The Vicksburg Campaign: Command and Control of a Successful Joint Operation

Abstract

The Vicksburg campaign is an excellent example of a successful joint operation and a superb demonstration of the principles of war. This paper will explore the principle of unity of command and the joint command and control relationship present during the campaign. I will examine the extent to which well defined command and control contributed to successful joint operations in the Vicksburg Campaign. The argument is presented that this command and control arrangement was not clearly delineated at the beginning of the Civil War and was more of an evolutionary progression that combined chance opportunities, unique personalities and fortuitous incidents. General Grant's utilization of key concepts as an operational commander will be explored to determine how joint command and control was structured by the operational commander. This command and control organization was developed to facilitate obtaining the strategic goal of securing the Mississippi River for the North and ultimately strangling the Confederacy.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 08, 1994
Accession Number
ADA279729

Entities

People

  • Jeffrey Harbeson

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Amphibious Operations
  • Center Of Gravity
  • Civil War
  • Command And Control
  • Demonstrations
  • International Relations
  • Military Operations
  • Mississippi
  • Mississippi River
  • Navy
  • New York
  • Personality
  • Rivers
  • Security
  • Universities
  • War Colleges
  • Waterways

Readers

  • Enterprise Information Systems Architecture and Joint Command Capability Interoperability Support.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control