Delta Kappa Epsilon - University of Alabama

6 Delta Kappa Epsilon From The Historian William Lovelace Foster, Psi 1850 And The Siege of Vicksburg, 1863 "None but those who have had the experience can tell the feeling of the soldier's heart on the night before the approaching battle…." "To your guns now, Ye Confederate artillerists & punish the insolent foe that dares defy your strength!" T he summer of 2013 saw the observance of the 150th anniversary of the siege and fall of the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, to Federal forces during the American Civil War. Vicksburg, located on high bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, was a key Confederate bastion for maintaining control of the great river. Early in the war, the Union high command had established the conquest and control of the river as being of top priority in its strategy for the defeat of the new Southern nation. This vast waterway divided the Confederacy into two parts of almost equal size, and control of it by the Yankees would effectively split the Confederacy in two, and effect the severing of Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas, rich in vital supplies and recruits, from the Confederate armies fighting in the east. This would also severely damage Southern morale, sever vital communications and hamper Southern efforts to gain European diplomatic recognition, all thus weakening an already embattled Southern nation. Control of the river would also allow for the uninterrupted passage of Union ships, troops and supplies to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico. Thus, from the beginning, conquest of the Mississippi River was a key aspect of Union military strategy. By early 1862, Union forces were prepared to move against Confederate posts on the river. The attack came from two directions: Kentucky from the north and the Gulf of Mexico from the south. Columbus, Kentucky fell in February, then Island Number 10, near the Tennessee-Kentucky border, in April, then Memphis in June. From the south, the Yankees entered the mouth of the river, and after being delayed several days by heavy fire from the forts guarding the lower river, they captured New Orleans, the largest city in the South, on April 25. By mid-May, Baton Rouge and Natchez had fallen. Vicksburg thus became the last major stumbling block for the Union. importance was enhanced in August 1862, when Port Hudson, Louisiana, 250 miles to the south, was occupied by Confederate troops. Now a significant stretch of the river, from Vicksburg to Port Hudson, was once again held by the South. Lincoln believed that Vicksburg was "the key," declaring "The war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket." General Ulysses S. Grant was placed in command of the Union Department of the Tennessee, with specific instructions to capture Vicksburg. His initial expedition in December 1862 was repulsed, as were additional expeditions in early 1863. Towards the end of March, Grant embarked on a bold campaign which would ultimately lead him to success. He moved south through Louisiana, and crossed the river into Mississippi south of Vicksburg. Moving rapidly inland, the Yankee juggernaut captured Jackson on May 14, then turned west to advance on Vicksburg. Washington Hotel, Vicksburg. During the siege of the city the building was pressed into service as a hospital. W. L. Foster ministered to the sick and wounded here, and also wrote his 79 page letter to his wife from here. Vicksburg, situated on high bluffs above the river, did not present the same easy target as low-lying New Orleans. On May 18, a Union fleet arrived at Vicksburg, but despite a bombardment of the city, they were unable to compel it to surrender. "Mississippians don't know, and refuse to learn, how to surrender to any enemy," was the Confederate reply to the demand for surrender. Vicksburg stood firm, and withstood all subsequent bombardments. It soon became evident that Vicksburg could be captured only by a large land force. With massive amounts of firepower threatening any Union naval force, Vicksburg could simply not be ignored. Its already formidable strategic Unable to stop the Union advance, the Confederates withdrew into the Vicksburg defenses, where they were in a better position to withstand the Union onslaught. By May 19, Grant's forces surrounded Vicksburg. He immediately ordered a general assault, hoping to take the demoralized Confederate army by storm. Much to his chagrin, his army was repulsed in ferocious fighting. A second and more determined attack was made on May 22, with the same result. Grant decided to lay siege to the city, expecting that a round-the-clock bombardment, along with starvation, would gradually demoralize the Confederate forces into submission. Now submitted for your perusal into this setting comes our own Reverend William Lovelace Foster, Psi DKE, Class of 1850. Foster was born on January 29, 1830, in Foster's Settlement, Alabama (so named for his family), now known simply as "Fosters," in Tuscaloosa County, ten miles southwest of the city of Tuscaloosa, just off of I-59. He was the seventh child

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