Which Mississippi town surrendered on July 4, 1863, giving the Union control of the Mississippi River?

• A. Jackson
• B. Natchez
• C. Meridian
• D. Vicksburg

Answer: (D)

Controlling the Mississippi River was a decisive strategic aim in the Civil War, and this item points to the exact event that achieved it: the surrender of a key river city on a summer day in 1863. Vicksburg sits high above the river and commanded the main route for traffic and supplies along the Mississippi. When it fell on July 4, 1863, the Union finally held uninterrupted control of the river, effectively cutting the Confederacy in two and severing western supply lines from the eastern states. This victory, led by Ulysses S. Grant, sealed the river as a Union highway and strengthened the overall push toward victory.

The other towns listed don’t fit that specific milestone. Jackson was a major city in Mississippi but not the site that yielded river control on that date. Natchez and Meridian did not produce a surrender that gave the Union control of the Mississippi River.