the Real Horse Soldiers: Benjamin Grierson's Epic 1863 Civil War Raid Through Mississippi

摘要

Early in 1863, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant faced a problem: He was at risk of losing the Civil War. Vicksburg was the key. The longer that city remained in Confederate hands, the more likely the war would be prolonged and a Northern peace party might assume power in the 1864 elections. The sooner Union forces captured it, however, the better the chances Abraham Lincoln would get reelected. Grant had already failed to secure Vicksburg a half-dozen times and was likely down to his last chance before being removed from command. As history would show, the loss of Grant might well have been fatal to the Union cause.