Hardcover with dust jacket, burgundy cloth over black cloth spine with gilt spine titles, 16 by 24 cm, xv 490 pp., illus. The hardcover is very good with only faint signs of wear and two small dents on the bottom edged of the covers; the jacket is very good with light edge wear and a tiny stain at the foot of the spine panel. “Michael Ballard provides a concise yet thorough study of the 1863 battle that cut off a crucial river port and rail depot for the South and split the Confederate nation, providing a turning point in the Civil War. The Union victory at Vicksburg was hailed with as much celebration in the North as the Gettysburg victory and Ballard makes a convincing case that it was equally important to the ultimate resolution of the conflict.”