One hundred and fifty years ago this year, there were two battles that played an important part in the Union’s defeat of the Confederate states. One battle took place in the North (Gettysburg) and one in the South (Vicksburg). These two battles are the featured battles for this year’s stamps in the Civil War Sesquicentennial series.
The siege of Vicksburg started in the Spring of 1863 and ended on the 4th of July, when the Confederate forces surrendered Vicksburg to the Union forces led by General Grant. Vicksburg, Mississippi was located on the banks of the Mississippi River. By controlling Vicksburg, the Union forces gained control of a large portion of the Mississippi River.
In 1863, General Lee started an invasion into the Union states. At the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania the main forces of the Union and the Confederates collided on July 1, 1863. The battle lasted for three days including the famous Pickett’s Charge. Upon the end of the battle, General Lee’s remaining forces headed South instead of North.
Several books, both non-fiction and fiction, have been written over time about these battles. Manchester City Library has the following items:
Gettysburg : the Final Fury by Bruce Catton
Gettysburg : the Last Invasion by Allen C. Guelzo
Vicksburg, 1863 by Winston Groom
A Chain of Thunder : A Novel of the Siege of Vicksburg by Jeff Shaara (fiction)
The Artillery of Gettysburg by Bradley M. Gottfried
Receding Tide : Vicksburg and Gettysburg : the Campaigns that Changed the Civil War by Edwin C. Bearss with J. Parker Hills