An Ardent Desire to Participate in the Capture of Vicksburg

The Mississippi Squadron, under David D. Porter, played an important supporting role in the Vicksburg operations conducted by Grant. The war ships protected the civilian steamers that funnelled supplies and reinforcements to the Army of the Tennessee, enabling Grant to maintain his position. Porter also bombarded the Confederate river batteries along the east side of the Mississippi north and south of Vicksburg to support the attack of May 22, and his mortar boats bombarded Vicksburg itself during this time. The bombing of the city produced civilian casualties as well as wrecked private houses and buildings used by the Confederate army. Porter also supported a brigade from John McArthur’s Seventeenth Corps division which advanced along the east bank of the Mississippi toward South Fort, a Confederate earthwork anchoring the southern end of Samuel H. Lockett’s defence line. That brigade, however, was ordered east to help McClernand before it could launch an attack on South Fort. The Federals literally had Vicksburg surrounded with warships in the Mississippi north and south of the city and Union infantry occupying De Soto Point west of town. Grant had the option to starve Pemberton out of the city now that storming the defences had played out.