(A) it could control the movement of trade and goods
(B) it was a natural division to “split the South”
(C) it was an easier invasion route to the South than by land
(D) ** all of the above
EXPLANATIONS BELOW
Concept note-1: -Following the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862, General Ulysses S. Grant’s Union army moved south. Grant hoped to secure control of the Mississippi River for the Union. By having control of the river, Union forces would split the Confederacy in two and control an important route to move men and supplies.
Concept note-2: -With the loss of Confederate general John C. Pemberton’s army after the siege at Vicksburg and a Union victory at Port Hudson five days later, the Union controlled the entire Mississippi River and the Confederacy was split in half.
Concept note-3: -Control of the Mississippi River during the American Civil War was an economic and psychological factor for both the North and the South. For many years, the river had served as a vital waterway for midwestern farmers shipping their goods to the eastern states by way of the Gulf of Mexico.
Concept note-4: -The 47-day Siege of Vicksburg eventually gave control of the Mississippi River-a critical supply line-to the Union, and was part of the Union’s successful Anaconda Plan to cut off all trade to the Confederacy.