Midpoint of the War: May to July 1863

Small 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.