Which principle did Ulysses S. Grant effectively apply during the Vicksburg Campaign through naval and ground cooperation?

• A. Maneuver and Combined Arms
• B. Pure attrition without coordination
• C. Guerrilla warfare against supply lines
• D. Total reliance on naval power alone

Answer: (A)

Maneuver and combined arms: Grant coordinated naval control of the Mississippi with decisive ground operations to shape the battlefield and compel the surrender of Vicksburg. The Navy kept the river open, allowing Union transports, gunboats, and siege support to reach and maneuver against the city, while Grant’s army moved inland, crossing the Mississippi at Bruinsburg, marching to threaten Vicksburg from multiple directions, and then executing a siege that squeezed the fortress from the land and from the river. This integrated approach demonstrates how mobility, surprise, and the synchronized use of different arms create a pressure that neither service could achieve alone. It wasn’t pure attrition, nor irregular guerrilla fighting, nor reliance on naval power alone—the success depended on a deliberate blend of river power and ground maneuver working together to isolate and defeat the enemy.