On May 18, 1863, Union General Ulysses S. Grant began the siege of Vicksburg. This was last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. If Grant could take Vicksburg, the Union would gain control of the river and cut the Confederacy in two. Union forces eventually cut off and trapped Confederates in the city. The Confederates held out until early July, but eventually Grant’s strategy and execution won the battle for him.
