Fort Donelson · Shiloh · Vicksburg · New Orleans — Grant's Drive Down the River
The Plan
"The Father of Waters again goes unvexed to the sea." — Lincoln, after Vicksburg fell. This campaign traces the Union's strategic drive to control the Mississippi River from Memphis to the Gulf, severing the Confederacy and opening the heartland to Union forces.
Starting point. Head east on I-40 toward Memphis and the Mississippi River Valley.
February 1862 — Grant's first major victory and the battle that made him famous. When Confederate General Buckner asked for surrender terms, Grant's reply became legendary: "No terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender." The "U.S." in Ulysses S. Grant, soldiers joked, stood for "Unconditional Surrender."
April 6–7, 1862 — the battle that shocked both North and South into realizing the true scale of the war ahead. Over 23,000 casualties in two days. The name "Shiloh" means "place of peace" in Hebrew. A meticulously preserved site with a 12-mile driving tour.
July 4, 1863 — the same day as Gettysburg's third day. After a 47-day siege, Vicksburg surrendered, giving the Union complete control of the Mississippi. Grant's masterpiece campaign. The city didn't celebrate July 4th again until 1945.
The Confederacy's largest city fell to Admiral Farragut in April 1862 without a major land battle. Chalmette Battlefield nearby marks the 1815 Battle of New Orleans (War of 1812). The city itself is layered with Civil War history, from the French Quarter to Jackson Barracks.