Ten concise chapters recount the Union army's campaign to capture the city of Vicksburg and sever the Confederacy in two. The first half of the text describes Grant's brilliant initial campaign, while the remaining chapters focus on the 47-day siege, the failed efforts of the Confederates to relieve Pemberton and his army, and the eventual surrender. Winschel is chief historian at Vicksburg National Military Park. Distributed in the US by Casemate, this reprint of the 1999 edition is the first version available in paperback. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)