ULYSSES S. GRANT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
Mississippi State University

-------------------------Ulysses S. Grant-------------------------

General Ulysses S. Grant was the Union leader during the Civil War. Throughout the war, Grant frequently coordinated with the U.S Navy in order to gain the resources he needed to carry out his plans, taking advantage of the Navy's strength and supplies.Vicksburg, a location in Mississippi, was essential to the strategy of the Union. If the Union forces captured it, the Confederacy would be cut in half and weakened. In addition, Orville E. Babcock, a soldier under General Grant, recorded his experiences at Vicksburg in his pocket diary along with a pressed flower from the end of the siege. Furthermore, Grant's slogan, "Let us have peace," models his desire to bring the Union together and preserve it.  

Questions

Q: What were the living conditions at Vicksburg at the end of the siege?

A: People lived in caves carved into the bluffs of Vicksburg, serving as improvised bomb shelters.