June 10, 1863---The Siege of Vicksburg: Day Twenty-Three

JUNE 10, 1863:          

The Siege of Vicksburg (Day Twenty Three): 

After the Confederate loss at the Battle of Milliken’s Bend, there is little hope of relief for the citizenry and soldiers boxed inside of Vicksburg with lots of inedible munitions but little food. 

The poor diet was showing on the Confederate soldiers and civilians both. Scurvy, malaria, dysentery, diarrhea, and other diseases cut their ranks. At least one city resident had to stay up at night to keep starving soldiers out of his vegetable garden. The constant shelling did not bother him as much as the loss of his food, he said. As the siege wore on, fewer and fewer horses, mules, and dogs were seen wandering about Vicksburg. They were destined for the stewpot. Shoe leather and rats were the last resort of sustenance for many adults.

During the siege, Union gunboats lobbed over 22,000 shells into the town and army artillery fire was even heavier.

As the barrages continued, most of the homes in Vicksburg were destroyed. A ridge, located between the main town and the rebel defense line, provided a diverse citizenry with lodging for the duration of the siege. Over 500 caves were dug into the yellow clay hills of Vicksburg. Whether houses were structurally sound or not, it was deemed safer to occupy these dugouts. People did their best to make them comfortable, with rugs, furniture, and pictures. They tried to time their movements and foraging with the rhythm of the cannonade, sometimes unsuccessfully. Because of these dugouts or caves, the Union soldiers gave the town the nickname of "Prairie Dog Village." Despite the ferocity of the Union fire against the town, fewer than a dozen civilians were known to have been killed during the entire siege.

The Shirley House (also known as the White House) is the only surviving house on the former siege line. It was owned by the Shirley family, who were born New Englanders and staunch Unionists: Mrs. Shirley, nee Quincy, was related to President John Quincy Adams, and Mr. Shirley was a Granite Stater; their son Frederick once enraged the neighbors by saying that he’d “rather serve Abe Lincoln for twenty years than Jeff Davis for two hours.” The house has been preserved as part of the Vicksburg National Military Park.