I could go on, but suffice to say, Smith's book is excellent and left me with lots of food for thought. I wound up picking up his entire Vicksburg series and spending a weekend on the battlefield and campaign sites. Worth a read, worth a visit, worth further thoughts! (Pic is #Raymond Battlefield)

And while Grant's army doesn't live entirely off the land--and only for a few weeks--no doubt Sherman took note of the viability of the strategy, one he would enjoy next year in his famed March to the Sea.

The destruction of Jackson hints at the growing total/hard war nature do the conflict. 10/

Third theme: we see glimpses in the Inland Campaign of later 1864 operations. Grant fights and wins 5 battles in 17 days before the siege. On a grander scale, he'll execute this kind of semi-continuous fighting with the enemy in the 64 Overland Campaign. No fight a battle, recover for weeks here 9/

Subordinates questioned the wisdom of this, notably Sherman and McClernand. But Grant was SURE, and subordinates followed orders. His decision to take Jackson before Vicksburg highlights his flexibility & confidence. Moreover, his army corps were always in supporting distance. Bold but competent! 8/

Crossing into MS gave him no room to retreat. It cut his supply lines for a time. Throughout the campaign, he relied on a mix of convoy supply trains and living off the land. Neither was enough to feed his army alone. Men went hungry. Threat of starvation was REAL. Grant had to move quickly. 7/