Ulysses S. Grant’s Federal army is reduced following the capture of Vicksburg, despite Grant’s urgings that the next target should be Mobile.

Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
Ulysses S. Grant’s Federal army is reduced following the capture of Vicksburg, despite Grant’s urgings that the next target should be Mobile.
Confederates in Arkansas try to relieve the Vicksburg garrison by launching a futile attack on the Federal garrison at Helena.
John C. Pemberton’s Confederates formally surrender on Independence Day, transferring the mighty stronghold of Vicksburg to Federal hands.
The Confederate soldiers and residents under siege in Vicksburg are on the verge of being starved into submission.
Confederates try lifting the siege of Vicksburg by preparing to attack the Federal outpost at Milliken’s Bend, on the west bank of the Mississippi River.
Ulysses S. Grant’s Federals strengthen their grip around the Confederates in Vicksburg by the day, while the tedium of the siege leads to one of the biggest scandals of the war.