Vicksburg Town Mississippi

 

10th January 2019

We arrived at Vicksburg on the Mississippi River. This town is famous because of its key position in the Civil War.  We stayed in one of the Casio RV Parks, very nice and had dinner there. (but not the shrimp-a-palooza unfortunately). The next day we took a drive around the old town past the restored building where Coca-Cola was first bottled in 1894.

Vicksburg National Military Park

 

Vicksburg National Military Park

is the site of the American Civil War Battle and siege of Vicksburg.

We did a lap, drove, around the Military park,  lovely quiet place with monuments to the fallen soldiers along the way.  The USA Government was still in shutdown over Trumps wall so there was no one at the gate to take money. Free entry is always good.

The Siege of Vicksburg  was from May 18 1862 ended 4th July 1863 and a  major victory for the Union. The Union Army surrounded the city of Vicksburg,  and eventually took control.

The park is huge  and includes 1,325 historic monuments and markers, 32 km of historic trenches and earthworks, a 26 km tour road, walking trail, two antebellum homes, 144 emplaced cannons, the restored gunboat USS Cairo (sunk on December 12, 1862, on the Yazoo River), and the Grant's Canal site, where the Union Army attempted to build a canal to let their ships bypass Confederate artillery fire.
The Cairo,  was the first U.S. ship in history to be sunk by a torpedo/mine. It was recovered from the Yazoo in 1964.