Illinois 120th Volunteer Infantry (Union)

Vicksburg

In mid-May, 1863, after six months of unsuccessful attempts, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee finally converged on Vicksburg, defended by a Confederate army under Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton. Capture of the Mississippi River town was critical to Union control of the strategic river. Vicksburg was located on a high river bluff defended with artillery, and Pemberton's men had constructed a series of fortifications in an 8-mile arc surrounding the city on the landward side. After crossing the…READ MORE

Brice's Crossroads

In late May 1864, Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest set out from Mississippi with his cavalry corps to enter Tennessee and destroy the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad, which was carrying men and supplies from Nashville to support Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's campaign against Atlanta. Sherman, who suspected the Confederate cavalry leader would cause havoc behind his lines, ordered Brig. Gen. Samuel Sturgis to move from Memphis to counter Forrest and to control northern Mississippi. Sturgis's first ob…READ MORE