Download Grant at Vicksburg: The General and the Siege AudioBook Free
ON, MAY 22, 1863, after two failed efforts to take the location of Vicksburg by assault, Major Standard Ulysses S. Offer announced in a letter to the commander of the Union fleet on the Mississippi River that "the nature of the bottom about Vicksburg is such that it can only be studied with a siege." The 47-day siege of Vicksburg orchestrated by Offer led to the eventual surrender of the location and fulfilled a major tactical goal for the Union: command line of the Mississippi River for the remainder of the war. On this revealing level, Michael B. Ballard offers the first in-depth exploration of Grant's thoughts and actions in this critical operation, providing a never-before-seen portrait of the overall amid one of his most notable successes. After an overview of Grant's early on Civil War career from his first battle through the first phases of the attacks on Vicksburg, Ballard details at length how Offer conducted the siege, evaluating his military decisions, keeping soldiers, strategy and techniques, engineering aims, and romantic relationships with other officials. Grant's bothered obsession with a recognized danger of a rear attack by Joseph Johnston's Confederate army, Ballard shows, afflicted his decision making, and shows how threats of Confederate action occupied more of Grant's time than have the siege itself. In addition, Ballard soundly dispels a bogus report about Grant's alleged drinking alcohol binge early on in the siege that has been used as truthful by many historians, examines how racism in Grant's army impacted the lives of freed dark-colored people and slaves in the Vicksburg area, and explores Grant's strained romance with John McClernand, a politically appointed standard from Illinois. The audiobook concludes with the surrender of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863, the expulsion of Johnston and his army from the spot, and shows the impact of the siege on the results on the short and long-terms of Grant's military career. By analyzing Grant's personality during the siege and how he handled myriad issues as both a general and an administrator, Offer at Vicksburg offers a uncovering rendering of the legendary standard. This audiobook is posted by Southern Illinois University Press.
