Day 268 (Monday 4/15/13)- Vicksburg, MS

 

 

After a long drive and a failed expedition in the city of Leland we arrived at the Vicksburg Military Park about an hour and a half before they closed. This gave us enough time to watch the video at the visitor's center and make a quick loop of the park.

The lesser known battle for Vicksburg was a turning point in the Civil War. Due to it's strategic location near the Mississippi River it was an important port for supplies and travel and crucial for the Confederacy who fought long and valiantly to thwart General Grant's troops on several different occasions. In a last ditch attempt Grant attacked again and eventually took Vicksburg after a 46-day siege that finally ended the day after the battle at Gettysburg.

As we drove the park loop we found an impressive array of monuments provided by the many states that lost soldiers in the battle, statues and pillars dotting the tops of hills where forts had once stood. It was a beautiful and powerful drive, even with our time constraints.