Ulysses S. Grant’s ingenious campaign to capture the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River was one of the most decisive events of the Civil War and one of the most storied military expeditions in American history. The ultimate victory at Vicksburg effectively cut the Confederacy in two, gave control of the river to Union forces, and delivered a devastating blow from which the South never fully recovered. Editors Steven E. Woodworth and Charles D. Grear have assembled essays ...

"In 'He Who Finds a Wife Finds a Good Thing,' Michael Ballard offers a divinely inspired guide to understanding the profound essence of marriage from a Christian perspective. Drawing from his personal journey, filled with trials, triumphs, and invaluable lessons, Ballard delves deep into the roles of women as godly wives and the sanctity of marriage.This book isn't just another relationship manual. It's a spiritual compass, guiding readers through the intricacies of love, commitmen...

Mississippi State University was founded in 1878 and opened its doors in 1880 as a land-grant school de-signed for teaching agriculture and mechanical arts. Building upon the work of John K. Bettersworth, Michael B. Ballard traces the evolution of this institution. From the beginning, first president Stephen D. Lee wanted to expand the university\'s vi-sion beyond agriculture and engineering. While admit-ting that these should be the focal points, the school gra-dually introduced studies i...

From the first Union attack on Vicksburg in the spring of 1862 through Benjamin Grierson's last raid through Mississippi in late 1864 and early 1865, this book traces the campaigns, fighting, and causes and effects of armed conflict in central and North Mississippi, where major campaigns were waged and fighting occurred.The Civil War in Mississippi: Major Campaigns and Battles will be a must-read for any Mississippian or Civil War buff who wants the complete story of the C...

This book explores the remarkable journeys that ducks, geese, and swans undertake each year in search of suitable migratory stopover and wintering habitats. It delves into the seasonal challenges that dictate the lives of waterfowl, highlighting their mobility, evolved behaviors, and nutritional strategies that allow them to be successful in an ever-changing world. The narrative combines scientific insights with field observations, offering a detailed understanding of the remarkable adapta...

A well-to-do planter and slave owner in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, Levi Holloway Naron was an unlikely supporter of the Union. And yet, at the outbreak of war in 1861, his agitation against the Confederacy so outraged his fellow Mississippians that they drove him from his home. Bent on retaliation, Naron headed North, contacted the Union army, and was ushered into the presence of General William T. Sherman, who quickly saw the possibilities for employing such a man. Thus began Levi Nar...

Actions, they are what sculpt and define us as humans. The same holds true for our hero William and what defines him as such. As “The Haunted Forest” begins you find nothing different or even special about this boy until adversity finds him.

On May 22, 1863, after two failed attempts to take the city of Vicksburg by assault, Major General Ulysses S. Grant declared in a letter to the commander of the Union fleet on the Mississippi River that “the nature of the ground about Vicksburg is such that it can only be taken by a siege.” The 47-day siege of Vicksburg orchestrated by Grant resulted in the eventual surrender of the city and fulfilled a major strategic goal for the Union: command of the Mississippi River for the remainder ...

Michael Ballard provides a concise yet thorough study of the 1863 battle that cut off a crucial river port and rail depot for the South and split the Confederate nation, providing a turning point in the Civil War. The Union victory at Vicksburg was hailed with as much celebration in the North as the Gettysburg victory and Ballard makes a convincing case that it was equally important to the ultimate resolution of the conflict.

From the first Union attack on Vicksburg in the spring of 1862 through Benjamin Grierson's last raid through Mississippi in late 1864 and early 1865, this book traces the campaigns, fighting, and causes and effects of armed conflict in central and North Mississippi, where major campaigns were waged and fighting occurred.The Civil War in Mississippi: Major Campaigns and Battles will be a must-read for any Mississippian or Civil War buff who wants the complete story of the C...

On April 10, 2001, Sandra Baker, a recently separated, forty-five-year-old mother of two, went for a facelift-and a new lease on life. But the nurse anesthetist was a woman from her past. And Sandra's future was in jeopardy...Decades before, in a world of high school cliques and competition, Sally Jordan Hill had a crush on a guy whose attentions turned toward Sandra. Little did Sandra know how jealous Sally might have been...Once Nurse Sally had Sandra in her care, she adm...

The Vicksburg campaign was among the longest of the Civil War, lasting from 26 May 1862 to 4 July 1863. This Civil War Short provides a compelling narrative of the final six weeks of the campaign, excerpted from Michael Ballard’s Vicksburg: The Campaign That Opened the Mississippi, which blends strategy and tactics with the human element, reminding us that while Gettysburg has become the focal point of the history and memory of the Civil War, the outcome at Vicksburg was met with ...