http://www.nps.gov/vick/index.htm
"Vicksburg is the nail head that holds the South's two halves together...Vicksburg is the key"
Two statements, two Presidents, both aware of the importance of the city on the Mississippi River. President Davis knew it was vital to hold the city for the Confederacy to survive. President Lincoln wanted the key to gain control of the river and divide the South. Vicksburg National Military Park commemorates this campaign and its significance as a critical turning point of the Civil War.