Key Facts
- Date of Confederate withdrawal
- July 16, 1863
- Vicksburg surrender date
- July 4, 1863
- Union corps involved
- Four corps under Sherman
- Distance Johnston retreated
- To Big Black River, then back to Jackson
- Confederate commander
- General Joseph E. Johnston
Strategic Narrative Overview
Sherman combined elements of four corps and advanced on Johnston's force under intense summer heat, pushing the Confederates back to Jackson by July 10, 1863. Union forces had already driven Confederates from Jackson once in May, during operations preceding the Vicksburg siege. A brief siege of Jackson followed, with several engagements around the city's defenses. Johnston, outnumbered and wary of being encircled, conducted a fighting withdrawal rather than risk the destruction or capture of his army.
01 / The Origins
Following the Confederate surrender of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863, General Ulysses S. Grant ordered Major General William T. Sherman to lead an expedition against Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston's force, the so-called 'Army of Relief,' which had been maneuvering near the Big Black River. Grant feared Johnston might attack Union positions and attempt to retake Vicksburg, making it essential to drive Confederate forces from the area and recapture Jackson, the Mississippi state capital and a key railroad hub.
03 / The Outcome
On July 16, 1863, Johnston abandoned Jackson to avoid entrapment, and Union forces occupied the city. Sherman's troops further damaged military installations, railroad facilities, and supplies of war value. The Confederate loss of Jackson and the earlier fall of Vicksburg left the entire Mississippi River under Union control, cutting the Confederacy in two and eliminating any realistic Confederate threat to retake Vicksburg for the remainder of the war.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
William T. Sherman, Ulysses S. Grant, John G. Parke.
Side B
1 belligerent
Joseph E. Johnston.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.