Jackson, Mississippi, played an important role in the decisive Vicksburg
Campaign and was the third Confederate state capital to fall to the
Union when Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant captured the important rail
junction in May of 1863. Drawing on dozens of primary sources and
contextualized by the latest scholarship, Chris Mackowski's The Battle
of Jackson, Mississippi, May 14, 1863, offers the most comprehensive
account ever published on the subject.
General Grant had his eyes set not on Jackson but on Vicksburg, the
"Gibraltar of the Confederacy," the invaluable prize that had eluded him
for the better part of a year. After several failures, he marched south
on the far side of the Mississippi River and crossed into the Magnolia
State to approach Vicksburg from the south. As he drove through the
interior of the state, a chance encounter with a small Confederate force
at Raymond alerted Grant to a potential threat massing farther east in
Jackson under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, one of the Confederacy's most
respected field officers. Jackson was a vital transportation and
communications hub and a major industrial center. Its fall would remove
vital logistical support for the Southern army holding Vicksburg and
block future reinforcement attempts.
Grant turned on a dime and made for the capital to confront the growing
danger, unaware that Johnston was already planning to abandon the city.
The Southern general's behavior has long puzzled historians, and some
believe his stint in Jackson was the nadir of his long career. The loss
of Jackson isolated Vicksburg and set the stage for a major
confrontation a few days later at Champion Hill, one of the most
decisive battles of the entire war. The capital's fall demonstrated that
Grant could march into Jefferson Davis's home state and
move about with impunity.
This well-written and deeply researched account is a welcome addition to
the campaign literature and the second book in Savas Beatie's new
Battles & Leaders Series.
