OUR 32nd PARK IN OUR 15th STATE WAS VICKSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK IN VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI
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| VICKSBURG MEMORIAL ARCH |
This is the entrance to the battle site, a SIXTEEN MILE ride which first takes you down the Union lines and back up the Confederate line.
THE ART OF COMMEMORATION
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| ILLINOIS MEMORIAL |
Sentinels of Stone
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| USS CAIRO |
The USS Cairo was one of seven ironclads used in the Vicksburg campaign. Each gunboat had thirteen cannons and armor covering postions of the boat to protect against Confederate shells.
The Cairo's demise earned it the infamous distinction of the first vessel in history to be sunk by an electrically detonated torpedo.
The navy monument at Vicksburg stands tall on a bluff overlooking the USS Cairo exhibit. The monument honors the significan contribution that the Federal fleet made during the Vicksburg campaign
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| Thomas O. Selfridge Jr. was the commander of the USS Cairo when the ironclad sank in the Yazoo River. |
VICKSBURG NATIONAL CEMETERY shows the most cruel fact of war. Men die for their beliefs, ideas and country.
The largest number of Civil War interments of any natioal cemetery in the United States.
Confederate brigadier general Lloyd Tilghman sacrificed his life while holding an avenue of escape open during the battle of Champion Hill. Tilghman's brave defense allowed Lt. General John C. Pemberton's army to retreat toward Vicksburg.
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| TEXAS |
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| ALABAMA |
Alabama had 20 infantry units, five artillery units, and eight cavalry units in the Vicksburg campaign. The memorial to these units was didicated on Junly 19, 1951, at a cost of $150,000. The granite plinth is engraved on the eastern, or roadside, face with word "Alabama." The granite was quarried at Elberton, Georgia.
Our visit to Vicksburg delinitely ranks at the top of our National Parks experience. The sixteen mile ride through the battle site was a very humbling experience. The park with its over 300 memorials is not so much about who won the battle or the Civil War, but about the sacrifices of life and the horror of war. Although the north won this battle everyone lost.
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Although it is not really park related Melissa wanted me to give a "plug" for the B&B where we stayed. It was truly beautiful. This was an opportunity to live behind the "velvet ropes" It almost makes you nervous to be so close to such beautiful things the casual warm atmosphere makes you feel right at home.
"In the morning, you'll wake to delicious South breakfast of cheese grits, sausage, and homemade biscuits in the gorgeous breakfast room that boast views of the courtyard. The folks at Anchuca know how to send their guest home well-fed and happy, but what else can you expect from a place whose very name means 'happy home'?" SOUTHERN LIVING MAGAZINE
ANCHUCA Historic Mansion & Inn
1010 First East Street
Vicksburg, MS 39183
1-888-686-0111 www.Anchuca.com
