Vicksburg
This is an irrelevant question since the north captured Vicksburg. However, along with Gettysburg, the capture of Vicksburg is seen as the most pivotal point of the war.
My question: the north had control of the Mississippi south of Vicksburg and north of Vicksburg. Why did they have to capture Vicksburg? Why couldn’t they station troops on the west of Vicksburg and on the east side? The entire reasoning of why Vicksburg was so important was that it would seal up the entire Mississippi, cut the confederacy in half, and prevent materials from entering the South. If the entire river was in northern hands, why not just put an army a few miles outside of Vicksburg and that prevent anything from going thru Vicksburg from the west to the east. I just don’t see how the capture of this 1 town closed the entire Mississippi.