The Siege of Vicksburg, 1863. The Death Knell Moment of the Rebellion. The South Reduced to Eating Rats.
03/14/25 • 35 min
With the fall of Vicksburg, the Union seized the entire length of the Mississippi River, cleaving the Confederacy in half. The South’s western states... Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas... were now isolated, their soldiers and resources cut off from the Eastern war effort. What had once been a united rebellion was now a fractured resistance, fighting a war it could no longer sustain.
Vicksburg. May 19 - July 4, 1863.
Union Forces: 75,000 Soldiers.
Confederate Forces: 30,000 Soldiers.
Additional Reading and Episode Research:
- Foote, Shelby. The Civil War, A Narrative.
- McPherson, James. Battle Cry of Freedom.
- Newman, Ralph. The Civil War: An American Iliad.
- Donald, David. The Civil War and Reconstruction.
Other Episodes on the Civil War:
Social Media:
www.HistorysGreatestBattles.com
Youtube | TikTok
Support The Show:
https://covertwars.com
With the fall of Vicksburg, the Union seized the entire length of the Mississippi River, cleaving the Confederacy in half. The South’s western states... Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas... were now isolated, their soldiers and resources cut off from the Eastern war effort. What had once been a united rebellion was now a fractured resistance, fighting a war it could no longer sustain.
Vicksburg. May 19 - July 4, 1863.
Union Forces: 75,000 Soldiers.
Confederate Forces: 30,000 Soldiers.
Additional Reading and Episode Research:
- Foote, Shelby. The Civil War, A Narrative.
- McPherson, James. Battle Cry of Freedom.
- Newman, Ralph. The Civil War: An American Iliad.
- Donald, David. The Civil War and Reconstruction.
Other Episodes on the Civil War:
Social Media:
www.HistorysGreatestBattles.com
Youtube | TikTok
Support The Show:
https://covertwars.com
Previous Episode
The Siege of Port Arthur, 1905. Russia Humiliated. Mechanized Slaughtering Ushered in as New War Standard.
Japan’s triumph sent a shockwave through Russia... a psychological wound as devastating as the battlefield losses. Defeat at the hands of an Asian power shattered the empire’s confidence and exposed the weaknesses of its military. Meanwhile, Japan now held a strategic gateway, a fortified port that would fuel its next offensives. From here, men, weapons, and supplies would pour northward, driving deeper into Russian-held territory, pushing the enemy further toward collapse.
Port Arthur. June 1, 1904 - January 2, 1905.
Russian Forces: 40,000 Soldiers, 506 Guns.
Japanese Forces: 80,000 Soldiers, 474 Guns.
Additional Reading and Episode Research:
- Connaughton, R.M. The War of the Rising Sun and the Tumbling Bear.
- Okamoto, Shumpei. The Japanese Oligarchy and the Russo-Japanese War.
Relevant Episodes:
Social Media:
www.HistorysGreatestBattles.com
Youtube | TikTok
Support The Show:
https://covertwars.com
Next Episode
The Siege of Carthage, 146 BC. Rome Annihilates an Entire Civilization. A General Shames Himself Before his Wife.
Carthage... was annihilated. Its streets, once filled with merchants and soldiers, became killing grounds. Its walls, once impenetrable, were torn apart stone by stone. Its people, once masters of the sea, were either slaughtered in the ruins of their homes or marched away in chains. The war was over, but this was not a victory. It was an execution. The city that had defied Rome for over a century no longer existed, and with it, an entire civilization was erased. There would be no rebuilding, no resurgence, no legacy beyond the scorched earth where it once stood.
Carthage. 149 B.C. - 146 B.C.
Roman Forces: 80,000 Infantry, 4,000 Cavalry.
Carthaginian Forces: City Forces: Unknown; Field Forces: ~25,000 - 30,000 Infantry.
Additional Reading and Episode Research:
- Dudley, D.R. Rome Against Carthage.
- Collon Translation: Picard, Gilbert. The Life and Death of Carthage.
- Abbott, Jacob. History of Hannibal of Carthage.
Other Pertinent Episodes:
Social Media:
www.HistorysGreatestBattles.com
Youtube | TikTok
Support The Show:
https://covertwars.com
History's Greatest Battles - The Siege of Vicksburg, 1863. The Death Knell Moment of the Rebellion. The South Reduced to Eating Rats.
Transcript
Thanks for tuning in to this episode of History's Greatest Battles. Season 2, where we explore History's Greatest Sieges. If you know anybody that enjoys this genre of history, please share the podcast with them, and leave a review. Stay tuned after the episode to descend into the killing fields of the comments section where have controversy this time.
In the late spring of 1863, the American Civil War had entered its third year, and the Confederacy remained defiant. Though Union forces
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