What do you think?
Rate this book
The Beleaguered City the Vicksburg Campaign 1995
This rare and vintage book is a perfect addition to any bibliophile's collection
Hardcover
First published August 8, 1995
12 people are currently reading
440 people want to read
About the author
Shelby Foote
119 books683 followersShelby Dade Foote, Jr. was an American novelist and a noted historian of the American Civil War, writing a massive, three-volume history of the war entitled The Civil War: A Narrative. With geographic and cultural roots in the Mississippi Delta, Foote's life and writing paralleled the radical shift from the agrarian planter system of the Old South to the Civil Rights era of the New South. Foote was relatively unknown to the general public for most of his career until his appearance in Ken Burns's PBS documentary The Civil War in 1990, where he introduced a generation of Americans to a war that he believed was "central to all our lives."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 3, 2016
The Beleaguered City is a Modern Library adaptation of part of Foote's masterpiece, The Civil War. Excerpted for the popular reader, nothing of Foote's careful research or literary skill is lost. While always taking a backseat in American history to Gettysburg (the subject of another Modern Library edition of Foote "Lite"), Vicksburg was arguably the critical campaign of the Civil War -- it permanently severed the Confederacy, guaranteed Federal domination of the nation's premier waterborne transportation route, and made the career of U. S. Grant. Foote's history is a delight -- good scholarship and good writing. I recommend it highly to Civil War buffs and casual readers alike. Just like Stars in Their Courses however, it suffers from poor maps.
October 24, 2020
I picked this up on a visit some years ago to the Vicksburg National Battlefield. I didn't know much about the Vicksburg campaign at the time that I visited the battlefield. I was basically taking a vacation down Highway 61. This included a visit to Clarksburg and a drive down the Natchez Trace - an excellent drive.
I picked up 2 books at the bookstore there. One was the memoir of a lady who had been living in the caves during the siege. And the other was this. Which I have finally finished. Actually thought I had already finished it but caught it hiding on a shelf behind a chair.
This one was very good. I have since picked up Foote's 3-volume Civil War history - but haven't started reading it yet. My visit to the battlefield was quite moving. I discovered that units from my own state of Illinois were among the attackers and had left monuments. And, of course, the general in charge was from Illinois (and Ohio).
A very interesting book and a good introduction to the Vicksburg campaign. I'd read a number of Bruce Catton's books but hadn't remembered much about Vicksburg. Both the Union and the Confederacy wanted to hold Vicksburg because it meant control of the Mississippi River.
I picked up 2 books at the bookstore there. One was the memoir of a lady who had been living in the caves during the siege. And the other was this. Which I have finally finished. Actually thought I had already finished it but caught it hiding on a shelf behind a chair.
This one was very good. I have since picked up Foote's 3-volume Civil War history - but haven't started reading it yet. My visit to the battlefield was quite moving. I discovered that units from my own state of Illinois were among the attackers and had left monuments. And, of course, the general in charge was from Illinois (and Ohio).
A very interesting book and a good introduction to the Vicksburg campaign. I'd read a number of Bruce Catton's books but hadn't remembered much about Vicksburg. Both the Union and the Confederacy wanted to hold Vicksburg because it meant control of the Mississippi River.
December 10, 2018
I obtained this without having known it was excerpted from Foote's series about the Civil War but having gotten a positive impression of him from Ken Burn's Civil War series on PBS. It also is the case that that conflict was the major crisis in the history of the United States, the effects of which are still reflected in the relations between the North and South, Blacks and Whites, urban and rural America.
I've read a lot of books about the war. Those by Bruce Catton, especially his two trilogies, have touched me most deeply, Catton conveying sympathy for the infantrymen who fought on both sides and for the civilians, slave and free, most affected by the conflict. Foote, while he conveys a comparable depth of sympathy in his PBS work, is not so effective in this excerpt, most of which concerns itself with the military and logistical particulars regarding the Union siege of Confederate Vicksburg. This is not, in other words, the book to start with in attempting to grasp the Civil War. It does, however, give the detail of the Vicksburg campaign in a comprehensible fashion.
I've read a lot of books about the war. Those by Bruce Catton, especially his two trilogies, have touched me most deeply, Catton conveying sympathy for the infantrymen who fought on both sides and for the civilians, slave and free, most affected by the conflict. Foote, while he conveys a comparable depth of sympathy in his PBS work, is not so effective in this excerpt, most of which concerns itself with the military and logistical particulars regarding the Union siege of Confederate Vicksburg. This is not, in other words, the book to start with in attempting to grasp the Civil War. It does, however, give the detail of the Vicksburg campaign in a comprehensible fashion.
April 25, 2015
A fair apprisal of the campaign. Foote acknowledges Grant's abilities without vapid hero worship (a problem as of late in books about the general) and his views on Pemberton are fair. Best of all, events outside of Vicksburg, such as Port Hudson and Brashear City, are discussed. All in all this is a good account of the campaign.
November 18, 2025
As a native of Pennsylvania, as concerns the Civil War, I have always been more interested in the war in the East rather than the war in the West (one of my great-greats-greats fought at Gettysburg). But I have lived in Louisiana since 1973, and in Cajun Louisiana since 1993, and this 1963 non-fiction book not only outlines the Northern siege and takeover of the town of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River, but everything having to do with the Northern Campaign from December 1862 to July 1863, covering actions from Port Hudson, Louisiana to Jackson, Mississippi to Helena, Arkansas to Opelousas and Alexandria, Louisiana. And I very much enjoyed reading this book.
Most of the book has to do with General Grant, who was tasked with taking Vicksburg, which was the major Confederate city guarding the Mississippi River. But we hear a lot about Union General Banks, charged with taking Port Hudson, Rear Admiral Porter, who worked closely with Grant in deploying gunboats, ironclads, and transport boats along the Mississippi and the other rivers in the area, and General Sherman. On the other side, we hear a lot about General Pemberton in Vicksburg, General Johnston in eastern Mississippi, and General Gardner in Port Hudson (the other Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi). The attempts by Grant to get on the landward side of Vicksburg were stymied by the very country he was trying to operate in: a land of rivers and bayous, of cypress trees and cypress stumps, and of the land being quite flooded for much of the time he was trying to operate. Meanwhile, Banks could not simply go up the river from New Orleans or Baton Rouge to Port Hudson; he had to swing way to the west, along Bayou Teche, and come down from Alexandria, Louisiana, back to the River, and then down. In the process he passed through Vermillionville (now Lafayette, Louisiana) and Opelousas, which are places I am very familiar with in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
My only objection to this book (which was published by Modern Library) is the lack of an index; however, it does contain about a dozen maps, hand-drawn by the author. And I did enjoy this book; the siege of Vicksburg ended on July 4th, 1863, one day after the last actions in the Battle of Gettysburg on the other side of the country.
Most of the book has to do with General Grant, who was tasked with taking Vicksburg, which was the major Confederate city guarding the Mississippi River. But we hear a lot about Union General Banks, charged with taking Port Hudson, Rear Admiral Porter, who worked closely with Grant in deploying gunboats, ironclads, and transport boats along the Mississippi and the other rivers in the area, and General Sherman. On the other side, we hear a lot about General Pemberton in Vicksburg, General Johnston in eastern Mississippi, and General Gardner in Port Hudson (the other Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi). The attempts by Grant to get on the landward side of Vicksburg were stymied by the very country he was trying to operate in: a land of rivers and bayous, of cypress trees and cypress stumps, and of the land being quite flooded for much of the time he was trying to operate. Meanwhile, Banks could not simply go up the river from New Orleans or Baton Rouge to Port Hudson; he had to swing way to the west, along Bayou Teche, and come down from Alexandria, Louisiana, back to the River, and then down. In the process he passed through Vermillionville (now Lafayette, Louisiana) and Opelousas, which are places I am very familiar with in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
My only objection to this book (which was published by Modern Library) is the lack of an index; however, it does contain about a dozen maps, hand-drawn by the author. And I did enjoy this book; the siege of Vicksburg ended on July 4th, 1863, one day after the last actions in the Battle of Gettysburg on the other side of the country.
October 29, 2012
Shelby Foote’s “The Beleaguered City,” a book-length excerpt from his 3000-page three-volume “The Civil War: A Narrative,” focuses on the Vicksburg campaign of 1862-63, an epic collision of then-modern military technology, trial-and-error tactics, and unforgiving near-Gothic landscape as Grant and Sherman attempted to “break the back” of the south by gaining dominance of the Mississippi river.
It may surprise the modern reader that the small town of Vicksburg was known as the “Gibraltar of the West” for its strategic importance. Its natural setting was unusually challenging, and there is something undeniably novelistic in Foote’s vibrant images of ironclad warships floundering through narrow channels in the Mississippi delta, running gauntlets of burning cotton bales as the machinery of the industrial age attempts to vanquish a swampy agrarian order.
Foote is unapologetically “narrative” is in his technique, as his larger series title suggests, and that approach often rankles academic historians. Idiosyncratic, personal and defiantly undocumented (the only insolent footnote in the entire work is a reference to family history), Foote writes from a less academic, more renegade era of history writing, where novelistic speculation is occasionally allowed to crush objectivity, as in many scenes where the emotions or motivations of key players appear boldly on the page. He is to history writing what Edmund Wilson is literary criticism, addressing the educated reader but not the academic peer. Like Wilson, he is literally (but not qualitatively) amateur.
Foote’s colorful narration springs directly from that amateur’s freedom and it is often at its best when it captures the rawness and immediacy of the campaign’s challenges. Vivid anecdotes of daily experience are often more compelling than the densely informational accounts of military tactics. In those moments, particularly those where Foote quotes officers’ strikingly expressive letters, another era of American life appears vividly in its contrasting mixture of physical challenge and rhetorical eloquence.
In the end, the debate over Foote’s objectivity is fleeting; the reader will never know how much research underlies his compellingly readable account. James MacPherson, one of the most distinguished historians of the same era, offers a ringing endorsement of Foote’s work; I’ll respect the opinion of the author of the definitive one-volume“Battle Cry of Freedom” and rely on his book as a more reliably documented supplement.
It may surprise the modern reader that the small town of Vicksburg was known as the “Gibraltar of the West” for its strategic importance. Its natural setting was unusually challenging, and there is something undeniably novelistic in Foote’s vibrant images of ironclad warships floundering through narrow channels in the Mississippi delta, running gauntlets of burning cotton bales as the machinery of the industrial age attempts to vanquish a swampy agrarian order.
Foote is unapologetically “narrative” is in his technique, as his larger series title suggests, and that approach often rankles academic historians. Idiosyncratic, personal and defiantly undocumented (the only insolent footnote in the entire work is a reference to family history), Foote writes from a less academic, more renegade era of history writing, where novelistic speculation is occasionally allowed to crush objectivity, as in many scenes where the emotions or motivations of key players appear boldly on the page. He is to history writing what Edmund Wilson is literary criticism, addressing the educated reader but not the academic peer. Like Wilson, he is literally (but not qualitatively) amateur.
Foote’s colorful narration springs directly from that amateur’s freedom and it is often at its best when it captures the rawness and immediacy of the campaign’s challenges. Vivid anecdotes of daily experience are often more compelling than the densely informational accounts of military tactics. In those moments, particularly those where Foote quotes officers’ strikingly expressive letters, another era of American life appears vividly in its contrasting mixture of physical challenge and rhetorical eloquence.
In the end, the debate over Foote’s objectivity is fleeting; the reader will never know how much research underlies his compellingly readable account. James MacPherson, one of the most distinguished historians of the same era, offers a ringing endorsement of Foote’s work; I’ll respect the opinion of the author of the definitive one-volume“Battle Cry of Freedom” and rely on his book as a more reliably documented supplement.
July 6, 2022
One does not rush through a Shelby Foote book. It must be absorbed. Only Mr. Foote can write history so that it reads like a novel. The words spring off the page and into your head in that slow Mississippi drawl that he has. He knows it stuff. The people you read about in your history books come to life a little bit more when this author describes them. Vicksburg surrendered on the 4th of July, and I had hoped to finish yesterday but I reread some passages. Even though he is a Southerner, he gives you the facts straight. He does not take sides.
Shelby Foote is a master storyteller. Period. Well worth the read.
Shelby Foote is a master storyteller. Period. Well worth the read.
September 25, 2024
The best of Foote’s work showcases the Siege of Vicksburg, a campaign that doesn’t receive the respect it truly deserves. As a fortress city along the mighty Mississippi River, Vicksburg was the key to holding the Confederacy together. The side that controlled Vicksburg was positioned to win the war. Foote excels at illustrating the city’s strategic importance, the challenges of capturing it, and the hardships faced by both soldiers and civilians during the siege. This book is definitely worth a read for anyone interested in Civil War history.
March 10, 2019
interesting read
May 27, 2019
A brilliant history of the Vicksburg Campaign.
July 19, 2019
A fantastic account of the Vicksburg campaign, with anecdotes about Grant that were very enlightening.
August 1, 2019
This is a perfect book.
April 9, 2022
Great book
February 17, 2017
This short book is mostly an extract from Foote's masterpiece 3 volume Civil War history. Foote gives all the relevant details weaving them in a dramatic narrative style, befitting the novelist he fundamentally was. A great read for Civil War buffs and most worthwhile for readers of general interest.
August 22, 2010
I enjoyed this detailed account of the Vicksburg campaign. It reads more like a play by play of troop movements with sidebar discussions on the strategy. If you're not into military, this probably is not your thing. This book brings to reality the importance of the Vicksburg campaign because of location and Confederate supply chain. We oftentimes see things in other non-military books that make it seem so easy; things like "Grant moved his army South to supplant Stonewall's position" This story fills you in on all the nuances and daily hardships. How to cross that river? Build a bridge on the spot... How are troops going to eat tonight? Commandeer what they could from citizens; or make awful tasting grits with half ground wheat or corn with water. It was good to read into this level of detail and strategy. Is a great companion to the Shaara books of the eastern battles of the Civil War.
March 24, 2008
I listened to this book when I was doing a lot of driving. This is about the siege at Vicksburg. Its the Vicksburg chapters of his famous trilogy on the Civil War. From a history perspective, its a tough battle to get your arms around because it was more of a campaign and siege than a quick 2 or 3 day battle. Foote makes it all come together, but the added benifit is listening to him read it. His quiet southern drawl makes it all the more pleasant to listen to and enjoy. The other good thing is that its a factual account of events and he adds the human interst stories that make it a lot more than just troop movements, figures and body counts. If you can't listen to it, make sure you read it.
November 5, 2011
Thus ends my recent foray into the Civil War. Shelby Foote, himself a Mississippian, provided the narrative in an objective manner but with some sympathy toward Pemberton and the Vickburg defenders who were apparently thrown under the bus by the Richmond government in favor of Lee's pointless invasion of Pennsylvania. With Vicksburg, the Union split the Confederacy in two and regained use of the Mississippi River. Foote was criticized by some for the lack of footnotes (there is only one) or references but he was a story teller and this was only intended to be a narrative -- he told the story as if he was sitting in your living room sipping Southern Comfort and smoking his pipe.
May 17, 2013
Most "Northerners" may not have even heard of the Vicksburg Campaign to caputre the Confederate forterss, divide the Confederacy in two and open up the Mississippi to Northern commerce, but it was arguably more important than even the most famous battle of the Civil War, won just one day earlier at Gettysburg. And Shelby Foote's book is perhaps the best one on the topic. It was a great loss when Foote passed away in 2005. His three volume history is regarded by many as the best contemporary history of the war. (third time I've done this one). And if you like this, you'll like his companion book on the battle of Gettysburg, "Stars in their Courses."
April 16, 2024
Very good description of the Vicksburg Campaign and Siege. Even though though there were some Lost Cause talking points, Foote describes in good detail how Vicksburg played out, it's importance to the Civil War, and it's generals including Ulysses S. Grant. There were times when he jabbed at Grant, creating so many inaccuracies, myths, and stereotypes about Grant that aren't true. Personally, Ron Chernow's biography Grant is the best and most accurate book on Grant I have ever read, and Donald Miller's most recent book on Vicksburg is the best Vicksburg book I have ever read. But Foote's is up there, but not entirely the most detailed as Miller and Chernow are. Four stars.
May 23, 2021
I have copies of both the print and audiobook versions of this work. I like both, but the audiobook version I especially enjoyed because the narrator was Shelby Foote himself.
This work is excerpts from Foote's "The Civil War, Volume 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian". It is a complete recounting of Grant's campaign to capture Vicksburg, including all the attempts that failed, and auxiliary actions to assist this effort. Foote's writing is spare, to the point and gets to the character of the campaigns' participants and the action without encumbering the story with hero worship.
This work is excerpts from Foote's "The Civil War, Volume 2: Fredericksburg to Meridian". It is a complete recounting of Grant's campaign to capture Vicksburg, including all the attempts that failed, and auxiliary actions to assist this effort. Foote's writing is spare, to the point and gets to the character of the campaigns' participants and the action without encumbering the story with hero worship.
October 21, 2018
This one snuck up on me. Now I knew Shelby Foote from the PBS Civil War series, but I didn't realize he could write narrative so well. This one flew along from Grant to Sherman to the doings back in D.C. to the Southern side with Johnston and Pemberton. Foote excels at not letting the quotes slow the piece down. He finds the key lines, the real nuggets, rolls those out and keeps going. It's a wild ride of Americana
October 7, 2013
Shelby Foote is a great writer. He takes this thoroughly interesting but equally confusing campaign and makes it flow as well as possible. The western/ Trans Miss theatre is one that is often ignored in favor of the more famous eastern theatre. I would recommend this to anybody interested in American history and will certainly read more Shelby Foote in the future.
January 22, 2015
Right when you think you know it all, you learn you dont. Mr.Foote , as always, uncovers and brings to light all asoects of this campaign in an excellent manner. Good for the pros, great for the buffs. I got this book from one of my history teachers, Bob Sampson, well over 10 years ago, always been treasured , and just reread it.
June 24, 2009
interesting detail about the civil war campaign, attitudes, politics, etc. A little tedious and too much detail on names/locations I couldn't always follow.
July 31, 2011
One of the best books, ever.
October 18, 2011
Would have liked a little more social and political history to go with the military history but still some good writing.
October 28, 2012
I haven't checked it for sure, but I believe this is functionally just an excerpt of the much larger, The Civil War: A Narrative. However, it is focused and still excellent work by Foote.
July 8, 2016
He is your go to guy when it comes to the Civil War. Quite an interesting character himself and a friend of William Faulkner's.
January 29, 2017
Shelby Foote is one of the best Civil War historians. This account of the siege of Vicksburg is accurate, interesting, and enlightening. An excellent selection for the Civil War buff.
October 7, 2010
A typical well written Foote book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews