Grant Takes Command Author:Bruce Catton After the capture of Vicksburg on July 3,1863,Grant's army starts a period of occupation,absorbing it's conquest of the Mississippi valley. In the East, the Army of the Potomac rests after its great victory at Gettysburg. In central Tennessee,the Federal Army of the Cumberland is moving to drive Confederate forces back into Georgia.The federal g... more »overnment in Washington,sensing a turning point in the war,starts to cast about for the past to final victory.As the authorities begin this task, they realize that their most sucessful soldier is the one they know least about.