Chronology of Grant's Final Campaign and Siege of Vicksburg
March 29 - July 4th, 1863
For a discussion of sources on the Vicksburg operations, click here.
Chronology entries in blue refer to Union operations; those in gray to Confederate operations; those in red to actual combat.
Date: | Event: | |||
March 29-30 | McClernand (XIII Corps) begins moving down the west side of the river, to New Carthage. |
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April 16 | First set of gunboats and transports runs past the Vicksburg batteries. | |||
April 17 | Grierson sets out from LaGrange, Tennessee. | |||
April 22 | Second set of transports runs past the batteries. | |||
April 24 | Grierson breaks railroad between Jackson and Meridian at Newton Station | |||
April 29 | Fleet
fails to reduce Grand Gulf. Sherman demonstrates north of Vicksburg. | |||
April 30 | Sherman
continues his demonstration XIII (McClernand) and XVII Corps (McPherson) begin crossing the Mississippi at Bruinsburg. Sherman ordered to join Grant. | |||
May 1 | Battle of Port Gibson; McClernand and McPherson defeat Bowen. | |||
May 2 | Grierson reaches safety at Baton Rouge. | |||
May 5-7 | McPherson feints north at Vicksburg from Hankinson's Ferry on the Big Black River. | |||
May 8 | XV Corps (Sherman) joins Grant. | |||
May 9 | Johnston ordered to go from Tullahoma to Mississippi and take command in the field. | |||
May 12 | Battle of Raymond; McPherson defeats Gregg. | |||
May 13 | Joe Johnston arrives at Jackson to take command, wires Richmond, "I am too late." | |||
May 14 | Battle of Jackson; Sherman and McPherson defeat Johnston. | |||
May 16 | Battle of Champion Hill; Loring's division separated from Pemberton's army. | |||
May 17 | Battle of Big Black River Bridge; Pemberton loses 1700 prisoners. | |||
May 18 | Vicksburg invested; four Confederate divisions (Stevenson's, Bowen's, Forney's, and Smith's) are trapped inside the lines. | |||
May 19 | First assault. | |||
May 22 | Second assault. | |||
June 3 | Kimball's Provisional Division arrives. | |||
June 6-7 | Grant's Satartia trip. | |||
June 7 | Battle of Milliken's Bend; Confederates under Richard Taylor attack Grant's base on the west bank of the Mississippi, are repulsed. | |||
June 11 | F.J. Herron's division arrives from Arkansas. | |||
June 12 | 1/XVI (W.S. Smith) arrives. | |||
June 14 | Two divisions of IX Corps begin to arrive from Kentucky. | |||
June 18 | McClernand relieved. | |||
June 22 | Sherman's expeditionary force formed. | |||
June 25-28 | Mine exploded under 3rd Louisiana Redan; active combat rages for three days before Federals withdraw. | |||
June 28 | Anonymous soldiers warn Pemberton the garrison is close to mutiny over rations. | |||
July 1 | Another
mine exploded under 3rd Louisiana Redan, but no follow-up
attack is made. Pemberton asks his division commanders for their views of the situation. | |||
July 2 | Capt. Comstock issues guidelines for proposed July 6 assault. | |||
July 3 | Flag of truce appears between the lines, and discussions begin between Grant and Pemberton as to the surrender of the city and its garrison. | |||
July 4 | Pemberton surrenders the city and its garrison. |