Residents of Vicksburg, Miss. had to eat rats throughout the Civil War — that is, until Confederate Gen. John C. Pemberton helped turn everything around.
Dr. Samuel W. Mitcham Jr., a historian and Army veteran, dispelled a number of myths about the famous Vicksburg battle in his upcoming book “Vicksburg: The Bloody Siege That Turned the Tide of the Civil War,” which will be out for sale June 4.
Mitcham’s book reevaluates the famous battle, which was a turning point in the Civil War due to changing power dynamics between the North and South. Mitcham also discussed the Confederate Army’s attempt to preserve the Vicksburg Fortress from October 1862 to July 4, 1863. The author consulted historical letters and diaries, which helped him gather new information about Vicksburg during the time of the siege. (RELATED: John Wilkes Booth Was Apparently The Leonardo DiCaprio Of His Day)
Mitcham explained to The Daily Caller News Foundation that his newest book is different from previous accounts of Vicksburg because it changes the perception of Pemberton from a bad leader to one who strived to keep the Confederacy alive. One common myth is that Pemberton was an indecisive and cowardly leader. However, Mitcham changes the narrative, expressing that he was a general with a resourceful mind and was staunchly committed to preserving the southern Confederacy.
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