Review by Booklist Review
William Jolley, one of the thousands of Union soldiers massed near Vicksburg, Mississippi, in April 1863, predicted that if his commander, Ulysses S. Grant, could take the Confederate stronghold, he would earn as big a name as Washington. More than 150 years later, Miller vindicates Jolley's enthusiasm as he tells the story of Grant's victory at Vicksburg. Readers will marvel at how Grant a washed-up dry-goods clerk at the beginning of the Civil War acquires the power and skill that made him the mastermind at Vicksburg of the largest amphibious army-navy operation staged by the U.S. military until D-Day. In a narrative taut with drama, Miller recounts how this resolute Union crusader takes the war down the Mississippi, defying geographic and military obstacles, thereby seizing control of the Confederacy's essential internal waterway in a triumph that mattered more than Gettysburg or Antietam, a political as well as military breakthrough, freeing plantation slaves in large southern regions. Readers will recognize defects in Grant, as they see his heedlessness with other men's lives, his intemperance in his own. But Miller leaves no doubt: the nation Washington helped to found needed this dogged warrior to defend it. War history alive with probing intelligence and irresistible passion.--Bryce Christensen Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this elegant Civil War history, Miller (Masters of the Air) meticulously details Ulysses S. Grant's success on the yearlong campaign to take Vicksburg, Miss., "the last obstacle facing Union forces struggling to regain control of the great river of America and split the Confederacy in two." Miller's enlightening chronology explains how the campaign established Union dominance on the western front despite Vicksburg's natural bluffs, which aided the defending Confederate army as it waited desperately for relief that never came. Drawing on military records, personal letters, and diaries, Miller fleshes out the effects of the relentless campaign on the mistake-prone generals on both sides, newly freed slaves impressed into Union service, and the frightened but defiant Vicksburg residents, some of whom left mansions to hide in caves during the siege. Miller reveals that Grant's perseverance despite several significant setbacks (both military and personal--he struggled with alcoholism) won him an unusual written apology from Abraham Lincoln and a promotion. Miller mistakenly repeats the assertion that rape by military personnel was uncommon during the war, but overall this account is well-researched and well-told, incorporating a variety of perspectives and events without becoming shaggy. Military buffs will delight in Miller's rendering of Grant's audacity. (Oct.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Miller (John Henry MacCracken Professor of History, Lafayette Coll.; Masters of the Air) considers Ulysses S. Grant's role in the Vicksburg campaign of 1862--63, the successful Union effort to capture a critical port on the Mississippi River. While Miller focuses considerable attention on the actual siege of Vicksburg, he also examines the development of Grant's leadership in the Western Theater that led to his command of all Union armies in the months after that crucial victory. Early victories at Fort Donelson and Fort Henry manifested Grant's skills and weaknesses to both Union and Confederate soldiers. At the costly battle at Shiloh, William Tecumseh Sherman became an ally of Grant and a foil to his less disciplined generalship. Miller provides important context for the final siege of Vicksburg by explaining why the city was vital to control of the Mississippi and how naval accomplishments made possible maneuvers employed by Grant's soldiers during their halting advances toward the city. He superbly integrates events in Washington, keeping primary attention on those in the field of battle and emphasizing the role of freedmen in the victory. VERDICT Skillful writing makes Miller's latest work a highly recommended and readable addition to the voluminous library of Civil War histories.--Charles K. Piehl, Minnesota State Univ., Mankato
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A skillful history of two years of fighting along the Mississippi River that ended with the July 1863 surrender of the fortress at Vicksburg.Miller (Emeritus, History/Lafayette Coll.; Supreme City: How Jazz Age Manhattan Gave Birth to Modern America, 2014, etc.) begins in May 1861, when the first Union warship arrived to blockade the Mississippi. Nearly a year passed before Adm. David Farragut's fleet captured New Orleans, but Vicksburg, on a high bluff, refused to surrender despite several naval bombardments. Mostly, the author recounts Ulysses Grant's drive south, an operation that made him a national hero. Although more aggressive than most Union generals, his early efforts showed little skill. Luckily, his opponents showed less, and his February 1862 capture of forts Henry and Donelson in Tennessee made headlines. Rewarded with an army, he moved south and fought off a surprise attack at the Battle of Shiloh in April. Its massive casualties cast a pall over his reputation, and his superior took over command. He regained it in July and kept pushing toward Vicksburg. A November march through eastern Mississippi failed after raiders destroyed his supply depot. From December to March 1863, Grant made a half-dozen attempts: one by land, others by boat, helped by dynamiting levees or digging canals. Miller vividly recounts the painful details of their failures. In April, after laboriously constructing a 70-mile road over swamps and rivers, Grant's army marched down west of the river and crossed over. Now south of Vicksburg on open ground, it won several battles and besieged the city, which surrendered after five weeks. "Vicksburg," writes the author, "was that rare thing in military history: a decisive battle, one with war-turning strategic consequences." Less enthusiastic historians point out that cutting off the trans-Mississippi states did not greatly weaken the Confederacy, as the subsequent 21 months of bitter fighting demonstrated. Still, it was the most satisfying Union campaign of the war, and Miller chronicles it with aplomb.An expert, detailed account that should remain the definitive account for quite some time. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
