A New Perspective on a Little Known Battle

This book is most appreciated if one contrasts any of its elements with other examples, from the author’s writing style, the generals involved, and most of all the experience of the soldiers in this battle.

Chris Makowski is an American Civil War historian whose professional approach is quite different than the 20^th century “great man” author, stereotypically difficult to access, researched alone, offered little or no contact with readers, and thanked only his wife in the introduction. Makowski on the other hand, is a modern social media-savvy author who manages the Emerging Civil War website (https://emergingcivilwar.com), which features his works and those of many collaborations.

Invited by the American Battlefield Trust to participate in the 155^th anniversary of the fall of Vicksburg, Makowski chose to focus on the May 14^th battle of Jackson. (He appears at 16:50 in their May 16, 2018 Facebook live-stream, at https://www.facebook.com/americanbattlefieldtrust/videos/10156378493898851).

Makowski found that ACW authors have given the battle little coverage compared to the campaign’s great contests such as Grand Gulf, Raymond, and Champion Hill. Indeed, no book had been written specifically on the battle since 1981. The notes he prepared for his ABT talk formed the basis of the book.

Makowski’s work is very readable, less than 190 pages and well organized. (How many books have we passed on or not finished because of too many pages?) Most photos are conveniently on the same page as their relevant text. Lengthy contemporary quotes appear in nearly every paragraph – this is Mackowski allowing the historical figures to speak for themselves. Compare this with a Bruce Catton book in which the author’s voice predominates, with only a few profound quotes included.

Vicksburg and Jackson were key parts of the transportation hub for supplies from Western Trans-Mississippi region to the Confederate armies and the world markets on which the South’s tenuous economy depended. Despite this, the Eastern armies under Robert E. Lee received the greater share of men and resources. The third chapter details the acrimonious conversations between President Davis and his theater commanders which resulted in only a single division sent to reinforce Vicksburg.

Mackowski devotes many pages to coverage of the campaign in newspapers. This is rare in ACW histories, which tend to focus on military communications. Newsmen and citizens were unsparing in their criticism of their generals and politicians' response to the renewed Northern invasion. The reader will sense the rising panic in Mississippi as its fortunes steadily worsened as its numerically superior enemy advanced deeper into the state.

The deficiency was not only in numbers. Johnston and Pemberton could not compare against Grant and Sherman, the Union’s best offensive generals, executing the sixth and final campaign against Vicksburg. President Davis, seeking to galvanize civilian morale against the invaders gave what must be the most hypocritical speech in American history, asking white southerners: “Will you be slaves?”

Having thoroughly set the political, military, and civilian contexts, Mackowski focuses on the May 14^th battle. My main impression was that the individual experiences of the men in this battle compared favorably to other battles. Think of Gettysburg: thousands of men killed and maimed each day for gains of a few hundred yards, or none at all. Martial glory was the last thing in the survivors’ minds.

Compare this to the minor battle of Jackson, a rare case in which at least one side’s men enjoyed the rare thrill of capturing a major objective with relatively few casualties (approximately 300 Union, 800 Confederate). Under a raging thunderstorm, Union troops advanced over hills and swollen creeks, meeting initially firm resistance which at length was overcome. Despite having not eaten in 24 hours, they jubilantly entered the already abandoned city. Officers billeted themselves in Jackson’s fine hotels and statehouses, and soldiers held a mock legislature in the capital of a state whose wealth came from slavery and was the second to secede from the Union. Even the simplest of the men knew the significance of the event.

Mackowski closes the book with a fine gift for the reader – 13 pages detailing sites of interest to visitors to the area. Much map study obviously went into describing the paths of the armies through what is now, for example, a shopping center or highway interchange.

Most authors lift the “fog of war”, the better to make their conclusions; Makowski keeps it in place, which actually results in a greater understanding of what the soldiers and civilians of the time knew and what they did not. I highly recommend this book and his website for any ACW reader.

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Note: The Battle of Jackson is also available in e-editions.

StrategyPage reviews are published in cooperation with The New York Military Affairs Symposium

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