campaign (Grant, Sherman, Pemberton, Johnston). The campaign is complex with involvement of different armies and fleets from the Union and he does a good job of explaining the various movements as well as the political pressures placed on the commanders and the impact the war had on the people who happenned to be living in or near Vicksburg. The notion of "total war" against both civilians as well as enemy troops appears here for maybe the first time the surrender of Vicksburg is seen as the day that the South really lost the Civil War.I particularly like Groom's chapter, which of course is all speculation, on why the South didn't sue for peace after the fall of Vicksburg, which was the same day that Lee was dedeated on the 3rd day at Gettysburg. All in all, a fine addition to my Civil War library and even more motivation to visit the Vicksburg National Battlefield. less

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