After suffering through months of fits-and-starts trying to get at Vicksburg from the north and east, Grant decided move most of his army west of the Mississippi River, march south, cross back over the river below Vicksburg, and then attack the main Confederate supply line to the city. Grant needed transportation with gunboat support to … Read more
Following the decisive battle at Champion Hill May 16, 1863, Grant approached the well-fortified Confederate positions surrounding Vicksburg itself. Grant ordered two massive assaults on the city, May 19 and 22, both of which were unsuccessful. Following the bloody failures, Grant settled into a siege. Pemberton in Vicksburg was increasingly isolated as Confederate efforts west … Read more
Corinth Located at the junction of two critically important railroads, the Memphis and Charleston and the Mobile and Ohio, Corinth was a military prize from the early days of the war. The Union campaign in early April 1862 that was halted momentarily by the Battle of Shiloh (at Pittsburg Landing) was aimed at Corinth. Following … Read more
It sometimes seems the Civil War in the West was focused on Vicksburg. The Union efforts to take the Confederate-held Mississippi River bastion took months of maneuvering and thousands of lives on both sides. The drama finally ended July 4, 1863, with the city’s surrender. But there is much more to Mississippi’s Civil War story. … Read more
For centuries, casino tourism has been a central part of the global economy. From ancient Roman games to modern marvels, casinos have held an important place in human history and remain an integral part of many people’s lives today. This article will explore the historical significance of casino tourism and its importance for economies around … Read more
Kansas City Battle of Westport Visitor center located 6601 Swope Parkway, Kansas City MO 64132 (913) 345-2000 www.battleofwestport.org Westport A 32-mile, 25-stop driving tour guides visitors through this Oct 21–23, 1864, battlefield, now a busy part of Kansas City. The Union victory here proved to be the decisive moment in Gen. Sterling Price’s 1864 Raid … Read more
Grant’s Canals Two Louisiana sites commemorate Union Gen. U.S. Grant’s efforts to get at the Confederate stronghold at Vicksburg by digging various canals, trying to manufacture a waterway bypassing the forts there. All these efforts were ultimately failures. Grant’s Canal Park 600 Lake St, Lake Providence LA 71254 318-559-5125 (Byerley House) An attempt by Grant … Read more
The Union victory at Shiloh in April 1862 made Confederate control of the Mississippi River in Tennessee impossible. Following a brief gunboat battle below the Memphis bluffs on June 6, 1862, Confederates abandoned the city. Memphis became a vital supply depot and staging area for Union campaigns. Mississippi River Museum at Mud Island River Park … Read more
It sounded like such a good idea. Popular Sovereignty. It has a democratic ring to it. But those words meant only trouble for the Kansas Territory in the 1850s, and they sparked a Civil War years before shots were fired at Fort Sumter. The 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act defined the borders of the new territories, opened … Read more
Shiloh National Military Park Shiloh TN 38376 731-689-5696 Cannon The first large-scale battle of the war was fought here near Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River April 6-7, 1862. The Confederate Army of the Mississippi led by Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, marching north from Corinth, Ms, managed to surprise U.S. Grant’s Union army camped near … Read more