Saturday, December 28, 2013

Vicksburg National Military Park/Civil War Museum


I visited Vicksburg and toured the Civil War battlefield.  Pretty incredible story and park.  It is kind of hard to get a real feel for things since the woods have grown up in a lot of areas so you can't see both the Confederate and Union lines.  Over all it was one of the more interesting places I've been.  The visitors center cells CD's that you listen to as you drive through the park (about 16 miles) and tells you the story as you go.  The one CD is about an hour and the other is 2.5 hours.  I bought the hour one ($12) and it went along just a bit faster then I was touring.  I would recommend the CD if you go here, or you can borrow mine!


 Simulated barricades of the type used during the battle


Park entrance road.
There are memorials from each state that had soldiers at the battle.  Some states also built small memorials at each of the places their men fought.
The Minnesota memorial.

Illinois and Iowa both built many small memorials.

One of the battle fields.  Looking up at the main Illinois memorial.  The house in the distance is the only original structure left from the time of the battles.















The bronze plaques going all around the interior of the memorial list the names of the men from Illinois that died here.





Looking down toward the Union lines from one of the fortifications.  This fort was tunneled under by the Union soldiers who then planted a large mine/bomb and blew a crater in the middle.  They then came up through the tunnel and attacked the Confederate forces who pushed them back.

Louisiana memorial




Memorial to the black soldiers who fought and died here.




Grants headquarters marker

Grants memorial.
And a turkey I saw.  Also saw a deer, but he was to quick for me!


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