How were civalians affected by the siege of Vicksburg?

Answer 1

In setting up his armies towards the goal of capturing Vicksburg, it was inevitable that Grant's forces would first come into contact with civilians living outside of the city. With good honor he forbid his troops from entering into anyone's home. He also wanted his troops to live off the land and not to take supplies from the people with them. He also forbade the robbery of peoples personal effects such as jewelery and clothing. While this was good policy, it was not all good in that there were conditions not favorable to all Southern civilians. This of course was a war, however, and Grant's troops were ordered to destroy all crops of wheat and corn and farming implements. Horses and mules could be confiscated to support Union troops. Generally speaking, Grant was aware that his superior officer, General Halleck, would not approve of these measures, however, as per his memoirs, he wrote that by the time Halleck found out about this it would be all but too late. Still hoping to force the surrender of Vicksburg by attacking it, Grant mounted one more assault on it.

This was on May 22. He believed that this would force Vicksburg's defenders to surrender rather than allowing it to be laid to siege. The Union assault failed and Grant was forced into a siege situation. This would delay matters of course, and militarily speaking, such a delay would tie up Grant's troops. The Southern civilians in the area would of course be forced to contend with a sitting foreign army which had all but destroyed everything outside of their homes.

Back in Washington DC, even at this point President Lincoln was not certain of success as he wrote in a letter.

As the fortress-city was running out of supplies, of course both soldiers and Vicksburg civilians were quite short on rations. Grant had now surrounded the city with 70,000 troops and was digging approach trenches to the city. Confederate military rations were cut to one quarter, diseases were crippling them. As for Vicksburg's civilians, there was rampant illness mostly scurvy. They were down to having the meat of rats, cats, dogs and mules in order to survive.

Grant's troops had dug beneath the city and set offexplosives, however, the defenders had kept them out of Vicksburg.

While confident of ultimate victory, Grant realized he would have a post Vicksburg problem. Mainly what to do with some 30,000 military prisoners. This would tie up his troops in their keeping or of setting up their parole.

On July 4th, Independence Day, Vicksburg surrendered. For her civilians, this was a humiliating siege. To understand how they felt, and how this siege would be remembered for future citizens of Vicksburg, the city would not celebrate the 4th of July again until 1945.

Answer 2

The Union's siege of Vicksburg was undertaken by Major General US Grant. After several attempts beginning in early 1862, Grant finally forced the Southern stronghold on the Mississippi River to surrender on July 4, 1863. The city was near starvation and soldiers and civilians suffered greatly from lack of food. Grant paroled the Confederate soldiers rather than trying to send them to POW camps. The city stopped celebrating the Fourth of July until 1946. So it's clear how much the civilians suffered.

Answer 3

People often resorted to eating horses or even rats because of the lack of food. They also had to live in caves or bomb shelters for safety or because their homes were damaged.

Answer 4

So badly that after the town surrendered on the Fourth of July, they refused to celebrate the Fourth for another eighty years.