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Historically important Civil War-dated ALS signed "U. S. Grant, Maj. Gen.," one page, 7.25 x 4.5, May 25, 1863. Handwritten letter to "Admiral Porter," David Dixon Porter, at the outset of the Vicksburg campaign, ordering him to halt his assault to enable the Union troops to bury their dead. In full: "By agreement all hostilities will cease from six this morning until half past eight." Matted and framed with an artist's proof engraving by Robert Wendell to an overall size of 24.5 x 15.75. In very good condition, with irregular light toning and staining.
On May 19, 1863, led by Major General Ulysses S. Grant, combined Union Army and Navy forces bombarded the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg all night, using 220 artillery pieces on land plus 100 naval guns operated by Rear Admiral David D. Porter's fleet in the river. The bombardment continued on May 22nd and ground troops attempted to advance, but failed to break through Confederate defenses. Instead, they were violently repulsed. The dead and wounded of Grant's army lay in the heat of Mississippi summer, the odor of the deceased men and horses fouling the air as the wounded lay crying for help.
The grisly scene is graphically described in Pulitzer Prize winner Ron Chernow's sweeping and dramatic biography, Grant (p. 270): 'With wounded soldiers writhing at the foot of the Mississippi ridge and dead bodies decomposing in fierce sunlight, Grant had to make an excruciating choice. Lest it signal weakness, he was reluctant to submit a request for a truce to inter the dead and care for wounded soldiers who lay helplessly exposed on the battlefield. It was Pemberton [the Confederate commander of Vicksburg’s defenses] on May 25 who suggested a two-and-a-half-hour cease-fire—his soldiers had begun to gag on the stench of corpses—and Grant agreed, doubtless with relief.'
Following this reprieve, Grant began his strategy to strangle Vicksburg and issued orders to 'immediately commence the work of reducing the enemy' through a siege, noting: 'It is desirable that no more loss of life shall be sustained in the reduction of Vicksburg.' After two-and-a-half hours of truce, Grant's army began to fill the 12-mile ring around Vicksburg, boxing in Pemberton's army with plentiful munitions but little food. By the end of June, half of the Confederate troops were sick or hospitalized as scurvy, malaria, dysentery, diarrhea, and other diseases cut their ranks. Union gunboats lobbed over 22,000 shells into the town and army artillery fire was even heavier. As the barrages continued, suitable housing in Vicksburg was reduced to a minimum. After holding out for more than 40 days, with their supplies nearly gone, the garrison surrendered to Grant on July 4th.
President Lincoln called Vicksburg 'the key to the war'—its capture effectively gave the Union complete control over the Mississippi River, splitting the Confederacy in two and cutting off Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas from the rest of the southern states. Coinciding with the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg, the Union’s victory at Vicksburg marked a decisive turning point, turning the tides of war in their favor. With control of the Mississippi, the Union could move troops and supplies freely along the river, isolate Confederate forces, and press further into the South—all significantly contributing to the Confederacy's ultimate defeat.
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