Because Grant had laid siege to the town for several weeks, and the troops and civilians were starving.
As for how Grant had managed to gain the ascendancy, this was partly through his own tactical skill, and partly because the garrison commander (John Pemberton) was at the mercy of conflicting orders from his President and his area commander.
Union General Grant wanted to capture Vicksburg Mississippi because it was a Confederate arsenal with a strategic position on the Mississippi River. It was a railway hub that distributed food from west of the Mississippi to locations in the South. Grant and earlier the Union navy tried to take Vicksburg without success. On the third campaign to capture the city it finally succeeded.
It was a common military strategy. The would starve them out, as going in at them full force and head on could result in many casualties and a big loss for the Union battle. It is a simple, cruel, yet work in answer to the situation. I know that it must sound cruel and mean and all, but that, a siege, has alwaysbeen around. This is and was certainly most meaningful tactic and it definitely promised answers and solutions to the problem at hand, as Grant pulled off yet another siege on Petersburg, successfully.
The largest surrender was Lee surrendering the Army of Northern Virginia to U.S. Grant at Appomattox Court House (April 9th 1865). It was not the last surrender. Joseph E. Johnston surrendered his army to Sherman later the same month, and the final surrender was at Palmito Ranch, Texas in May. PS. Checking the troop-numbers, I find that Lee surrendered only 28,000 men. In July 1863, Grant had captured 30,000 men after the siege of Vicksburg. So it could be that Vicksburg represented the biggest surrender.
What are the causes of when Lee met Grant and agreed to surrender ?
Port Hudson
Vicksburg was to valuable as a river port to destroy.
Ulysses S. Grant - apexxx.(:
Grant accepted Pemberton's surrender to end the Siege of Vicksburg.
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant won the battle at Vicksburg making Lee surrender
Grant received Pemberton's surrender on July 4th, 1863.
When Union General US grant was the victor in a number of battles prior to the siege of Vicksburg, he was known for his policy of "unconditional surrender. This was not the case in the siege and fall of Vicksburg.After consulting with his generals on the two choices they had, which was to try to battle their way out of Vicksburg or surrender, the consensus was to surrender. After that decision they asked General Grant for terms of surrender. With that said, Grant realized that Vicksburg had almost 30,000 troops in the city. Dealing with all of these prisoners would have slowed down Grant's future plans to a maximum level. Grant then followed the then accepted practice of paroling the Rebel soldiers.
Vicksburg, Mississippi surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant on July 4, 1863 and a siege that lasted several months. Interestingly, because the surrender took place on that date, Vicksburg did not celebrate Independence Day until 1941.
Grant forced its surrender closing the Mississippi River to southern traffic.
Grant forced the city's surrender following a six-week siege.
Grant starved them out for forty days and pounded them with artillery until they surrendered.
Grant starved them out for forty days and pounded them with artillery until they surrendered.
Grant forced Pemberton's surrender after a month-long siege.
U.S. commander U.S. Grant forced Pemberton's surrender on July 4, 1863.