The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, Volume 7

Volume 7 documents Grant’s winter of discontent. In late December, his Mississippi Central campaign, an overland drive toward Vicksburg, was fatally dis­rupted by Confederate cavalry raids. Forced to withdraw northward, Grant could not apply pressure on the enemy when Major General William T. Sher­man attacked Vicksburg directly. Sher­man suffered a disastrous repulse at Chickasaw Bayou, and Grant pulled back to Memphis and, during the win­ter, continued to cope with the myriad administrative problems of his de­partment.

Balancing the North’s need for cotton against the need to prevent cash from flowing to the enemy created constant tension. Infuriated by unscrupulous cotton speculators, Grant issued orders on December 17 expelling the Jews from his department. This controversial and puzzling document receives extensive analysis in this volume.