- ISBN: 9781846031946 | 184603194X
- Cover: Paperback
- Copyright: 11/20/2007
The Mississippi River, the second longest in the US, played a decisive role in the American Civil War. The Confederate fortifications were put to the test in the lengthy Federal campaign of 1862-63, aimed at cutting off the rebel states of Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas and creating a blockade of the river. Vicksburg was a fortress city, known as the "Gibraltar of the Confederacy;" the initial Federal attack on May 19, 1863 failed to take the city and a state of siege ensued, which saw the creation of a complex system of trenches, tunnels, mines and batteries. This book examines these and other sites such as New Orleans and Port Hudson, and the role they played in the war. Book jacket.