Park preserving the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863
General Information
Park Roads are open to pedesterians and bicyclists from sunrise to sunset. Tour road is are currently closed to vehicles due to COVID-19
Park Visitor Center is currently closed due to COVID19
The USS Cairo Gunboat Museum is currently closed due to COVID19
All public buildings
Ranger-led programs
The USS Cairo
On or inside any mouments and memorials
Head northwest on Jackson St toward Cherry St. Sharp left onto Cherry St. Turn left at the 3rd cross street onto Clay St. Pass by McDonald's (on the right in 1.0 mi). Turn left onto Union Ave.
Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. The park, located in Vicksburg, Mississippi (flanking the Mississippi River), also commemorates the greater Vicksburg Campaign which led up to the battle. Reconstructed forts and trenches evoke memories of the 47-day siege that ended in the surrender of the city. Victory here and at Port Hudson, farther south in Louisiana, gave the Union control of the Mississippi River.
The park includes 1,325 historic monuments and markers, 20 miles (32 km) of historic trenches and earthworks, a 16-mile (26 km) tour road, a 12.5-mile (20.1 km) 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, also known as the "Hardluck Ironclad," was the first U.S. ship in history to be sunk by a torpedo/mine. It was recovered from the Yazoo in 1964. The Illinois State Memorial has 47 steps, one for every day Vicksburg was besieged.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Vicksburg National Military Park", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
