VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN Driving Tour Guide Prepared by: Friends of the Vicksburg Campaign and Historic Trail, Inc. 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Part 1: Introduction . 2 Glossary: Abbreviations and Conventions. 6 Part 2: Synopsis of the Campaign for Control of the Mississippi River . 8 Part 3: Driving Tour of the Final Offensive of the Vicksburg Campaign . 31 Generalized Orders of Battle of Union and Confederate Forces. 159 Map (located in pocket in back) Obverse: The Final Offensive of the Vicksburg Campaign; Significant Sites, 24 Dec 1862 - 6 Jul 1863 Reverse: The Final Offensive of the Vicksburg Campaign; Movements of Major Units of the Union and Confederate Forces, 24 Dec 1862 B 6 Jul 1863 NOTE: Any user suggestions or errors noted may be submitted to: [email protected] This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior. 1 Part 1 Introduction This Vicksburg Campaign Driving Tour Guide has been prepared by The Friends of the Vicksburg Campaign and Historic Trail, Inc., and funded by a grant from the American Battlefield Protection Program of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, and the Lower Mississippi Delta Initiatives. How to use this tour guide. Confusion about names. Almost from the beginning of the Civil War, a major Union strategic objective was to gain control of the Lower Mississippi River—that portion of the River from the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to the Gulf of Mexico. That campaign properly began with the Union attacks on Fort Henry on the Tennessee River on 6 February 1862 and Forts Jackson and St. Philip near the mouth of the Mississippi on 24 April 1862, and concluded with the Confederate surrenders of Vicksburg on 4 July and of Port Hudson on 9 July 1863. The National Park Service has chosen to describe the actions within that period (6 February 1862-9 July 1863) as AThe Vicksburg Campaign.@ Viewed in that perspective, this driving guide is designed to interpret only that portion of The Vicksburg Campaign extending from 24 December 1862 to 6 July 1863. This period covers only the final months in the campaign, a period termed The Final Offensive of the Vicksburg Campaign, because during that period the Confederate fortress of Vicksburg was indeed the immediate tactical objective of the Union forces. Since the area covered for the entire AVicksburg Campaign@ ranges from Cairo, IL, to the Gulf of Mexico, it is far too great for one driving guide. Consequently, a synopsis of the entire AVicksburg Campaign@ (e.g., the campaign for control of the Lower Mississippi River) is included in Part 2 to provide a historical context for the events covered in this driving guide. Part 3, with map, provides a comprehensive account of the last months of the Vicksburg Campaign (e.g., the Final Offensive of the Vicksburg Campaign), interpreted at 178 sites through vignettes which describe the Union and Confederate activities at that site. Most of these sites can be reached on public roads with a conventional automobile, although a few of them are located along roads that still look very much as they did in 1863 and may require a 4-wheel drive vehicle. The map is enclosed in the back pocket of this guide. The front of the map, entitled AThe Final Offensive of the Vicksburg Campaign, Significant Sites, 24 December 1862—6 July 1863@ includes the 178 sites on a large-scale modern road map which includes every road mentioned in the text, the Civil War-era road 2 net, and the location of every site mentioned in Part 3. The map on the reverse is entitled AThe Final Offensive of the Vicksburg Campaign; Movements of Major Union and Confederate Forces, 24 December 1862—6 July 1863.@ It is printed on the same base map as the "Sites" map, and shows the routes traveled by all units of brigade size or greater during these months of the Vicksburg Campaign. The routes traveled by smaller units are shown when the actions were of significance to the campaign. Using the two maps in conjunction will make it easier to follow as closely as possible the actual movements of the armies. The Glossary shows lists of abbreviations and terms. Understanding the Vicksburg Campaign Driving Tour Guide The events encompassed in this guide are categorized into seven phases: Phase A: The Chickasaw Bayou Expedition (24 Dec 1862 - 4 Jan 1863) Phase B: The Winter of Great Hardships (24 Jan - 30 Apr 1863) Phase C: The Campaign into the Interior of Mississippi (1 - 18 May 1863) Phase D: Assaults and Siege: (19 May - 3 Jul) Phase E: Surrender of Vicksburg and Port Hudson (4 - 9 Jul 63) Note: Phase D concerns the two Union assaults on the Vicksburg fortifications and the 47 days of the siege. Phase E concerns the period to include the surrender of Vicksburg on 4 July and the surrender of Port Hudson on 9 July 1863. These two phases are interpreted in the Vicksburg National Military Park and the Port Hudson State Historic Site. Phases D and E are not interpreted in this campaign driving guide. Phase F: The Confederate Army of Relief (19 May - 6 Jul 1863) Phase G: The Confederate Counteroffensives in Louisiana (30 May - 6 Jul 1863) The geographic sites selected to represent the action during the five phases included in this driving guide have been arranged and numbered as closely as chronology and driving times allow. Since Union and Confederate armies were active at the same time, but often in widely separated geographic locations, some Askips in time@ will be necessary to follow the action. Also, the area covered by core events is about 5,250 square miles, so the site number- sequences are arranged to minimize driving distances, while still retaining the approximate temporal sequence. However, some Aback-tracking@ will be required to follow the correct chronology, and the driving distances are significant, just as the marching distances were significant to the soldiers in blue and gray who fought in the campaign. The sites in Part 3 have been arranged in "clusters" of sites, each focusing on a particular part of the campaign, so that this vast campaign may be viewed in sections. For example, the Chickasaw Bayou Expedition is included in Sites 1- 10, the Steele=s Bayou Expedition in Sites 11-25, etc. 3 Phase coding in the text. Each paragraph within a site narrative is coded with a Phase symbol in brackets - - [A], [B], [C], [F], or [G] (Phases D and E are interpreted in the Vicksburg National Military Park and Port Hudson State Historic Site) to make it easier to follow the action. For example, a paragraph starting with [A] deals with action associated with Phase A, the Chickasaw Bayou Expedition, which occurred primarily within the period 24 Dec 1862 - 4 Jan 1863. There will be occasional exceptions when action not specific to that phase occurred at the same site. The critical role of the Navy is emphasized by identifying each paragraph devoted to naval activities with a code of its own -- [NavOp] B located at the beginning of the relevant paragraph (see sub-section Naval Operations, below). For example: Site 39. Young's Point, played an important role during Phases [A], [B], [C], and [G], as well as playing a role in naval operations. Finding the historical sites listed in Part 3. As aids in finding the site on the ground, most of which are not marked, each site description has been provided with two methods for on-the-ground navigation: 1. A Geographic Positioning System (GPS) coordinate. For example, Site 39. Young's Point, is GPS N32° 21.306', W91° 00.982. 2. The conventional “road names and distances” method. Explicit driving instructions and approximate mileages are provided. However, since many of the minor roads can be confusing and are sometimes unmarked, or the road name has changed, Reference Points are provided, usually at a road intersection in a town or village, or in some cases at a major highway junction which can be easily identified on the Significant Sites map. The Reference Point is identified in the driving directions by a name in Italics. Each such site will be found in the Table of Navigational References at the top of the lists of sites in Part 3. Example: The driving directions for Site 39. Young's Point, are: From Mound, proceed north on Duckport Road for 1.1 mi. Mound is listed in the Louisiana Navigation Reference Points and is at the junction of US-80 and LA- 602 (0.5 mi. north of I-20 Exit 182). All of the sites are located beside public roads accessible with conventional automobiles. Some of the roads are not surfaced and may be unsuitable for use in wet weather. It is important to note that limitations of scale made it impossible to put the names of Parish and County roads on the road map used as a base for the enclosed map. The "road and distance" directions and descriptions are sufficiently detailed for navigational purposes. 4 Roads and access. Much of the modern road network is actually superimposed on the Civil War network. However, most of the modern roads have been straightened, widened, and paved. In a few places the original roads still remain essentially unchanged. In such instances, the navigation data for the relevant sites will include a note to advise what type of vehicles should drive the road.