Midpoint of the War: May to July 1863Small Towns in a Big War |
How many men did Grant have available to him? |
The Army of Tennessee was about 55,000 men strong, but Grant could readily obtain reinforcements, if need be. He had the full backing of Lincoln, who—as a one-time Mississippi River keelboatman—believed Vicksburg was the central part to solving the Union problems on the Western front. Grant also had a tough, aggressive second in command in William T. Sherman.

General Ulysses S. Grant.