Walked an 8.5-mile loop throughout the former Civil War battle sites of Vicksburg. The Park marks the locations of the famous skirmishes and shows where the Confederate and Union lines/trenches were located. Giant monuments commemorating troops from each participating state decorate the fields.

Vicksburg, along with the recent Confederate defeat in Gettysburg, was a turning point in the Civil War and was a hard fought victory for the Union. After US Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s forces repeatedly attacked Vicksburg and were repeatedly rebuffed, Grant began a siege of the city which lasted 46 days and resulted in Confederate surrender. Federals obtained control of the Mississippi River, and Confederate forces were severed.

Photos 1 and 2: Painting inside the Visitor Center
Photo 3: Yes, one big reason the South wanted to recede was so that they could keep their slaves
Photo 4: entrance arch
Photos 5: Michigan memorial
Photos 6-8: Illinois memorial
Photo 9: part of a battlefield
Photo 10: where the surrender took place
Photo 11: red marks the Confederate line, blue marks the Union line