<DIV></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt">Ulysses S. Grant’s ingenious campaign to capture the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River was one of the most decisive events of the Civil War and one of the most storied military expeditions in American history. The ultimate victory at Vicksburg effectively cut the Confederacy in two, gave control of the river to Union forces, and delivered a devastating blow from which the South never fully recovered. Editors Steven E. Woodworth and Charles D. Grear have assembled essays by prominent and emerging scholars, who contribute astute analysis of this famous campaign’s most crucial elements and colorful personalities.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt">Encompassed in this first of five planned volumes on the Vicksburg campaign are examinations of the pivotal events that comprised the campaign’s maneuver stage, from March to May of 1863. The collection sheds new light on Grant’s formidable intelligence network of former slaves, Mississippi loyalists, and Union spies; his now legendary operations to deceive and confuse his Confederate counterparts; and his maneuvers from the perspective of classic warfare. Also presented are insightful accounts of Grant’s contentious relationship with John A. McClernand during the campaign; interactions between hostile Confederate civilians and Union army troops; and the planning behind such battles as Grierson’s Raid, Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hill, and Big Black River Bridge.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt"><i>The Vicksburg Campaign, March 29–May 18, 1863</i>, examines in depth the operational masterpiece that paved the way to the Union’s triumphant siege of Vicksburg and turned the tide of the Civil War. From Grant’s first crossing of the Mississippi River to the day the siege began, this detailed volume is an essential read for scholars and enthusiasts of Civil War and military history alike.</p>