"Protected by high bluffs and cannons, the city of Vicksburg guarded the all-important Mississippi River for the Confederacy. Major General Ulysses S. Grant was determined to take the city, which meant he had to invent new ways to fight a war."

Using more than fifty quotations from men, women, and children on both sides; forty historical etchings and photos; and five maps, Mary Ann Fraser takes readers into the heart of the battle that decided the Civil War.

This heavily illustrated, action-packed history is both an easy introduction to the War Between the States and a satisfying read for young Civil War buffs.