This was a wonderful book. I would recommend it highly to anyone who is a Civil War buff. There is so much good information about this subject it's a not miss for anyone.

A well researched and thorough book about the entire Vicksburg campaign that lasted more than a year. It explored both army and Navy involvement and tactics, on both sides. It also explored the personal side of battle and the impact not just on the soldiers and sailors involved, but of the people as Vicksburg was under siege.

4 stars plus. Donald Miller’s treatment of Vicksburg is one of the best I’ve seen to date; it’s clear, easy to read, well documented, and in parts, vastly entertaining. Thanks go to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for the review copy. This book is for sale now.

The siege and battle of Vicksburg was the single most significant event in the American Civil War. When the Union emerged victorious, it seized control of key arteries of commerce, food, and military supplies by capturing access and use of the Mississippi River as well as an important railroad that ran east to west. It liberated vast numbers of slaves, and it dealt a savage blow to the morale of diehard Southerners who believed the city and its fort unassailable. The fall of Vicksburg cut the Confederacy in two, and it made communication between the two halves slow and difficult. It also sealed President Lincoln’s election and provided him with a second term he might otherwise not have gained. I knew all of these things before I began reading Miller’s work, but I found a tremendous number of details I didn’t know about, and more importantly, I gained a much solider sense of context.

Many prominent works on Vicksburg are also Grant biographies, and that usually suits me fine, because Grant is one of my greatest heroes. However, those that read about Vicksburg solely within that framework lose out on the progress made—and sometimes lost again—by the Union Navy and others. Though I had read James McPherson’s work on the Union Navy, there is a lot more detail provided here by Miller. The rivers that surrounded Vicksburg are confusing as heck, and this played a big role in lengthening the fight, but at the same time, it can also confuse readers. It certainly did me. For example, when those traveling on rivers go “above” a certain point, what does that mean? I always assumed it meant north, but sometimes it doesn’t. I had never heard or read the term “Brown water navy,” (or if I did, I had thoroughly forgotten it), and this is a key aspect of the story. For the first time I have a solid grasp of the route used by the Union navy and army.

Readers should know that Miller is fond of including gore. I don’t know whether this is because college students are easily bored, and the consideration of Grant calmly conveying orders while spattered in brain matter is just more attention-getting than the same information without the gore, or whether Miller feels compelled to use these details to drive home the horror that heroes were forced to look beyond in order to be effective, but there it is, and so if you are inclined to take a book with you on your lunch break, you may want a different one then.

One of the aspects I appreciate most is the emphasis Miller places on the role of slaves during this critical time. If the waters were inscrutable, the land was little better in places, with thick, tropical foliage, snakes, leaches and other hazards. Those that lived nearby had an incalculable advantage, but local whites used this knowledge to confuse and obfuscate troops they considered to be enemies. Slaves, on the other hand, understood how important a Union victory would be, and they provided information that would have taken a lot longer to obtain without them. This is material that other writers often mention briefly but treat as a side issue. Miller goes into specifics, gives concrete examples, and shares the respect that Grant gained for his newly emancipated spies, guides, and soldiers.

The chapter titled “The Entering Wedge” is where good prose and information become solid gold. During this section of the book and the chapter after it, I did a lot of rereading for pleasure. There are excellent quotes throughout the book, and the author wisely focuses on those that are little seen in other books, providing a freshness and you-are-there quality at times that I haven’t seen for a long time.
At one point, during a passage discussing the caves that housed soldiers as well as local families affected by shelling, I realized that these must surely be part of the national park dedicated to this event, and I searched the web for images of them; sadly, because of the very soft earth in and around Vicksburg, (most likely the same soft earth that enabled the river to continuously change course,) those caves are all gone, washed away by hard rain. There’s a photo of a modern version based on the information available, but that’s not the same thing. Rats.

I nearly gave this book five stars, but there’s a surprisingly disturbing part toward the end that left me deflated and scratching my head. There are pages and more pages devoted to ugly rumors that seem to begin and end with Cadwallader. Although the author repeatedly reminds us that these statements are “unsubstantiated” and “controversial,” he nevertheless devotes a whole lot of time and space to them, and what’s more they are near the end, where the reader is most likely to recall them. Overall, he seems harder on Grant than most are, but up to this point he was fair, weighing his weaknesses while acknowledging his strengths. Why he would do a hatchet job on this iconic hero in closing is a mystery to me. Then the very end of the book is given to a Confederate.

Nevertheless, this is a strong work for those that know the basics and want the details. I don’t recommend it to those new to the American Civil War; if you are just getting your feet wet, read McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom, or explore the excellent historical fiction of Michael and Jeff Shaara, Shelby Foote, and E.L. Doctorow. But for those that are well-versed and in search of new information, I highly recommend this book.

Vicksburg: Grant's Campaign That Broke the Confederacy was a fascinating read. It was interesting learning more about Vicksburg and Grant's determination to win the war.
Four stars.

I love this series. This book was very good and held my attention until the last page. The character development is very good as I feel like these people are my friends and I know them very well. Each book is better than the last one. If you are looking for a series to lose yourself in, I highly recommend this one. Wonderful!

A book that takes you through the entire battle of Vicksburg. From first a naval siege almost a year prior. You get a look once again at Grant's life before the war and also the battles leading up to this one. This was a very important victory for the North and I always felt that most people did not think about the travel of the Mississippi River and once having control from North to New Orleans it changed everything. The author takes you through the politics between the generals and Washington, how others wanted to take Vicksburg but always stopped and wired back to Washington the need for more troops. What was accomplished by Grant and the Navy would not be done again until D-Day and that is really amazing? At times I could not get if the author cared for Grant or not? The author would talk about how he would get lucky in some battles and some other things. The problem I had was at least Grant and Sherman were willing to fight where other generals were not. The entire battle is described and the plans of taking an Army South of Vicksburg then marching at it from another direction. He also describes how Grant being a quartermaster in the Mexican War would always help him when marching his troops and having or thinking about supplies. Overall this was a good book and shows you just how important Vicksburg was to the victory of the North for it was truly a blow to the South.

Synopsis

This book written by Professor Emeritus Donald L. Miller is already heralded as a potential best seller. This does not surprise me because having read this rare gem I also hold that opinion. Miller guides us through the evolution of strategies used by Grant, Porter, and Sherman. Professor Miller’s review of the history of the Campaign at Vicksburg was the singular pivotal event leading to the final minutes of the South at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Vicksburg was thought completely impregnable due in part to: environment, geographic, natural and geological factors. Grant together with both of his cohorts Porter and Sherman managed to solve a seemingly impossible puzzle in breaching the unreachable. It wasn’t without losses, however, and illness and disease took there toll.

The retelling of the events leading to the conquest of Vicksburg is a compelling tale fixed in history, but now brought to life for a new audience. It is well paced, easy to understand and contains a plethora of facts. It is so well written that many people who usually don’t enjoy these subject may mind they do enjoy Miller’s style of writing.


Conclusion

I have no reluctance in highly recommending this book to you. It is likely to be an award winning book in my opinion. I received this as a reviewer for NeGalley but I will purchasing a copy because I like to support great writers. Don’t wait till it sells out, get your copy as soon as you can.


Acknowledgment

My sincere thanks go to: The Author, NetGalley, and the Publisher, Simon & Schuster for affording me the opportunity to review of Vicksburg.

I really only knew the broad basics of the Civil War until I met my husband. He is a Civil War buff so while I have learned a lot since we've been together, there is still much I don't know. I found this book to be so interesting. I knew absolutely nothing about Grant's youth or even his early years in the Army. I had no clue that he actually had to resign from the Army (before the Civil War) due to his drinking. I knew even less about Sherman so to find out he suffered bouts of severe depression was interesting. The author gives us a well sourced detailing of the Vicksburg campaign and made the case for why it was the most important. I didn't realize that the entire campaign lasted several months. I highly recommend for anyone interested in the Civil War. Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book covers the campaigns during the civil war that led to the seige of Vicksburg and its final defeat. The book focuses on the Ulysses Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman primarily, but also addreses a number of others who played key roles in the seige. It is the most comprehensive book on the battle that I have read and I learned a number of things that I did not know prior to this book.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking to gain a better understanding of Ulysses Grant and his thought process and leadership style. It will also resonate with those with a keen interest in the civil war.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook  page.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This book is a very good compliment to Grant's 'Memoirs'. General histories of the Civil War do not give much detail to the problems Grant had in the Vicksburg campaign. One annoying aspect of this book is Miller's annoying use of casual refernces to the major players. Calling General Sherman 'Tecumseh' seems too familiar in this situation.