{"id":207,"date":"2014-06-10T19:04:00","date_gmt":"2014-06-10T19:04:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2020-04-08T20:28:48","modified_gmt":"2020-04-08T20:28:48","slug":"207","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yhwhschofchrist.org\/yhwhschofchrist\/2014\/06\/10\/207\/","title":{"rendered":"Some Thoughts, from studies on the ground and from the air, of the Principle\u2019s of War and Grant\u2019s Vicksburg Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Some Thoughts, from studies on the ground and from the air, of the Principle\u2019s of War and Grant\u2019s Vicksburg Campaign<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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   <\/strong>Figure 1 A modern day Corps of Engineers tugboat tugging several MS river barges by Grand Gulf Park River overlook. This landing was the site of Grant’s initial choice of landing of thousands of troops below Vicksburg. After a naval battle here in front of Fort Wade and Fort Coburn, he decided to land 12 miles south near a River plantation (where Bruinsburg  <\/span>and the ruins of the Windsor planation are now, the site of the Hollywood movie \u201cRaintree Country\u201d in the 1950s with Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor) and approach Grand Gulf from the south. The confederate defences at Fort Wade and Coburn consisted of two powerful artillery batteries about 20 feet above the town.  <\/span>Four Union ironclad gunboats fired back at the batteries and provided covering fire for the landing boats.  <\/span>Up to the point of landing at Bruinsburg Grant still had the option of proceeding south to Port Hudson, situated a short distance up river from Baton Rouge and attacking there.  <\/span>The confederate cavalry forces from Vicksburg under Col Bowen had to consider this possibility in terms of how many forces they deployed to defend Port Gibson. And, indeed part of the mission of Grierson cavalry raid to the west and south of Vicksburg was to draw Bowen\u2019s forces to cover this possibility. If one drives the roads Grant had to use to attack Port Gibson from this plantation landing base, one sees why he had to circle back and take Grand Gulf from the east in order to establish his logistical trains from this river landing point. What roads there are through this forested area are only very steep up and down dirt tracks which wash out, can\u2019t support the multiple passes of supply wagons and heavy artillery pieces, becoming impassible in the frequent MS thunderstorms that we have in this area during the Spring. <\/o:p><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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                                                            <\/span>                <\/span>Grant\u2019s Vicksburg Campaign<\/o:p><\/strong><\/div>\n
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This series of civil war battles was probably the overall decisive strategic and tactical campaign of the war.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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 <\/span>Most of the other battles were not as well thought out. They were variations on hasty organized frontal attacks organized quickly in a short period of time. <\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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The European\u2019s Napolean and  <\/span>Clauswitz\u2019s doctrine was studies in the 19<\/span>th<\/sup><\/span> century when Grant was a U.S. Army General<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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From wikepedia we have the following statement of Napolean and Clauswitz\u2019s doctrines:<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Napolean<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Napol\u00e9on Bonaparte<\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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Additionally, since their first appearance in English of the military maxims of Napoleon in 1831, all English translations have relied upon the extremely incomplete French edition of General Burnod published in 1827. This has contributed to the erroneous belief that Napol\u00e9on Bonaparte had pioneered the “Principles of War”. Napol\u00e9on was a keen follower of famous military generals of the past, who influenced his thoughts greatly. Albeit, “The armies of today are based on the organization created by Napoleon [sic] for his Grand Army and it has been used ever since.” <\/span>[2]<\/span><\/sup><\/u>Since the mid-19th century, due to the influence of the Prussian Army, they have become a guide for many military organizations to focus the thinking of military commanders and political leaders toward concepts and methods of successful prosecution of wars and smaller military operations. Although originally concerned with <\/span><\/span>strategy<\/span><\/a>, <\/span><\/span>grand tactics<\/span><\/a> and <\/span><\/span>tactics<\/span><\/a>, due to the changing nature of warfare and <\/span><\/span>military technology<\/span><\/a>, since the <\/span><\/span>interwar period<\/span><\/a>, the principles are largely applied to the strategic decision-making, and in some cases, to operational mobility of forces.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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Clauswitz\u2019s initial essay dealt with the <\/span><\/span>tactics<\/span><\/a> of combat, and suggested the following general principles:<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
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