THE UNION
TIGHTENS
ITS GRIP
1863
Both sides wrestled with new realities
that changed the nature of the war. As the
Confederacy reached its military zenith, sound
Northern political and military leadership
won key victories on and off the battlefield,
which set the stage for Union triumph.
❮❮ Under fire on the Mississippi
This Currier & Ives print, made shortly after the Battle
of Vicksburg, shows Admiral David Porter’s fleet
under Confederate bombardment beneath the bluffs
of Vicksburg—Porter’s ship, USS Benton, is in the
lead. Although Confederate guns fired for three
hours, only one ship was lost and the fleet met
Ulysses S. Grant below the city, as planned.