"Samuel Day the the 22nd Iowa"
by

Chapter 9

The Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi

On the evening of May 22, General Grant knew the only way to take Vicksburg was by siege¾ two failed assaults convinced him that the city would not be taken by force. His only course of action was to starve the Confederates out. Grant owned all land and river accesses to the city, trapping Pemberton’s army and the city’s inhabitants inside his encircling noose.

Jacob Switzer describes the position of the 22^nd Iowa during the siege of Vicksburg:

Our camp was in the head of a short ravine, formed in a circle with the convex side to the enemy, around the brow of a hill at the foot of which was a spring from which we and many other Regiments in the vicinity obtained our supply of drinking water. We were encamped about a quarter of a mile south of the railroad and our Corps was on the left of the Union army in the investment. After the charge of the 22^nd was made, the army settled down to a siege with a view of starving out or digging out the enemy. Our camp was from seven hundred to a thousand yards from the main fortifications of the enemy’s works. Between the brow of the hill, on which we were camped, and the enemy was very uneven ground. There was a deep valley in our front, the ground from our side sloping nearly to the Confederate works but interspersed with knolls and higher ground in other directions. Attached to our command was a battery of eight guns which was located almost immediately in front of our Company, just a little higher up the hill. This was the line of the rear light artillery. Our fortifications were built at night while we could not be seen, for in the day time it was dangerous to stick a head above the works as it would be sure to draw fire from the enemy, and they used the same caution to prevent being bombarded from our side. Having located our battery, our engineers commenced a zig-zag ditch in the direction of the enemy’s works, going a few feet in one direction, then turning in a circle or angle in another direction. A little to our right, we erected a small fort, called the Horse Shoe Fort, perhaps one-third the way between our lines and Fort Beauregard, which was the name of the rebel fort immediately in our front(114).

From their entrenched positions, the Union forces kept up a fierce and accurate fire of musket and artillery. Despite being greatly outgunned, the Confederates kept up a steady bombardment of their own. By day, both armies would exchange fire, and by night, the Union forces would dig closer to the Confederates while the Rebels repaired the damage done during the day’s shelling. By the Fourth of July, less than 20 feet separated the two armies at some points.

While Grant’s artillery kept the Confederate pinned from the east, Porter’s gunboats kept up an unending fire upon the city of Vicksburg and the Confederate lines. Switzer recalls:

The beautiful sight of the mortar shells as they arose from the river front during the siege, as witnessed from our camps at night. The firing of the gun or mortar caused a flash of light in the west, similar to a faint flash of lighting; immediately a beautiful star would arise from the horizon and mount into the sky, ascending to a great height; just as it reached its highest point and turned to descend, the roar of the gun would be heard, and the swish or roar of the shell as it mounted was terrific and continued long after the explosion of the shell. The star would continue to descend until it reached a height of probably one hundred yards and then a puff of smoke would be seen, but the roar of the oncoming shell would continue for some time until the sound had time to traverse the intervening distance when the noise of the explosion would be heard, and then the buzzing, whizzing sound of the pieces as they flew in every direction over the Confederate works(115).

The trapped citizens of Vicksburg endured the same hardships¾ constant shelling and insufficient food¾ as the soldiers in the trenches. The Union gunboat and artillery barrage was so constant it stopped only when the gunners were eating. Adapting to the situation, these brave Southerners began digging caves into the hillsides to protect themselves from Union shells. Oftentimes, these caves became permanent residences, some quite elaborate, with several furnished rooms. Food also became scarce as the siege wore on. One of the few remaining foods in some supply were peas, which were used in every conceivable recipe. After a while, the only meat to be had was mule, usually the casualty of a Union shell. As the siege continued, the Confederates in the trenches were soon reduced to half rations, citizens even less. Time was running out for the soldiers and citizens of Vicksburg.

Meanwhile in the Union trenches, the men were ever mindful of Confederate sharpshooters. The Union forces had built elaborate fortifications that allowed the men to stand and walk about while protected from Confederate fire. Union camps were placed behind a hill that sloped downward away from the Confederate lines. In contrast, most Confederate soldiers where forced to lie crouched in their trenches for days at a time, under a severe sun or drenching rain while existing on very little food. The Rebels grew weaker and weaker as the siege wore on.

Switzer recalled the situation was much different at night:

Both armies put out, between the lines, picket posts at night. The method adopted by both sides was to wait until dusk, the pickets would be on the alert, and when they saw those of the enemy ready, both lines would spring from their rifle pits and advance to the neutral ground between the lines, meet and establish their posts, and sit within a few feet of each other all night conversing, trading tobacco, coffee, and other commodities, until dawn began to show in the east when they would mutually agree not to fire upon each other until both sides were safely within their lines. After that the first head that showed above the works was liable to be shot by the other side(116).

Little progress was made by either side during the siege. Casualties were heavy on both sides, more dying of sickness and disease than shot and shell. It became a question of how long the Confederates could hold out without food or re-enforcements. Grant was worried that General Joseph Johnston, who had moved his army near the Big Black River, would come to Pemberton’s rescue. To prevent this, Grant directed Sherman to turn his attention eastward to ensure Johnston could not help break the Confederates out of Vicksburg.

The Confederates held on, believing that Johnston would come, break through the rear lines, and rescue the beleaguered city. By early July it was clear that Johnston wasn’t coming, so the Confederates explored other options. Pemberton thought of building boats and crossing the Mississippi to escape to the west. He also thought of breaking through the Union lines and joining with Johnston’s army. Pemberton sent the following message to his field commanders:

HDQRS. DEPT. OF MISSISSIPPI AND EAST LOUISIANA,
Vicksburg, Miss., July 1, 1863.

GENERAL: Unless the siege of Vicksburg is raised or supplies are thrown in, it will be necessary very shortly to evacuate the place. I see no prospect of the former, and there are very great, if not insuperable, obstacles in the way of the latter. You are, therefore, requested to inform me, with as little delay as possible, as to the condition of your troops, and their ability to make the marches and undergo the fatigues necessary to accomplish a successful evacuation. You will, of course, use the utmost discretion while informing yourself through your subordinates upon all points tending to a clear elucidation of the subjects of my inquiry.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. C. PEMBERTON,

Lieutenant-General, Commanding.

After a thorough investigation, each of Pemberton’s field commanders sent replies to their commander. General S. M. Barton reported only half his men were fit for duty. General A. Cumming reported the same situation. General A. W. Reynolds reported that to a man they would be willing to try, but fully two-thirds would be unable to march 10 miles. Only General Stephen D. Lee felt his men could make the effort, but that they were already very weak. Pemberton summoned his commanders for a conference to discuss the options.

Grant, meanwhile, kept up the pressure of the Confederates. While the artillery and sharpshooters kept up a constant fire, the engineers were zig-zagging trenches closer to the enemy and in a couple of locations, digging mines beneath Confederate positions. In a mine on the northern part of the line, a large charge was set off, blasting a gaping hole in the Confederate defenses. Union troops rushed into the gap only to be met by a galling fire of musketry. The Confederates were waiting for the attack, apparently alerted by digging noises coming from under their position. The Union assault failed to penetrate the Confederate lines and the stalemate continued(117). To the south, M^cClernand’s men were also digging a mine which by the beginning of July had nearly reached Fort Beauregard directly in their front.

With all hope of evacuation gone, Pemberton sent a message to Grant asking for terms of surrender. Grand replied that there were no terms¾ surrender must be unconditional(118). Jacob Switzer wrote,

About noon on the 3^rd of July, a flag of truce was seen emerging from the center of the line, in front of M^cPherson’s Corps. The firing ceased and the first negotiations toward surrender commenced. It was General Pemberton’s flag seeking to negotiate with General Grant for special terms of capitulation. The word had been passed all along the line and firing had ceased at all the rear fortifications, but our mortar boats, situated on the River about four miles directly on the opposite side of Vicksburg, had not yet received the order to cease firing. They continued dropping them almost immediately over the rebel fort in front of our position.

During the negotiations between Grant and Pemberton, which were being held between the lines under a tree, the troops of both armies collected upon their outer works and entered into conversation with one another at places where the fortifications were sufficiently near to permit. Our line was within fifty yards of the rebel fort and conversation was carried on quite easily between the Confederates and ourselves. It was singular to hear deadly enemies chatting with each other, joking, laughing and talking, apparently as socially as if they were best of friends at all times and under all conditions.

The reader will appreciate the incident more keenly if he will reflect that although we knew that thousands on men were behind the works immediately in front of us and only a few feet away, it was very seldom that we ever were able to see the slightest sign of a human being, for if a man stuck his head or hand above the works during the day time it was almost sure to be pierced by a bullet. Of course to the Confederates our side was just as devoid of humanity so far as the eye sight went. But during this truce we saw before us, as they did before them, thousands of enemies and had the opportunity of a short spirited conversation with them(119).

After much negotiation, Pemberton surrendered Vicksburg and its defenders to Grant. The terms of the surrender required Pemberton’s men to march out of their lines at 10 a.m. on July 4, 1863, stack their arms, then return to their lines and await parole. Switzer recalled the surrender,

At ten o’clock in the morning, from our camps in the rear, we witnessed the Confederate troops march out between the lines in front of their fortifications, stack arms, and then retire within the works again. Many of our boys left their camps and wandered into the City to see the prize we had captured(120).

Grant’s message to General-in-Chief Halleck simply stated, "The enemy surrendered this morning."(121) However, as soon as Pemberton entered into surrender negotiations, Grant turned his attention to Johnston’s 27,000 strong army camped between Big Black and Brownsville. Sherman wheeled his 40,000 men toward Johnston, but after hearing of Vicksburg’s surrender, Johnston retreated to Jackson, Mississippi. On the 4^th of July, Grant ordered Ord’s (M^cClernand’s former division) 13^th Corps, including the 22^nd Iowa, to advance toward Jackson to engage Johnston.

With the surrender of Vicksburg, Grant captured 37,000 men, including 2,153 officers and 15 generals, 172 cannon and 60,000 arms, the greatest military haul ever made on this continent. Included in the spoils were "steamboats, locomotives, vast amounts of cotton and other property and the strongest fortified city in the continent."(122) In taking Vicksburg, Grant’s army killed and wounded about 10,000 Confederates, while losing 1,243 killed, 7,095 wounded, and 535 missing for a total of 8,873 Union casualties. The residents of Vicksburg would not celebrate Independence Day (July 4^th) for the next 84 years. Thousands of miles to the east, General Pickett was making his famous charge on the Union center at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in what was to become another major Confederate defeat. Clearly, July 4, 1863, marked the beginning of the end of the Confederacy. For the 22^nd Iowa, it marked the beginning of another operation, the siege of Jackson, Mississippi.

114. Switzer, History I, pgs 336-337. The remains of Horseshoe Fort are still clearly visible in Vicksburg National Battlefield Park.

115. Switzer, History I, pgs 346-347.

116. Ibid, p. 340.

117. Grant used this same tactic to break the siege of Petersburg in 1864 in the most famous use of mines, the Battle of the Crater. This assault, too, was unsuccessful.

118. For this reason, U.S. Grant gained the sobriquet "Unconditional Surrender Grant."

119. Switzer, History I, p. 344.

120. Ibid., p. 346.

121. Official Records, Vol XXIV, Part 1, p. 44.

122. Gue, Benjamin F. History of Iowa. Volume II. New York: The Century History Company, 1903. p. 262. Hereafter, this work will be cited as Gue, History of Iowa.

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