![]() ![]() NPS Photo Devoted to the South, he began his service with the Confederate Army as commander of the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Rapid promotion made Pemberton a Lieutenant General by 1862, and he was assigned to defend Vicksburg and the Mississippi River through his command of the Department of Mississippi and Eastern Louisiana. Hampered by conflicting orders from the very outset of the Vicksburg campaign, and after a stubborn defense of the city, Pemberton was compelled to surrender his army on July 4, 1863. Following this defeat, he voluntarily resigned his commission and served as a lieutenant colonel of artillery for the remainder of the war, a testimonial of his loyalty to the South. |
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Last updated: April 14, 2015