The Battle of Vicksburg was a major turning point of the American Civil War. It lasted from December 29, 1862, to January 11, 1863. After the battle ended, it split the Confederacy in half and literally started the beginning of the end of the American Civil War. Before the battle, the Union had only limited success in achieving their military goals. Soon, after months of difficult fighting and military setbacks, the Union had many military successes in 1863, along with the inclusion of black American people in the Union military. The war ended in less than 3 years after the Union officially allowed African Americans to fight for freedom and justice. 1863 was the year when the Confederacy was started to end its wicked reign. Union General U.S. Grant's troops battled the Confederates in Kentucky and central Tennessee by late 1862. The major focus of the Union's western campaign was in the Mississippi River (as it is the lifeblood of the spread of tons of resources in America economically). The Anaconda Plan (of using a blockade of the Atlantic Ocean to prevent supplies from going to the Confederacy) depended on gaining control of the Mississippi River. That would cut the South in half. The Confederacy had Port Hudson, Louisiana, and Vicksburg, Mississippi. Lincoln said that "Vicksburg is the key!...The War can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket." General Grant made many attempts to win Vicksburg, but Vicksburg, being controlled by the Union, would not be easy. The fortress of the Confederates at Vicksburg was high above the Mississippi waters. On the city's western edge, Confederate gunners could use deadly fire on gunboats that might come to them. In May 1862, the rebels started one assault under Union Admiral David Farragut. Grant even tried to dig a canal, so Union ships could bypass the area of the river ruled by Vicksburg batteries. Farragut failed. A Union assault in late 1862 stalled out in the many swamps, creeks, and woods guarding the northern part of the city. By the spring of 1863, Union General Grant made a new plan to take over the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg. Grant would march his troops southward through Louisian to a point south of Vicksburg. At the same time, he ordered a cavalry attack on rail lines in central Mississippi to draw Confederate attention away from the city. By April 20, 1863, some 20,000 of Grant's men crossed the river and headed northeast to capture the Mississippi state capital at Jackson. After ruling the city, the Union turned west to Vicksburg, gaining control of the main rail line leading into the city and farmers. Vicksburg was completely cut off.
General Grant made two frontal assaults against the Confederates but failed to break their defenses. So, on May 22, 1863, Grant placed Vicksburg under siege. A siege is a military tactic in which an army surrounds, bombards, and cuts off all supplies to an enemy to force it to surrender. For over a month, Union guns kept up a steady fire from land and river. Many civilians were walking in the street hearing bombs regularly. The constant fire and lack of supplies slowly weakened the rebels' defenses in Vicksburg. Finally, on July 4, 1863, the Confederate commander found that the situation was hopeless and ordered his rebel forces to surrender. The siege of Vicksburg was over, and the Union had a great victory. Days later, after it had learned of the Vicksburg surrender, the Confederate garrison at Port Hudson, Louisiana also surrendered to the Union. With these places being ruled by the Union again, the Confederacy was split in two. The American Civil War was entering its final phase.
The Union troops advanced in the West. The situation was different in the East. There was the Union victory at Antietam, Maryland, and Lincoln soon replaced General McClellan for failing to pursue the retreating Confederates. McClellan's successor was General Ambrose Burnside, headed south, hoping to win a big victory. The Army of the Potomac met with General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at Fredericksburg, Virginia, by December 1862. I'm from Virginia, so Fredericksburg is in Northern Virginia near the mountains. Burnside had 120,000 troops, while Lee had fewer than 80,000 people. General Lee aided by General Stonewall Jackson and James Longstreet, soundly defeated the new Union commander. Union casualties were more than double that of the Confederacy. President Abraham Lincoln replaced Burnside with General Joseph Hooker, who launched his own offensive against General Lee in the Spring. The two armies clashed at Chancellorsville, just west of Fredericksburg. The Confederates defeated the Union in that battle. The loss at the Battle of Chancellorsville harmed the Union. President Lincoln was angry over the defeat, saying what will the country say. In that battle, Stonewall Jackson lost his life fighting. He was shot accidentally by his own men. Jackson died a few days after the battle. Lee was upset over the loss of Jackson, but Lee wanted to have international support to demoralize the Union. General Lee made a huge error by desiring to invade the North. By June 1863, Lee's army went through Virginia's Shenandoah Valley and going into Union territory to go to Pennsylvania.
Robert E. Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania made many Union forces have grave concerns. The Union Army of the Potomac was headed by General Geroge Meade, and he wanted to engage the Confederate forces. A Confederate unit headed for the town of Gettysburg, because they wanted to get footwear from the shoe factory there. On the morning of July 1, 1863, General Lee's soldiers ran into several bridges of Union cavalry commanded by General John Buford. Buford's men spread out northwest of town and called for reinforcements. This was the start of the important Battle of Gettysburg. This battle would first for the next three days with massive causalities among both sides. When the first battle started on the first day, both sides fought. The Confederates won at first. They pushed the smaller Union force back through the town and came onto higher ground to the south. By night time, they halted the Confederate advance. This allowed General Meade to bring up the rest of his Union army and strengthen the Union position. Union troops dug in along a two and a half mile defense line from Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill southward along Cemetery Ridge. The Federal line ended at two more rocky Hill, Little Round Top and Big Round Top. The Union now held the high ground. So, Confederate General James Longstreet regretted that reality. When July 2 came, Lee's men prepared to assault both ends of the Union line. Lee ordered one force to move against the northern part of Meade's defenses while General Longstreet attacked the southern end of Cemetery Ridge. By late afternoon, Longstreet's troops fought against a large body of Union soldiers that had mistaken abandoned Little Round Top and moved westward off Cemetry Ridge. Both sides fought each other for hours in some of the fiercest fighting of the war. Yet, the rebels failed to breach the Union line. The Union troops found the undefended position on Little Round Top. They hurried forward just in time to meet the gray tide of Confederates rushing uphill. Anchoring the Union defense on the hilltop was a Maine unit under Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain. Chamberlain's men stood firm against numerous Confederate attacks. Yet, their numbers and ammunition decreased. Chamberlain ordered a bayonet charge that shocked and scattered his exhausted rebel enemy. Hundreds of Confederates surrendered, and the fighting ended. Night fell, and the Union still had the high ground. General Lee was not fearful despite opposition from Longstreet. Lee believed that he had a victory in sight. The General Lee of the Confederacy attacked the one more time. The result was disastrous. In the early afternoon of July 3, 1863, Lee started an artillery barrage aimed at the center of the Union line. He had hope that his cannon would break the Union defenses in advance of an infantry attack on Cemetry Ridge. When Lee's men including a division under General George Pickett marched to the ridge, thousands of Confederates were mowed down by Union rifle and cannon fire.
The failure of Pickett's charge caused Lee to reposition his division. Pickett told Lee that he doesn't have a division now. The Battle of Gettysburg was over. Over 50,000 men were dead and wounded. Almost of half of these were Confederates, nearly a third of Lee's fighting force. After the Battle of Gettysburg, there was no doubt that the Union would win the American Civil War. The only question was when the Confederacy would finally surrender. Lee stopped his invasion of the North. He came back to Virginia with his army. The South was never the same. In November 1863, President Abraham Lincoln came to Gettysburg battlefield to honor the fallen soldiers. The land of Gettysburg is sacred land for us Americans, because men lost their lives in the most brutal war in America's history in American soil. President Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address said that the Civil War was a struggle to fulfill the Declaration of Indepedence's words of all men are created equal and to preserve a nation to be unified. He called the government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the Earth. After the victories of Vicksburg and Gettysburg, the Union continued to advance in the war. Lee's troops were in retreat and the Mississippi River was in Union's hands. Britain and France didn't officially recognize the Confederacy. The Confederate won some battles at Chickamauga, Georgia, but the South was soon to be defeated.
President Lincoln recalled General Ulyssess Grant from the Mississippi Valley by early 1864 to control the entire Union military effort. Lincoln knew that Grant wanted total victory. He was right. Grant wanted the Union to have a victory at the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia. Grant's campaign would last for many months. Grant fought Lee's army in the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, and Cold Harbor. Grant wanted to cause many losses to the Confederates in a firm fashion to cause the rebels to surrender. Thousands of Union and Confederate forces died in battles in Virginia. Some in the North shown public outrage. Grant's attack targeted the South's military and a total war philosophy to target rebel supplies, so the will of the rebels would not cause them to fight. The South had many losses. The Union's total war plan was displayed by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman. In May 1864, he set out from the Tennessee Georgia border with 60,000 troops on a 250-mile march to the port of Savannah, Georgia. He marched to the sea. Sherman allowed his men to get supplies and burn things left behind which was of value. He came into Georgia, and Sherman's army tore up railroad tracks, destroyed buildings, and vandalized hundreds of private homes. Sherman captured Atlanta by September 2, 1864, and forced residents to leave. Atlanta was burned to the ground by Sherman's forces. Many Southerners called Sherman a brute, but slavery (which included rape, abuse, whippings, amputations, families being separated) was much more brutal than buildings being burned to the ground. I don't agree with vandalism or innocent property being destroyed unnecessarily, but human life is more important than property. Sherman captured Savannah by late December 1864. The Presidential election of 1864 caused President Abraham Lincoln to be re-elected again. He won it in November 1864. Lincoln's Presidential campaign was not easy as he lost support even in his own party. Some Republicans thought that he had too much authority, and some felt that he didn't do enough to stop slavery. Democrats were split and nominated Union commander George McClellan as the nominee. Many Union soldiers came home to vote for Lincoln as many Union victories existed. McClellan won 45 percent of the popular, but Lincoln won 212 of 233 electoral votes. The re-elction of President Abraham Lincoln was righteous in ending the chance of the Confederacy finding a peace deal with the Confederacy existing as a separate nation. By the Summer of 1864, General Grant drove up to Richmond. Yet, a Petersburg, Virginia (20 miles south of Richmond), the Confederates made a desperate stand.
Petersburg was a major railroad center. Grant wanted Petersburg to cut off rail lines to Richmond. Then, Grant turned to siege tactics like he did at Vicksburg. During the summer, fall, and winter of 1864, Grant's forces surrounded Petersburg. Fighting happened. Both side had trenches and used fortifications to guard attack. By March 1865, both sides had defenses 30 miles around Petersburg. The fighting was hard with more than 40,000 Union casualties and 28,000 Confederate deaths. Then, Union strength grew in comparison to the Confederate forces. By this time, the rebels wanted peace talks. By February 1865, Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens met with Abraham Lincoln to have an end to the war. Yet, talks failed. One reason was that Abraham Lincoln wanted to promote the Thirteenth Amendment which would ban slavery. The Confederates refused to oppose slavery. The 13th Amendment was ratified by December 1865. Abraham Lincoln knew that victory was inevitable, so he wanted the Confederates to be reunited with Union after the war was over. Many Northerners wanted the South to be harshly punished. By March 1865, President Abraham Lincoln gave his Second Inaugural Address being his most progressive speech. He said in the speech that slavery was immoral and the war was God's judgement against America for oppressing black people. He wanted no malice and the Confederates to surrender and be reunited with the Union with a generous reconciliation. Weeks later, the Confederates failed to make a final assault to end the siege at Petersburg. Lee ordered a retreat from Petersburg on the night of April 2, 1865. Then, Richmond was left defenseless, evacuated, and set aflame. Lee wanted to work with the rebels in North Carolina. Yet, Union forces went after Lee's forces. The rebels had a lack of food and constant Union resistance. Finally, Lee and his starving , exhausted soldiers were trapped in the town of Appomattox Court House, Virginia. On April 9, 1865, General Lee finally surrendered to General Grant. The Union general refused to allow his soldiers to gloat. General Lee said "The war is over...the rebels are our countrymen again."
The Civil War continued for months after April 1865. The South had 170,000 rebels. It would be until June 1865 when other Confederate generals all over the South surrendered. In Texas, African Americans celebrated June 19, 1865 as Juneteenth, the day of the news of surrender reached the Southwest. The Union won because of many reasons. The South in the beginning had unified leadership in Generals. Yet, the Union had more soldiers, more factories, more technological power, and a higher population to resist the rebels. Generals Grant and Sherman used tactics to decrease the time of the war, and new African American soldiers in the war helped to end the war sooner too. President Abraham Lincoln changed by the American War to see the war as bigger than just preserving the Union. He saw the American Civil War as a moral cause to give America a new birth of freedom in ending slavery and expanding the role of the federal government to help the people. The determination of African Americans and Lincoln definitely played a large role in causing a Union victory. Over 600,000 Americans died in the Civil War being huge.
Sean Combs or Diddy has one of the most notorious falls from grace in history. How can a person went from being one of the most innovative entertainers in our generation to be a person who committed massive evils and being accused of sexual assault, financial corruption, sex trafficking, etc.? It comes by Diddy turning over to evil and being a degenerate nihilist. We have to be clear to follow righteousness, and the story of Diddy is a major lesson on how we should treat women, men, and all people with dignity and respect without abuse and without exploitation. Diddy was born up North on November 4, 1969 at Harlem, New York City. He was raised in Mount Vernon, New York. His mother Janice Combs was a model and teacher's assistant. His father was Melvin Earl Combs, who served in the U.S. Air Force and was a drug dealer (who was an associate of convicted New York drug dealer Frank Lucas). Diddy's father was murdered in his own car on Central Park West. Diddy's sister is Keisha, and the family grew up in poverty. Diddy was raised Catholic and served as an alter boy. Diddy graduated from Mount Saint Michael Academy, an all-boys Catholic school by 1987. He played football for the academy and his team won a division title in 1986. He was called Puff because he would huff and puff when he was angry. He learned to be a businessman by majoring at Howard University with a business major. Paula Jai Parker said that Diddy was jumped by people in Howard. His trauma after his father died certainly played a role in his competitive nature. Diddy would throw parties in Howard constantly. He worke for Uptown Records as an intern back in 1990. His mentor was the label founder Andre Harrell, who helped to grow the careers of Jodeci and Mary J. Blige. Diddy mentored Usher when he was a child. Usher said that when he was 13 years old, he saw wild things in Combs's home. By 1991, everything would change forever. Combs promoted an AIDS fundraiser with Heavy D held at the City College of New York (CCNY) gymnasium. following a charity basketball game. The event was oversold, and a stampede happened causing 9 people to die. One of the doors were left closed for up to 15 minutes as the crushing of people were worse. 29 people were injured. Multiple death and personal injury lawsuits were filed. Diddy formed his own label called Bad Boy Records which would be one of the most successful label in hip hop and R&B music. He signed the Notorious B.I.G, 112, Total , Mase, Father MC, Carl Thomas, Faith Evans, and other people. The Hitmen production team worked with Aretha Franklin, TLC, Mariah Carey, Usher, Lil' Kim, and other people. Mase and the Lox joined Bad Boy for a time. Diddy lived in the Death Row vs. Bad Boy rivalry that turned violent. The media promoted the feud as an East Coast and West Coast feud which it wasn't. It was about 2 men (Diddy and Suge Knight) who had a lot of pride and didn't act like grown men to settle their differences as men.
Back then during the 1990s, only a few people knew of Diddy's abuse of women, his corruption, and his maniac anger. Back then, we all know about Suge Knight's acts of violence, maniac anger, and abuse of people. Diddy produced many songs for TLC's CrazySexyCool. By 1996, Diddy started his hip hop career. Can't Nobody Hold Me Down was his first single. His No Way Out album was very popular. He earned money, worked with Stevie J, and used samples to make hip hop hits. His shiny suit era was criticized by many as being too commercialized involving hip hop music. 1999 was a time that would change his life forever again. In April 1999, Diddy assaulted Steve Stoute unjustly for Stoute the Hate My Now video was aired showing Combs being crucified (to Combs, this was blasphemous). By the end of 1999, Combs was accused of firing a weapon at a woman in a club. To this day, Combs denied wrongdoing, but the victim to this day maintains that Diddy pulled the trigger. Shyne went to jail for years over the tragic situation. Diddy starred in movies like Carlito's Way: Rise to Power and Raisin in the Sun. Press Play was his album from 2006. By this time in already has children with Misa Hylton, Kimberly Porter, and started to date Cassie from 2007 to 2018. Cassie would bring tons of evidence to prove that Diddy abused her, allowed sexual actions done to her, and manipulate her in grotesque ways. There is a video from a hotel showing Diddy beating up Cassie. There is no excuse for abusing a human being period.
Spring 2025 is almost here. 2025 is a year filled with massive anniversaries. For example, this year is the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea, the 80th year anniversary of the end of World War II, the 20 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the 60th year anniversary of Bloody Sunday including the Voting Rights Act, the 100th year anniversary of the birth of Malcolm X, the the 30th year anniversary of the Million Man March, the 30th year anniversary of the end of the O.J. Simpson Trial (the trial of the 20th century), the 50th year anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, the 50th anniversary of The Jeffersons, and the 160th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War. In our generation, the far right movement has increased, even brainwashing some people in Generation Z. The Trump agenda is not only about promoting xenophobia, sexism (as promoted by the red pill crowd, Hoteps, and other bigots), racism, and scapegoating of progressives. They believe in the myth of laissez faire capitalism where they desire legitimate government institutions to be gone and nearly all regulations (even legitimate regulations to promote health and environmental standards) to be eliminated from society. The big lie is that Trump is independent of the elites when the billionaire elites fund Trump from the start. Also, one lesson is don't take the bait. Many agents want to bait people to go out in the street to cause chaos, so people's lives can be ruined and the authorities can pass more fascist policies. Don't do unjust violence against people or property. Always maintain your views and be constructive in opposing fascism. The racist Elon Musk using DOGE to try to sell the historic Freedom Rides Museum in Montgomery, Alabama outlines the MAGA cult's hatred of black history. The enemy wants to erase black history. That is why we must focus on working in our communities to build solutions. We must oppose evil.
During this Spring of 2025, it is important to promote things that matter. What matters aren't about ego, materialism, or clout. What truly matters deal with family, friends, community, health, investments, institutions, generational wealth being passed down through generations, fighting for justice almsgiving, and other important topics that should be discussed worldwide. Reading literature, appreciating the environment, growing social skills and emotional maturity, improving health (including knowing your family health issues, eating healthy foods, getting check ups, and exercising on a regular basis), etc. will create a long term legacy are vital in living a much more successful life than the status quo. There is nothing wrong with men and women to have their own spaces to express their views, to have therapy, and find ways of empowerment in a progressive fashion too.
20 years after Katrina, we have learned many lessons. Like Andrew, we have increasingly know about the value of weather and climate change. Since the days of President Lyndon Baines Johnson, experts have warned the public back in the 1960s about increased overall temperatures globally as a product of greenhouse gases. That is why in the 21st century alone, hurricanes have increased their intensity and power over the world's oceans. Also, we have to reckon with the economic, environmental, and social challenges still plaguing New Orleans and poor areas of America. There are still toxic locations in America wherefore the chemicals on the ground have contributed to high cancer rates. Environmental racism is very real, which is why activists have fought against toxic, environmentally dangerous chemicals being promoted in communities, especially in black communities. Since Katrina, there is a higher consciousness of understanding about storm warnings, our technologies have improved in predicting storm surge and other components of a hurricane, and flood and disaster insurance has grown. The problems even in 2025 are the threats of gentrification, privatization, and housing displacements still in existence. With cuts to NOAA and the whitewashing or black contributions by extremists, we have to be keenly aware of what we are up against. We are up against a seriously nefarious oligarchy that seeks privatization at all costs, no equality for certain people, and a distorted view of what America truly ought to be. America is meant to embrace diversity, fight for justice for all, and have a sense of humility to show the world that we are living examples of righteousness. Unfortunately, you have evil people who want the opposite for America. One legacy of Katrina is that we have to reckon with the trauma and mental health issues of the victims of that disaster. A lot of people suffer in silence, and we have to show empathy and promote programs to build up people who experience anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and post-traumatic disorder. We have to confront pollution, lead contamination, and real environmental issues. The Caesars Superdome is now restored, new restaurants have existed, and its population is nearly close to its original population numbers back in 2005. Yet, more work is needed in New Orleans. Katrina caused more human suffering, and the massive economic inequality and racial injustice still present in America. Our people (and other insightful people of every color) already knew of these realities, and we have the responsibility to fight for real change.
In memoriam, Hurricane Katrina changed America and the world today. Katrina caused almost 2,000 human beings to die in southeast Louisiana and coastal Mississippi plus Alabama. From Monday, August 29, 2005, it was one of the top ten strongest hurricanes in American history. Levees failed and most of New Orleans was completed flooded. For days, innocent residents in the Gulf Coast region were not able to evacuate and begged authorities to save their lives (as many elderly and poor people didn't have cars). Many human beings have to rescued from the rooftops or lived in the Superdome where condition deteriorated. For decades, the powers that be didn't do enough for decades to improve the infrastructure of New Orleans and improve hurricane warning system. That among other factors contributed to high casualty rates from Katrina. Witnesses have exposed police brutality, harsh responses by the police and local authorities, and other problems with the federal government response too. The massive social systems were ruled mostly by select giant corporations who desire profit beyond human need. FEMA has been rightfully criticized for its response. Also, while Wall Street banks have been given billions of dollars in bailout money, but thousands of people have been displaced without just compensation. Climate change has increased the power of hurricanes, and we have to know about Hurricane Katrina to make sure that meeting the needs of the people matter more than an obsession with profit.
By Timothy