Vicksburg National Military Park

Saturday, Nov 5

Today's agenda got changed around a bit but we finally got on the road and headed to the Vicksburg National Military Park.  This is the area where the battle for Vicksburg occurred.  The Union knew that in order to win the Civil War they had to control the Mississippi River.  By late summer of 1862 only Vicksburg, MS and Port Huron, LA blocked the Union control of the river. 

President Lincoln called Vicksburg "the key".  He believed "the war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket".  In October 1862 Vicksburg was the focus of Major General US Grant.  In many battles the Confederate forces turned Grant back.  In May of 1863 Grant began a formal seige of Vicksburg.  After 46 days of seige Lt Gen John Pemberton knew that he must soon surrender.  His men were starving and sick.  If not for this Vicksburg would have probably never have fallen. 

The park has many memorials to each of the various state troops that participated.  Here are some -

The tour of the battlefield also includes a museum of the USS Cairo, an ironclad gunboat.  It is the first sunk by what we today call mines and what was called torpedos then. 

It was a very interesting day.  Here are all the pictures.