The tide of the Civil War turned in many respects with Ulysses S. Grant’s successful, weeks-long siege of the blufftop city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, securing Union control of the Mississippi River and splitting the Confederacy in two.
Military historian and Civil War authority Angela M. Riotto looks back on that pivotal victory – finally achieved in 1863 after several failed attempts by Grant and his troops – and the important lessons it brought. Grant and his subordinates would apply those lessons throughout the rest of the war. 

The presentation is part of the Library’s Turning Points series in partnership with the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

Riotto is an assistant professor of military history at the Command and General Staff College, specializing in the American Civil War era, prisoners of war, memory studies, and gender studies. Holder of a doctorate in history from the University of Akron, she served previously as a historian on the Army University Press’ Films Team, producing documentaries for use in teaching military history and current U.S. Army doctrine.