Vicksburg National Military Park Travel Guide

  illinois monument
by doug48
 
  • illinois monument
      illinois monument
    by doug48
  • memorial arch
      memorial arch
    by doug48
  • cannon line
      cannon line
    by doug48
  • shirley house
      shirley house
    by doug48
  • illinois memorial
      illinois memorial
    by doug48
 

Explore Vicksburg National Military Park

Things to Do  

thayer's approach

thayer's approach, Vicksburg National Military Park

 doug48 Says:  thayer's approach is stop 6 on the vicksburg battlefield tour. on may 22 nd union troops commanded by general john thayer stormed this hill held by the confederates. thayer and his troops were repulsed by confederate fire. 

vicksburg national cemetery

vicksburg national cemetery, Vicksburg National Military Park

 doug48 Says:  the vicksburg national cemetery was established in 1866 for the internment of union civil war dead. in all there are 17,000 solders buried here of which 13,000 are unknown. later veterans of the spanish american, WWI, WWII, and the korean war were also buried here. the... 

u.s.s. cairo museum

u.s.s. cairo museum, Vicksburg National Military Park

 doug48 Says:  the u.s.s. cairo was a union ironclad gun boat that was commissioned in january 1862. the cairo was commanded by thomas o. selfridge and was named after the town of cairo illinois. in december 1862 the cairo was patroling the yazoo river and it struck two mines and sank. the... 

navy monument

navy monument, Vicksburg National Military Park

 doug48 Says:  the navy monument is a 202 foot high marble obelisk which is the highest in the park. the navy monument honors the union naval officers and sailors that fought in the vicksburg campaign. 

new hampshire memorial

new hampshire memorial, Vicksburg National Military Park

 doug48 Says:  the new hampshire memorial honors the solders who fought at vicksburg from that state. this 20 foot tall marble monument was erected in 1904. 

ulysses s. grant statue

ulysses s. grant statue, Vicksburg National Military Park

 doug48 Says:  this equestrain statue was erected on the site of grant's headquarters during the siege of vicksburg. the ulysses s. grant statue was sculpted by frederick c. hibbard in 1919. 

79 th new york infantry memorial

79 th new york infantry memorial, Vicksburg National Military Park

 doug48 Says:  this memorial honors the solders of the 79 th new york infantry who fought at vicksburg. this 43 foot garnite obelisk was erected in 1917. 

rhode island memorial

rhode island memorial, Vicksburg National Military Park

 doug48 Says:  the rhode island memorial honors the solders that fought at vicksburg from that state. this memorial depicts a solder retreaving a fallen battle flag. the rhode island memorial was sculpted in 1908 by frank edwin elwell. 

wisconsin memorial

wisconsin memorial, Vicksburg National Military Park

 doug48 Says:  the wisconsin memorial honors the 9075 troops that fought at vicksburg from that state. this monument is 122 feet tall topped with a statute of "old abe". the "old abe" war eagle is the symbol of the 8 th wisconsin infantry. 

illinois memorial

illinois memorial, Vicksburg National Military Park

 doug48 Says:  this memorial is one of the most impressive in the park. the illinois memorial was built in 1906 out of stone mountain granite. there are 47 steps up to the memorial that represent the 47 days of the siege. this memorial is 62 feet high and is fashioned after the pantheon in... 

shirley house

shirley house, Vicksburg National Military Park

 doug48 Says:  the shirley house is the only surviving structure of the battle of vicksburg in the park. the shirley house was used during the seige as headquarters for the 45 th illinois infantry. currently the shirley house is under renovation. 

battery de golyer

battery de golyer, Vicksburg National Military Park

 doug48 Says:  pictured is a cannon seige line at battery de golyer. this battery was used to fire at the louisiana confederate positions. battery de golyer is the first stop on the battlefield tour. 

michigan memorial

michigan memorial, Vicksburg National Military Park

 doug48 Says:  the michigan memorial honors the solders that fought at vicksburg from that state. the michigan memorial is 37 feet high and is made out of white bethel granite. the memorial was erected in 1916 and was sculpted by herbert adams. 

minnesota monument

minnesota monument, Vicksburg National Military Park

 doug48 Says:  the minnesota monument honors the solders that fought at vickburg for that state. the monument is 90 feet high and is made out of north carolina granite. the memorial was erected in 1907 and was sculpted by william couper. 

memorial arch

memorial arch, Vicksburg National Military Park

 doug48 Says:  next to the vicksburg national military park visitor center is the memorial arch. this is the main entrance to the 16 mile driving tour of the park. there a 15 stops on this road which point out important battles during the seige of vicksburg. in the park there are 1330... 

USS Cairo Museum

USS Cairo Museum, Vicksburg National Military Park

 Basaic Says:  There is also a museum telling the story of the USS Cairo and showing some of the artifacts recovered when it was salvaged in the 1960s. 

USS Cairo Details

USS Cairo Details, Vicksburg National Military Park

 Basaic Says:  These pictures show some details about the USS Cairo. Photo 1 shows the hull plating and the cannons sticking through the side; Photo 2 shows the boilers that powered the ship; Photo 3 shows the bridge; Photo 4 shows the device that controlled the movement of the cannons;... 

USS Cairo

USS Cairo, Vicksburg National Military Park

 Basaic Says:  Also worth a visit is the USS Cairo and the small museum associated with it. The USS Cairo was sunk on 12 December 1862. It remained sunk in the Mississippi until it was salvaged in the early 1960s. Many of the artifacts recovered from the ship are on display in the USS... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Wildlife (esp. the Fire Ants)

Wildlife (esp. the Fire Ants), Vicksburg National Military Park

 PinkFloydActuary Says:  We were there in the fall, so we didn't run across any snakes, but Vicksburg is home to several poisonous ones. More importantly, watch out for the fire ants nests, which seem to be everywhere. We were walking to the Kentucky memorial, which is in the middle of a field, and... 

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General Impressions

General Impressions, Vicksburg National Military Park

 mrclay2000 Says:  From the moment you enter under the memorial arch at the entrance, you'll discover that Vicksburg National Military Park is among the prettiest in terms of scenery among the military parks in the system. This and the fact that the park receives little traffic tends to... 

The Place

Plan a Vicksburg National Military Park vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Vicksburg National Military Park locals

Experience Vicksburg National Military Park
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The People

 
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 There are also monuments to individuals who played a major role in the battles and siege of Vicksburg throughout the park. 

 

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Top Vicksburg National Military Park Writers

1

Basaic Vicksburg National Military Park Page

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 The Battle of Vicksburg was one of the most decisive battles of the Civil War. The Confederate's defeat foreshadowed the inevitable victory by the north. The battle began when Union Forces under... 

2

the battle of vicksburg

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 the seige of vicksburg was the final military action in the vicksburg campaign and was one of the turning points for the union in the civil war. the fortified city of vicksburg was defended by general... 

3

Modern Cave Dwelling Americans

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 The capture of Vicksburg was vital to the free navigation of Union supply on the Mississippi. Confederate forces in the town stubbornly held back, until the townsfolk burrowed into underground caves,... 

4

Vicksburg National Military Park

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 Perhaps not as famous as some of the Civil War sites in the nation (Gettysburg, Antietam), Vicksburg was a crucial battle during the war that finally came to a conclusion within a few days of... 

5

Hingepin of the Confederacy

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 I've got some interesting experiences in Vicksburg National Military Park. I'd love to share with you the 2 tips I've written, the 4 photos uploaded, and 0 travelogues I've created. 

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