First Assault on Fortress Vicksburg
May 19, 1863
Anxious for a quick victory, Grant made a hasty reconnaissance of the Vicksburg
defenses and ordered an assault. Of his three corps, however, only one was in proper
position to make the attack--Sherman's corps astride the Graveyard Road northeast of
Vicksburg. Early in the morning Union artillery opened fire and bombarded the Confederate
works with solid shot and shell. |
![](siege/srapp.jpg)
Stockade Redan, present day
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With lines neatly dressed and their battle flags blowing in the breeze above them,
Sherman's troops surged across the fields at 2:00 p.m. and through the abatis
(obstructions of felled trees) toward Stockade Redan. Although the men of the 1st Battalion, 13th United States Infantry, planted their
colors on the exterior slope of Stockade Redan (a powerful Confederate fort which guarded
the road), the attack was repulsed with Federal losses numbering 1,000 men. Map-Union Assault, May 19, 1863 97k
Large Format
Map-Stockade Redan Complex, Confederate Defenses and Union
Approaches 98k, Large
Format
Stockade Redan Fortification Design, large format
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Last update: Friday, November 05, 1999
http://www.nps.gov/vick/vcmpgn/1stattck.htm
Editor: G. Zeman |
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