Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
5/5
Audiobook21 hours
Vicksburg: Grant's Campaign That Broke the Confederacy
Written by Donald L. Miller
Narrated by Rick Adamson
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Winner of the Civil War Round Table of New York’s Fletcher Pratt Literary Award
Winner of the Austin Civil War Round Table’s Daniel M. & Marilyn W. Laney Book Prize
Winner of an Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award
“A superb account” (The Wall Street Journal) of the longest and most decisive military campaign of the Civil War in Vicksburg, Mississippi, which opened the Mississippi River, split the Confederacy, freed tens of thousands of slaves, and made Ulysses S. Grant the most important general of the war.
Vicksburg, Mississippi, was the last stronghold of the Confederacy on the Mississippi River. It prevented the Union from using the river for shipping between the Union-controlled Midwest and New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico. The Union navy tried to take Vicksburg, which sat on a high bluff overlooking the river, but couldn’t do it. It took Grant’s army and Admiral David Porter’s navy to successfully invade Mississippi and lay siege to Vicksburg, forcing the city to surrender.
In this “elegant…enlightening…well-researched and well-told” (Publishers Weekly) work, Donald L. Miller tells the full story of this year-long campaign to win the city “with probing intelligence and irresistible passion” (Booklist). He brings to life all the drama, characters, and significance of Vicksburg, a historic moment that rivals any war story in history. In the course of the campaign, tens of thousands of slaves fled to the Union lines, where more than twenty thousand became soldiers, while others seized the plantations they had been forced to work on, destroying the economy of a large part of Mississippi and creating a social revolution. With Vicksburg “Miller has produced a model work that ties together military and social history” (Civil War Times).
Vicksburg solidified Grant’s reputation as the Union’s most capable general. Today no general would ever be permitted to fail as often as Grant did, but ultimately he succeeded in what he himself called the most important battle of the war—the one that all but sealed the fate of the Confederacy.
Winner of the Austin Civil War Round Table’s Daniel M. & Marilyn W. Laney Book Prize
Winner of an Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Award
“A superb account” (The Wall Street Journal) of the longest and most decisive military campaign of the Civil War in Vicksburg, Mississippi, which opened the Mississippi River, split the Confederacy, freed tens of thousands of slaves, and made Ulysses S. Grant the most important general of the war.
Vicksburg, Mississippi, was the last stronghold of the Confederacy on the Mississippi River. It prevented the Union from using the river for shipping between the Union-controlled Midwest and New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico. The Union navy tried to take Vicksburg, which sat on a high bluff overlooking the river, but couldn’t do it. It took Grant’s army and Admiral David Porter’s navy to successfully invade Mississippi and lay siege to Vicksburg, forcing the city to surrender.
In this “elegant…enlightening…well-researched and well-told” (Publishers Weekly) work, Donald L. Miller tells the full story of this year-long campaign to win the city “with probing intelligence and irresistible passion” (Booklist). He brings to life all the drama, characters, and significance of Vicksburg, a historic moment that rivals any war story in history. In the course of the campaign, tens of thousands of slaves fled to the Union lines, where more than twenty thousand became soldiers, while others seized the plantations they had been forced to work on, destroying the economy of a large part of Mississippi and creating a social revolution. With Vicksburg “Miller has produced a model work that ties together military and social history” (Civil War Times).
Vicksburg solidified Grant’s reputation as the Union’s most capable general. Today no general would ever be permitted to fail as often as Grant did, but ultimately he succeeded in what he himself called the most important battle of the war—the one that all but sealed the fate of the Confederacy.
Author
Donald L. Miller
Donald L. Miller is the John Henry MacCracken Professor of History Emeritus at Lafayette College and author of ten books, including Vicksburg, and Masters of the Air, currently being made into a television series by Tom Hanks. He has hosted, coproduced, or served as historical consultant for more than thirty television documentaries and has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other publications.
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Reviews for Vicksburg
Rating: 4.714285714285714 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
35 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Very detailed and interesting story of events and personalities that were part of the beginning and end of the battle of Vicksburg. The description of suffering of the people and soldiers of the south was eye-opening, as was how slaves were treated by the Union and Southern soldiers. Would have liked to have know more of what happened to many of the people described in the book. Loved the audio reading.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lately I have become a Civil War nonfiction book addict. And this book feeds my addiction wonderfully. The narrator is wonderful, makes you feel like you're back in the days when these events took place in all their awful glory. The author also colors the narrative with intriguing details, some quite Chaplinesque. I especially enjoyed reading about the sudden "hardships" former wealthy white slave owners had to endure - such as when their slaves suddenly took off one morning to freedom, leaving the white ladies of the manor to endure milking their own cows for breakfast!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great book. Great narration. Looking forward to my next book by the author.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Exceptional use of letters and diaries far more diverse than any other I’ve heard. A rich tapestry of personalities. What an epic story.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Well written and well narrated, this book covers in great detail the events of the Vicksburg campaign, analyzes and discusses the decisions of the major players and reasons behind them from the major players, and still has time to do justice to all the human experiences of the people involved. In particular the author does a good job of examining slavery both as a tragedy and as a pivotal force motivating individuals on both sides of the conflict for different reasons at different times.