From both ends, from upstream by taking Island Number 10, and then Memphis. From the south by working upstream past Forts Jackson and St. Philip to take New Orleans. Then there was the problem of Vicksburg, Mississippi,which sits atop high bluffs beside the River, on the only high ground adjoining the River in its southern course. Taking Vicksburg required months of effort by the Army, with cooperation from the Navy. Once Vicksburg fell, the last Confederate bastion on the River, at Port Hudson, Louisiana, fell within a week and the Union had complete control of the River, dividing the eastern Confederacy from its west.
Mosr crucially by liberating the river-port of Vicksburg - a massively difficult task, made worse by political interference.
Fortunately the Confederates also suffered political interference, with President Jefferson Davis trying to act General-in-Chief, over the head of the shrewd and popular Joseph E. Johnston, resulting in conflicting orders to the hapless garrison commander, John C. Pemberton.
Union forces were then able to join hands with other units, both upstream and downstream, and soon dominate the whole of the great waterway.
Vicksburg and Port Hudson, two fortified ports on the Mississippi River, were important during the Civil War for their strategic location. Should the Union be able to take these Confederate strongholds, they would finally command the Mississippi River in its entirety. So long as these strongholds remained in Confederate hands, the South would remain unified and defiant of the Northern attempt to break it in two.
AnswerThe South was cut off from the West after the Union was able to take control of the Mississippi River, through this decisive battle.Perhaps even more significantly, the North was then able to use the Mississippi River as a supply line and made possible the advance known as Sherman's March to the Sea.
General US Grant was new to the US Civil War, but under his superior, General Henry Halleck, Grant had duties in the Western Theater of the war. When he was able to capture Fort Donelson and Fort Henry, he and the Union gained control of the Northern Mississippi River and a gateway to the southern Mississippi and eventually to Vicksburg and the deep South.
The city was at the mouth of the Mississippi River, and was thus able to control traffic up and down the river.
Although Union General in Chief had first proposed his Anaconda Plan to end the South's rebellion, it lacked certain details that Scott placed on paper once the rebellion began. He proposed to control the Mississippi River by:* Having a large flotilla of gunboats steam down the river towards New Orleans;* Having two columns of soldiers accompany the fleet by marching on each side of the river; and* This invasion had to wait to the Fall of 1861 to take advantage of the seasonal rise of the river.He believed that the combination of infantry, artillery and gunboats would be able to capture any Southern forts or cities that tried to halt the Union advance.As it turned out, only part of this plan was set into action and until 1863, the effort to militarily control the Mississippi River was only partially successful.
Vicksburg was the last big Confederate garrison on the Mississippi. If the Union captured Vicksburg, they would soon control the whole river, and would be able to send most of their troops East, to help the Army of the Cumberland. Meanwhile, all enemy units to the West of the river would be isolated.
By controlling the Mississippi River during the US Civil War, the Union believed that cargo from Northern cites would be able to transport goods on the Union controlled Mississippi River. Also, having Union army forces on the western border of the Confederacy would strike a blow to Southern trade and also allow the Union to plan attacks on the South's western frontiers.
Spain owned the mouth of of the Mississippi river.
Spain owned the mouth of the Mississippi River.
Grant was able to gain control of the Mississippi for the Union, denying its us to the Confederacy. It prevented the Mississippi Valley states from receiving supplies and reinforcements from Texas and Arkansas, and it allowed Union forces to concentrate on the Deep South without fear of attack from the rear.
The surrender of Vicksburg was the strategic turning point of the Civil War. With the town in Union hands, the Mississippi River Valley fell under Federal control. The South was no longer able to send troops and supplies via the river, and the North was able to use it as a line of logistical communications. It set the pattern for future campaigns at Chattanooga and Atlanta, further subdividing the South and choking it piecemeal.
Northern success in the Siege of Vicksburg was important because the Union had a plan called the anaconda plan. The anaconda plan is when the Union planned to cut the Confederacy in half. By doing this, the Confederacy would not have any way to obtain (get) supplies (food, clothes, weaponry, etc.) When the siege of Vicksburg was a success, the Union was able to carry out the anaconda plan since the Mississippi River is in Vicksburg, and by taking over the Mississippi River, that split the Confederacy into two.