Vicksburg was the Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River that surrendered on July 4, 1863.
The Siege of Vicksburg lasted from May 18 to July 4, 1863, as Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant surrounded the city and trapped Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton's Army of Mississippi. Vicksburg's position on high bluffs made it a formidable defensive fortress and allowed Confederate forces to control a crucial stretch of the river.
After Union assaults on May 19 and 22 were repulsed, Grant chose siege operations. More than 40 days of bombardment, hunger, and dwindling supplies left the garrison unable to continue. Pemberton officially surrendered the city and army on Independence Day, handing over approximately 29,495 soldiers.
The fall of Vicksburg gave the Union control of the Mississippi River. Together with the surrender of Port Hudson five days later, it cut the Confederacy in two by separating the Trans-Mississippi states from the eastern Confederacy. That is why Vicksburg is often described as one of the Civil War's decisive turning points.