The Web of Victory tells of the Union siege of Vicksburg, a campaign that might very well have been the turning point of the Civil War and was without any doubt the turning point in the military career of General Ulysses S. Grant. If Grant began the campaign as a leader known more for his drinking and shabby appearance than for his strategy, he emerged from the siege with the respect of his president and the admiration -- in some cases grudging admiration -- of his fellow generals. Vicksburg revealed him as a daring, resourceful strategist, a leader who had the courage and inspiration to toss aside the military textbooks and give free rein to his genius.