Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant · Chapter
Movement Against Jackson—Fall of Jackson—Intercepting the Enemy—Battle of Champion's Hill explained
Grant decides to abandon his supply base and move his entire force eastward to capture Jackson, the Confederate capital of Mississippi, before turning on Pemberton.
What happens
Grant decides to abandon his supply base and move his entire force eastward to capture Jackson, the Confederate capital of Mississippi, before turning on Pemberton. After McPherson's victory at Raymond, Grant orders a swift advance on Jackson, which falls on May 14. Grant then intercepts Pemberton's army at Champion's Hill, forcing a Confederate retreat. The chapter details the strategic maneuvers, the destruction of Jackson as a military center, and the capture of seventeen guns and supplies.
Themes in this chapter
Leadership and Humility
Grant demonstrates decisive leadership by cutting loose from his base and making rapid strategic decisions, while also showing humility in his interactions with Sherman and the factory proprietor.
The Horrors and Cost of War
The destruction of Jackson's factories and the burning of cotton and military supplies illustrate the material and human cost of war.
National Union and Constitutional Crisis
The campaign to capture Vicksburg and Jackson is part of the broader effort to preserve the Union and suppress the rebellion.
Characters to notice
- Ulysses S. Grant
Commands the Union forces; makes the strategic decision to cut loose from his base and capture Jackson, then turns to engage Pemberton at Champion's Hill.
- William T. Sherman
Leads two divisions in the capture of Jackson; destroys railroads, bridges, and military factories; later ordered to move to Bolton.
- James B. McPherson
Commands a corps; advances on Clinton and Jackson; his victory at Raymond prompts Grant's decision to move on Jackson.
- John A. McClernand
Commands a corps; ordered to move on Edward's station and later to Bolton; his divisions are positioned to support the advance.
- Joseph E. Johnston
Arrives at Jackson on the night of May 13 and assumes command of Confederate forces in Mississippi; orders Pemberton to attack Grant's rear.
- John C. Pemberton
Commands Confederate forces defending Vicksburg; attempts to obey Johnston's orders but is forced to retreat after the Battle of Champion's Hill.
- Henry W. Halleck
Grant's superior; Grant informs him of the plan to attack Jackson.
- Abraham Lincoln
Mentioned indirectly as the President during whose administration the proprietor of the destroyed factory later sought compensation.
Key passages
“I therefore determined to move swiftly towards Jackson, destroy or drive any force in that direction and then turn upon Pemberton. But by moving against Jackson, I uncovered my own communication. So I finally decided to have none—to cut loose altogether from my base and move my whole force eastward.”
Grant resolved to advance rapidly on Jackson, eliminate any enemy there, and then attack Pemberton. Realizing this would expose his supply line, he chose to abandon his base entirely and march east with his entire army.
Grant explains his strategic decision to operate without a fixed supply line.
“I looked upon side movements as long as the enemy held Port Hudson and Vicksburg as a waste of time and material.”
Grant considered any diversionary operations while the Confederates still controlled Port Hudson and Vicksburg to be a pointless drain on resources.
Grant's focus on the main objective of capturing Vicksburg.
“The operatives were told they could leave and take with them what cloth they could carry. In a few minutes cotton and factory were in a blaze.”
The factory workers were allowed to depart with as much cloth as they could carry, and soon afterward the cotton and the building were set on fire.
Description of the destruction of a Confederate textile mill in Jackson.
