The theme of this second episode is the breadth of military genius apparent in Grant in all areas of military leadership: tactical, organizational, and strategical.
It was in the Vicksburg Campaign that Grant demonstrated his prowess in organizational abilities with his brazen plan to surround Vicksburg and eventually win a surrender through siege warfare. Vicksburg was a great Confederate hub, and the gateway to the Mississippi River.
Grant carefully planned to cut the entrepot in two at the Horseshoe Bend of the river. After the pompous and foot-dragging Henry Wager Hallack was sent back east, Grant replaced him and was now in command of the Vicksburg operation. Grant begins with a dangerous run of the rebel batteries along the river, starting on April 16, 1863, losing only a single ship. Grant's overall strategy was to break the will of the Southern people, civilians included, and Vicksburg was the template for his philosophy. After shooing away Johnston's reinforcements at Pittsburg Landing, Grant doubles back to the west for the final capitulation of Vicksburg.
Next came Grant's brilliant victory at Chattanooga, where the Confederates maintained a key rail line for their supplies. Sherman's men were trapped at Missionary Ridge, and Grant sends in the troops led by George Thomas. The result was a stunning victory up the hill that led Lincoln to decided to bring Grant east. Congress awarded Grant the rank of full lieutenant general, the first occasion of the honor since George Washington.
After meeting with Lincoln, Grant undertakes his first major confrontation with the forces led by Robert E. Lee. In the same vicinity of the Battle of Chancellorsville, which was Lee's greatest triumph the previous year (April 30 to May 6, 1863) Grant now forces the issue by crossing the Rapidan river and moving through the Wilderness of Spotsylvania County in Virginia.
In the ferocious fighting starting on May 5, 1864, the North loses its advantage of strength in numbers and artillery due to the thick forest conditions. Because of the dry spring, fires ignite from the gunfire making visibility virtually nil. While the North suffers greater casualties than the South, Grant fights Lee to a standstill, then makes the fateful decision not to retreat back over the Rapidan, but to march on towards Richmond. This is a defining moment in the war.
It was in the Vicksburg Campaign that Grant demonstrated his prowess in organizational abilities with his brazen plan to surround Vicksburg and eventually win a surrender through siege warfare. Vicksburg was a great Confederate hub, and the gateway to the Mississippi River.
Grant carefully planned to cut the entrepot in two at the Horseshoe Bend of the river. After the pompous and foot-dragging Henry Wager Hallack was sent back east, Grant replaced him and was now in command of the Vicksburg operation. Grant begins with a dangerous run of the rebel batteries along the river, starting on April 16, 1863, losing only a single ship. Grant's overall strategy was to break the will of the Southern people, civilians included, and Vicksburg was the template for his philosophy. After shooing away Johnston's reinforcements at Pittsburg Landing, Grant doubles back to the west for the final capitulation of Vicksburg.
Next came Grant's brilliant victory at Chattanooga, where the Confederates maintained a key rail line for their supplies. Sherman's men were trapped at Missionary Ridge, and Grant sends in the troops led by George Thomas. The result was a stunning victory up the hill that led Lincoln to decided to bring Grant east. Congress awarded Grant the rank of full lieutenant general, the first occasion of the honor since George Washington.
After meeting with Lincoln, Grant undertakes his first major confrontation with the forces led by Robert E. Lee. In the same vicinity of the Battle of Chancellorsville, which was Lee's greatest triumph the previous year (April 30 to May 6, 1863) Grant now forces the issue by crossing the Rapidan river and moving through the Wilderness of Spotsylvania County in Virginia.
In the ferocious fighting starting on May 5, 1864, the North loses its advantage of strength in numbers and artillery due to the thick forest conditions. Because of the dry spring, fires ignite from the gunfire making visibility virtually nil. While the North suffers greater casualties than the South, Grant fights Lee to a standstill, then makes the fateful decision not to retreat back over the Rapidan, but to march on towards Richmond. This is a defining moment in the war.
