7 historic July 4th events in US history

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Tuesday, July 04, 2023

The siege of Vicksburg ends – July 4, 1863

A photo of the siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, during the American Civil War. The city would fall to Union troops under General Ulysses S. Grant on July 4, 1863. | Public Domain

The Fourth of July also marks the anniversary of when the Confederate garrison at the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, surrendered to Union soldiers under the command of General Ulysses S. Grant.

Grant had begun his siege of Vicksburg in May of 1863, as the city was a crucial point for travel along the Mississippi River, making its conquest necessary for future Union Army movement in the South.

“With the loss of Confederate General John C. Pemberton’s army after the siege at Vicksburg and a Union victory at Port Hudson five days later, the Union controlled the entire Mississippi River and the Confederacy was split in half,” explains the American Battlefield Trust.

“Together with the Union victory at Gettysburg just a day before, Vicksburg marked a turning point in the fortunes of the Union army.”