Vicksburg's location on the horseshoe bend of the river had suggested a
solution to the Vicksburg problem the previous summer. By digging a
canal across the peninsula below Vicksburg and diverting the river
through it, unarmored transports could bypass the city batteries and
deliver troops safely to the bluffs below. In January, Sherman's Corps,
assisted by dredging machines, began excavation of the mile-long canal.
This project continued until March when a sudden rise in the river
flooded the peninsula, driving the troops to the levees, and destroying
much of their work.
[Illustration: _Pivot-gun and crew of the Union warship
_Wissahickon_, which fought the Vicksburg batteries._ From
_Photographic History of the Civil War_.]
[Illustration: GRANT'S CANAL
_FEBRUARY-MARCH 1863_]
By digging a canal across the mile-wide peninsula, Grant hoped to
by-pass the Vicksburg batteries, move the army on transports below
the city, and attack from the south.
[Illustration: _Union soldiers at work on Grant's canal opposite
Vicksburg._ From a wartime sketch.]