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siege of Vicksburg

siege of Vicksburg

9.5
A long 1863 military attack during the American Civil War when Union troops surrounded and captured Vicksburg
  • noun
  • /siːdʒ əv ˈvɪksbɜːrɡ/
translation icon : asedio de Vicksburg
  • Union General Ulysses S. Grant led the siege of Vicksburg, which lasted for nearly seven weeks in 1863.

Examples

  • Regardless of the circumstances of their meeting, Gibbs made a massive purchase of property from Reuben Manning on July 11, 1863, just after Union General Ulysses S. Grant's successful siege of Vicksburg.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Walking back to the motel, he'd thought about the proud heritage of the city, how the people had endured the siege of Vicksburg with style and grace, and how far we'd come since that time.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The siege of Vicksburg was a turning point in the American Civil War, resulting in the surrender of Confederate forces.

  • During the siege of Vicksburg, residents faced food shortages and difficult living conditions for weeks.

Synonyms

Vicksburg
vssiege of Vicksburg
8.6

A key 1863 Civil War battle where Union forces surround and capture the city

is the broader military campaign covering the prolonged siege and operations

Surface Forms

Morphology

siege + of + Vicksburg

The phrase is fully compositional: 'siege' (a prolonged military encirclement) + 'of' + the place name 'Vicksburg' straightforwardly denotes a siege that occurred at that town. A B1 learner who knows the constituents will therefore understand it refers to the military action against Vicksburg, even if they lack specific historical details.

Etymology

Siege of Vicksburg is the name of a real 1863 event when Union troops surrounded the town of Vicksburg and cut off its food and supplies for weeks. Because the city was trapped and had to 'surrender', the phrase brings to mind a long, deciding attack that forces a place to give up.