Entrenched in Civil War history, Vicksburg, MS plays a vital role in the fall of the Confederacy.

So far, our trip through the southern states has been really “eye opening”. I mean that very sincerely. When I start planning a 16-week trip, I can only take a cursory look at the attractions available in the community surrounding a campground. There are many factors that go into selecting a route and the stops along the way, and we are never entirely sure what we will find.  Not knowing what we’ll find makes stops more intriguing and we really try to explore the area.  (As a small aside, I could not imagine trying to route our travels without Google maps and the RV Trip-Wizard software application. These two website programs, in my opinion, have made RV trip planning, dare I say, fun.)  For this trip through the southern United States, I accidentally, but really on purpose, put together a trip abundant in Civil War & Civil Rights history. Mixing in some resort type campsites like St. Augustine, and Cedar Key, FL with more historical places like Charleston, SC and Montgomery, AL.  

And what I have encountered these last 10 weeks or so has enlightened my perspective and deepened my understanding of how destructive the Civil War was in our nation’s history. The only war strictly fought on US soil between US citizens. And nothing drives this message home more forcefully than a trip through the 2,500-acre Vicksburg National Military Park. This park commemorates one of the most decisive Civil War battles, the campaign, siege, and defense of Vicksburg, MS. Confederate president, Jefferson Davis believed that, geographically speaking, Vicksburg was the lynchpin holding the Confederacy together, by connecting Louisiana and Texas to the rest of the Confederate states. The Vicksburg campaign was waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. It included a half dozen battles in west-central Mississippi, as well as a 47-day long siege by the Union army under the command of Ulysses S. Grant against Confederate forces defending the heavily fortified city of Vicksburg. Located high on the bluffs, Vicksburg was a fortress guarding the Mississippi River. It was known as "The Gibraltar of the Confederacy." Its surrender on July 4, 1863, coupled with the fall of Port Hudson, Louisiana, divided the South, and gave the North undisputed control of the Mississippi River. The historic battlefield includes 1,325 monuments and markers, 20 miles of reconstructed trenches and earthworks, a 16-mile tour road, 144 emplaced cannons, the restored Union gunboat-USS Cairo, and the 116-acre Vicksburg National Cemetery.  My gosh, what we have learned about the Civil War on this trip through the southern states, has just been mind-blowing. By now Judy and I have found ourselves repeatedly saying, “this is nothing like 10^th grade US History we were required to take in high school”.

By the way, Vicksburg is situated on this crazy bend in the Mississippi River, up on a hill, in such a way that you can clearly see the river flowing from the north, then turning due east as it approaches Vicksburg, before turning south again in an exaggerated “S” curve. A layout you’d be more inclined to see on a BMX racetrack, and not the great Mississippi River. No surprise, this means Vicksburg is on a rather steep hill as you move away from the riverbank.

Closest to the river is The Old Depot Museum. Housed in the old railroad depot building and adjacent to the Mississippi, it doesn’t take much imagination to envision this area as a bustling port and transfer station where riverboat cargo was transferred to trains bound for the east coast. The museum is committed to preserving Vicksburg’s rich history and heritage. The museum is home to over 100 models of Civil War gunboats, an amazingly accurate diorama of the Battle of Vicksburg, as well as a stirring video of the trials of the citizens and soldiers during the siege. But the best part of this depot museum was, once again, the model trains and associated railroad equipment. The Old Depot Museum is dedicated to the railroad industry and features N, O and HO layouts, complete with buildings, scenery, and architecture. Just an eclectic collection of artifacts all tied to Vicksburg.

From the Depot we walked up the rather steep riverbank, to the tallest bluff overlooking the Mississippi, where the old Warren County Courthouse sits. Which is now a museum. The courthouse was a prominent symbol of Confederate resistance during the Siege of Vicksburg. During the Civil War, the building was one of the main targets in Vicksburg. As hard as the Union tried, the building suffered only one major hit. After a 47-day siege, on July 4, 1863, the Stars and Bars were lowered, and the Stars and Stripes were raised. On the second floor is the courtroom where trials were conducted. During the Reconstruction-era, the Warren County Courthouse was the site of the first brutal event related to the Vicksburg massacre, when Black citizens were attempting to reinstate the newly elected Black sheriff, Peter Crosby, who had been coerced at gunpoint by a white militant group to sign a paper of resignation. The unrest eventually ended with the arrival of the US Army the following year. We lost track of time exploring this museum so, not unsurprisingly, we were halfheartedly chased from the museum by the only remaining staff member, as we lingered through the exhibits on the second floor, until well after closing. There were just so many original artifacts of the last 300 years of US history, it was easy to get caught up in the displays and pieces.

 

Judy sitting in the witness chair of the old courtroom.

And for a bit of fun, we visited the most haunted house in Mississippi, called the McRaven House, on a blustery and rainy Saturday night, complete with thunder and lightning. McRaven haunted tours were led by theatrical guides in time period costumes who gave a brief history of the Vicksburg, MS families who occupied this historic house for 200 years. The house was added onto in three distinct time periods of US history, giving this residence quite a storied past. I think the best part was watching the guy wearing a Ghostbusters costume complete with utility belt and ghost detecting equipment slink around the house activating the detector in search of a ghost. It was all a lot of fun and a great way to spend a rainy Saturday night.

Vicksburg is not a big city, and right about the time we had figured out where everything was situated and how to maneuver around the town, it was time to pack up the RV and head north for another state neither Judy nor I had ever visited. That state is Tennessee. This is our first of four stops in Tennessee, so for the next month or so we might just have to consider ourselves residents. Our fist stop is in Memphis, where we may visit Stax Museum of American Soul Music, or see where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel, or even visit Elvis at Graceland. These are just some of the attractions on our radar, but you’ll have to read our next blog as we tell…the Rest of the Story.