joseph johnston, another confederate, primary competitors character in this story, joseph johnston, if you know the history, you have that johnson is here in jackson, defense jackson when the union troops come across mississippi, but then he decides not to engage his sleeves. he withdraws and has the city of jackson to grant and sherman and the other confederate -- the other union officers. what do they do? they come in to burn anything of military value. and when you have a town made primarily of wood and he picked this building to burn and there are 15 buildings around it all made of wood, you know, you know more than anyone one knows what happens. jackson is -- becomes a city of chimney's because most of it does burn. ulysses grant, again, love him or hate him, despite sherman, love him or hate him, you have to understand what grant accomplishes in his capture of vicksburg. we credit the germans, world war ii, with the tactic known as the blitzkrieg. lightning warfare. i think the germans invented that. well, it was invented by ulysses grant in 1863 because that is what he does acro

joseph johnston is in command of this entire theater of the war west of the appalachians. doesn't really want the job, he despises jefferson davis. they have been feuding for more than a year, he despises john pemberton so he won't come to his assistance, he doesn't think vix burger's worth saving so he is very half-hearted, focused most of his attention on tennessee with some other people, trying to sort of recapture nashville or something and he really doesn't care at all about mississippi and davis quarters in go to mississippi, vicksburg is important, just comes to jackson, mississippi and arrived here and is sick and it is a dismal rain storm, the worst day you can imagine to be on horseback and he gets off the train, rides as you are supposed to do to look good, ride on the horse and come into town with his staff and sick as a dog with a stomach ailment and comes in and checks into his hotel and the staff sets up shop and he really has no enthusiasm for doing anything but leaving and when he gets word that sherman is coming with four divisions just out to the west jo