Grant Wins the War: Decision at Vicksburg - Softcover

Arnold, James R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 047135063X ISBN 13: 9780471350637

Publisher: Trade Paper Press, 1999

Synopsis

Vicksburg is the key. . . . Let us get Vicksburg, and all that country is ours.--President Abraham Lincoln, 1862
In a brilliantly constructed and powerfully rendered new account, James R. Arnold offers a penetrating analysis of Grant's strategies and actions leading to the Union victory at Vicksburg. Approaching these epic events from a unique and well-rounded perspective, and based on careful research, Grant Wins the War is fascinating reading for all Civil War and military history buffs.
Acclaim for Grant Wins the War
Nicely details the coordination of Union military and naval operations and the boldness and genius of General U. S. Grant that brought Union victory, and he offers an excellent discussion of the technology and tactics of siege warfare. . . . a good drums-and-bugle account of an important event.--Library Journal
A particular strength of this work is its demonstration that modern weapons left no shortcuts to victory, and little room for command virtuosity.--Publishers Weekly
Throughout, Arnold backs up his assessments with solid facts and sound reasoning, engagingly presented. He has produced a useful and enjoyable brief history of the Vicksburg campaign, helpful to scholars and general readers alike.--Journal of Military History
Powerfully and persuasively argues that the Union victory at Vicksburg in 1863 was in fact the actual turning point of the Civil War.--Helena (Mont.) Independent Record

About this title

Review:

As the Civil War accelerated, Abraham Lincoln recognized that the army holding Vicksburg, a town located at a strategic bend in the Mississippi River, essentially controlled passage on the entire river. In the spring of 1863 General Ulysses S. Grant was given the task of capturing the town, thereby effectively cutting the Confederacy in half. His campaign, while often overlooked by the general public, is considered by some historians to be brilliant. In this highly readable treatment of the Vicksburg campaign, historian James R. Arnold, author of Napoleon Captures Austria, makes the case that Grant's adroit military maneuvers were the equal of Napoleonic campaigns. The story of this critical turning point in U.S. history is told in a lively manner, and character studies of men such as Jefferson Davis, Admiral David Farragut, Confederate general John Pemberton, and Grant himself enliven the text.

From the Publisher:

James Arnold argues that the Battle of Vicksburg was the decisive turning point in the Civil War. He shows how the Union victory there transformed the perception of General Ulysses S. Grant from that of a drunken incompetent whose position as army commander was on the line to that of the North's indispensable military man. Arnold also demonstrates that Grant's decision to disregard orders and proceed was the single most important command decision of the war.

About this edition

• Publisher: Trade Paper Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 047135063X
• ISBN 13: 9780471350637
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 387