The Civil War in Mississippi: Major Campaigns and Battles

by Michael B Ballard

Overview

The only volume dedicated entirely to the military history of an embattled Deep South state From the first Union attack on Vicksburg in the spring of 1862 through Benjamin Grierson's last raids through Mississippi in late 1864 and early 1865, this book traces the campaigns, fighting, and causes and effects of armed conflict in central and north Mississippi, where major campaigns were waged and fighting occurred. The Civil War in Mississippi: Major Campaigns and Battles is a must-read for any Mississippian or Civil War buff who wants the complete story of the Civil War in Mississippi. It discusses the key military engagements in chronological order. The volume begins with a prologue covering mobilization and other events leading up to the first military action within the state's borders. The book then covers all of the major military operations, including the campaign for and siege of Vicksburg, and battles at Iuka and Corinth, Meridian, Brice's Crossroads, and Tupelo. The colorful cast of characters includes such household names as Sherman, Grant, Pemberton, and Forrest, as well as a host of other commanders and soldiers. Author Michael B. Ballard discusses at length minority troops and others glossed over or lost in studies of the Mississippi military during the war.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781628461701
Publisher:	University Press of Mississippi
Publication date:	10/01/2014
Series:	Heritage of Mississippi , #5
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	1,107,089
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Michael B. Ballard (1946-2016) was an archivist at Mississippi State University and is author of many books, including Civil War Mississippi: A Guide; A Long Shadow: Jefferson Davis and the Final Days of the Confederacy; and, with David Muench, Landscapes of Battle: The Civil War.

Table of Contents

List of Maps xi

Foreword xiii

Prologue: War Comes to Mississippi 3

1 Corinth The Siege That Was Not 13

2 Vicksburg First Attack 35

3 Iuka The Clash and the Quiet 55

4 Corinth Another Van Dorn Debacle 77

5 Vicksburg More Union Failures 105

6 Vicksburg Final Battles and Siege 139

7 Meridian Campaign An Evolution and a Portent 172

8 Brice's Crossroads Confederates Win and Lose 195

9 Tupelo (Harrisburg) Forrest versus Lee 220

10 More Raids Smith and Grierson 244

Epilogue 271

Appendix The Forgotten 273

Notes 277

Suggested Readings 295

Index 297

Editorial Reviews

"Michael Ballard brings a mastery of historical sources to this splendid overview of military events in Mississippi during the Civil War. His engaging narrative addresses important battles and campaigns and offers insightful portraits of leading figures on both sides--while at the same time placing operations in Mississippi within the broader framework of the war. It will be the obvious first book to read on the topic for a long time."

--Gary W. Gallagher, John L. Nau III Professor of History at University of Virginia and author of The Confederate War

"Mississippi was a key battleground in the Civil War, and Michael Ballard brings that fact to life in this crisp, clear, and authoritative account of the campaigns and battles that sealed the fate of the Confederacy."

--William L. Shea, author of Fields of Blood: The Prairie Grove Campaign

"With clarity and precision, passion and flair, Dr. Michael Ballard pens a stirring narrative of the campaigns and battles in Mississippi that helped decide the Civil War. The Magnolia State experienced war in all its horror from 1861 to 1865 and sacrificed the lifeblood of its soldiers and civilians on scores of battlefields from Iuka and Corinth, to Brice's Crossroads, Tupelo, and Meridian, and those that comprised the Vicksburg campaigns. This is Civil War historiography at its finest; and the military history of Mississippi during the nation's most turbulent period is chronicled in this comprehensive, yet compact, volume produced with the intimacy and skill of the state's foremost authority."

--Terrence J. Winschel, historian of the Vicksburg National Military Park and author of Triumph & Defeat: The Vicksburg Campaign, vols. 1-2

From the Publisher