Vicksburg National Military Park... (July 4th cont.)

For those of you that aren't familiar with that area, here is a brief history:

Vicksburg was a crucial area for the Confederate Army because it allowed them to control about 8 miles of the Mississippi River. This meant they controlled the supply lines in and out and basically blocked any access that the Union Army might have to send supplies and soldiers up from the Gulf. It is also what joined the two halves of the Southern Army. Because of this, it was a target for the Union. President Lincoln was quoted as saying, "Vicksburg is the key. The war can never be brought to a close until the key is in our pocket." So, he sent General Ulysses S. Grant on a mission to capture this town. After the Union gained control of New Orleans, they had basically surrounded the Confederacy in Vicksburg. From May 18- July, 4 1863 Vicksburg was under siege. There was constant cannon bombardment and gunshots fired killing many soldiers and civilians. However, the South wouldn't give up and the Union began to realize that they couldn't be beaten by military activity alone. President Lincoln sent an order to cut off Vicksburg from its supply lines and back-up soldiers. This meant that the town basically began to die due to starvation and lack of medical care. After 47 days, Confederate General Pemberton surrendered the city and his 30,000 troops. The Union now had full control of the Mississippi River and split the Confederacy in two, cutting it off from its Western allies. The South would never regain Vicksburg or The Mississippi River.

At the same time that Vicksburg fell, so did Gettysburg. The combination of these two Union victories are considered the turning point of the Civil War.

The Battle of Vicksburg involved so many different types of warfare and strategy that it is still studied by military analysts and scholars. The day Vicksburg fell was July 4th, 1863. Because of that strong Southern Pride, the city of Vicksburg didn't celebrate July 4th for almost 100 years because of the other meanings that day held for them. It wasn't until a Proclamation by the the President (FDR) forced them to do so. There are some die hard folks from Vicksburg that still don't!! Which is why I mentioned that is was kind of ironic that we chose this town to be our July 4th trip. So, now you have been caught up on the significance of Vicksburg... on to our trip.

After leaving The Tomato Place, we headed to the National Military Park in Vicksburg. It is a very interesting place that has obviously been given much thought and planning. When you first arrive, you enter the Visitor's Center. Just outside the VC, there were some men playing roles of the men that once fought there. They interacted with visitor's and answered questions.


Once inside the VC, you can watch a short movie about the history of the park. Then you purchase a CD and jump back into your car for a narrated 2 hour driving tour. It is really a brilliant idea. There is no way someone could cover that much ground on foot- especially when the humidity is so thick you can see it! I had done this tour once before as a child so I offered to drive so that my Dad could enjoy it more.

You can tell that there were many hours of study and planning put into the park. There is a marker for just about every sneeze a soldier made during battle. Every trench is marked Confederate or Union and there are statues to mark positions of different state infantries. The voice on the CD explains the historical significance of all of these blended with interesting tidbits, quotes and stories.

There are about 20 stops along the route that you can get out an explore. We got out at the very first stop because they were firing a cannon! It was really interesting.

Of course, all I could think of was... "those poor guys in this heat wearing heavy wool uniforms!!"

Here is a video of the cannon blast...

After that stop, we realized how much we enjoyed the A/C in the car... so we only got out one more time!! After winding through the tour for another hour or so, we came to the USS Cairo. We got out for this one because it is so interesting. The USS Cairo was an ironclad gunboat used during the war. It sank in the Mississippi and laid there for over 100 years. Then there was a pain-staking, slow project that took place to bring it to the surface. After being reconstructed, it is on display and really, really interesting...

When you look at the amount of wood and iron on this thing- its a wonder it floated!!! It was used by the Union during the efforts to take Vicksburg. During battle it was hit with two massive explosions in its hull. Within twelve minutes the ironclad sank into six fathoms (36 feet) of water without any loss of life. Cairo became the first ship in history to be sunk by an electrically detonated torpedo.

One of the very last places you visit on the tour is the cemetery. Its a very haunting place that makes you realize the human toll that war takes. The narrator explains that you notice two different heights of gravestones... the taller ones are for those that were identified and the shorter ones belong to Unknown soldiers. It is at that point that you realize that the short far outweigh the taller ones.

After finishing the tour, we headed to downtown Vicksburg. We found a parking place and headed to dinner at a restaurant in the main strip along the river. I enjoyed some nice Southern Fried Catfish and again, we enjoyed the cool A/C. After dinner, we went down to the lake shore to hop on our riverboat tour...