VICKSBURG AND THE MISSISSIPPI. Control of the Mississippi River, whose course meandered over 1,000 miles from Cairo, Ill., to the Gulf of Mexico and divided the Confederacy into almost equal parts, was of inestimable importance to the Union from the outbreak of hostilities.
Visiting Vicksburg? This National Military Park Handbook will guide you throught the siege and history of the battle.
This is the National Park Service Handbook Series No. 23.