This long drawn-out battle of the American Civil War saw the Confederate fortress on the Mississippi River stopping Federal forces controlling the river in the area. The garrison of 25,000 held off five attempts to take the town and caused Grant to commence a battle which split the Confederacy geographically and, with the loss at Gettysburg, removed any chance of a Southern victory. This book provides a careful analysis of a complex action involving land, riverine and siege warfare.