Memphis, TN to Vicksburg.MS (Hwy 61 south)
Heading south out of Memphis the land becomes increasing flat with large agricultural tracks on both sides of the highway. The road is a considerable distance from the actual Mississippi River, which twists and turns out of sight to the west. One thing is increasingly clear, along this part of Mississippi, cotton is king. Fields, some harvested, some not, stretch out to the horizons on both sides of the road.
The cotton looks like little white flowers on small bushes. Some fields are in the middle of harvest. The machine that harvests the cotton bundles it up in large cylinders that are wrapped with yellow plastic. Then a tractor with a long pole sticking out in the front “stabs” the cylinder and lifts in onto flatbeds for transport to the next step in the process.
At first I thought the highway was lined with trash but upon closer examination realized that the “trash” really was little tufts of cotton that had been caught by the wind.
As we get closer to Vicksburg a small range of heavily forested hills begins to rise in the distance. The highway weaves through a tangled series of hills as we join I-20 and turn west towards Vicksburg. Our next stop is on the outskirts of town, the Vicksburg National Military Park.
Vicksburg, located atop bluffs on the eastern shore of the Mississippi River, was key to both sides’ success during the Civil War. With its massive forts and artillery batteries overlooking the Mississippi River, whoever held Vicksburg had control of the Mississippi River, ensuring that supplies and men could feed into the South from the west as well as the south. The Union strategy for winning the war, devised by General Winfield Scott (called the “Anaconda Plan”) proposed to surround the South on all sides and cut if off from supplies and men that the outside world might deliver. Blockades of Confederate ports along the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico were generally successful due to the lack of a significant Confederate naval force, but the long-term key was to conquer Vicksburg, which would cut the Confederacy in half and deny the reinforcement of men and supplies necessary to continue the war. By late summer 1862 the Union plan was working with New Orleans and the southern stretch of the Mississippi under Union control and Grant leading a Union Army (primarily composed of Midwesterners) down the Mississippi from the north. All of the forces converged on Vicksburg, where Confederate General John C. Pemberton had roughly 50,000 under arms with the charge of keeping the river open. Because the town itself was virtually impregnable from the west due to being atop steep bluffs rising sharply from the river bottom, the first several attempts by the Union forces met with defeat. Grant then devised a plan to march south, cross the river and then attack the city from behind (the east). The stage was set for one of the most pivotal battles of the Civil War.
The Vicksburg National Military Park encompasses a wide arc north and east of downtown Vicksburg approximately 8 miles in length. The town itself did not escape unscathed during the 46 day siege. Neighborhoods nearest the river were bombarded by Union boats on the river and people dug caves into the sides of the bluff to hide from the explosions (to the right is a copy of a picture in the archives).
The main battle occurred in a northeast arc of steep hills and heavy brush. A driving tour now encircles the area, with the first eight miles behind Union lines and then the last eight miles the Confederate lines. Union positions are marked with small blue emblems, Confederate ones are red. Several surprises await: the size of the area, the tortured topography, the completeness of the earthen work remains, and number and size of the monuments throughout the park. A federal law created the Vicksburg National Military Park in 1903 and authorized each of the participating states to erect a monument to their participants. Northern states began right away, southern states took longer and the different era of the monuments is easily seen in their design. In addition, states erected many smaller monuments are specific places throughout the park where troops from their state had fought. All in all, a somber and impressive drive. The entry way is through a stunning memorial arch.
Just before the arch is a restoration of an artillery battery as well as a line-up of the various cannon used during the battle.
I can’t possibly give the story of the battle in such a small space so I’m not going to try. Instead I’ll try to give you some perspective of the environment in which the battle was fought and then a look at the various state monuments. The battlefield sprawls across over eight miles of rugged landscape.
In this picture of the Union side are two of the most imposing structures in the park. On the left is the Illinois State Monument and on the right is the Shelley House, the only remaining original structure (since restored) from the battle period.
Here are most of the state monuments memorializing the presence of their troops (in order left to right):
Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin
New Hampshire, Missouri, Arkansas
Mississippi, Texas, Alabama
Kentucky, Georgia, Indiana
A large monument marks the spot of General Grant’s command post. General Pemberton’s command was housed in a mansion in Vicksburg.
At the far end of the arc is Fort Hill, which, because of its’ strategic position, could oversee both the Mississippi River (left) and Yazoo River (right), which come together just north of town. Perched at the top of a steep hill, Fort Hill was never conquered and was only occupied after the surrender of the Confederate forces on July 4, 1863.
Also in the park boundaries is the USS Cairo Memorial. On December 12, 1862 the Union gunboat Cairo and several other vessels steamed up the Yazoo River just north of Vicksburg under the watch of Fort Hill. Suddenly two quick explosions below the water sent the ship to the bottom of the river. This was the first instance in history where a boat was sunk by an electronically detonated mine. The boat sank deeply into the soft mud and was nearly perfectly preserved for the next 100 years. The actual timbers found preserved under the mud were used in the reconstruction of the Cairo, sheltered under a giant tent, and thousands of artifacts from the ship are housed in the adjacent museum.
A model built to scale shows what the original ship must have looked like.
Driving back through the park to the exit we pass one of the sites were Union and Confederate soldiers faced each other across less than 20 feet of space. Look closely for the position of the red and blue emblems.
Interestingly enough, the only monument built out of a dark colored stone is the monument dedicated to the 1st and 3rd Mississippi Regiments, which were made up of African American Soldiers who participated in the Vicksburg campaign.
Leaving the park, we cross a hill to the west and are in the town of Vicksburg.
Vicksburg, MS
Native Americans recognized the strategic position of the bluffs above the junction of the Yazoo and Mississippi Rivers for hundreds of years prior to the arrival of French explorers in 1729. The Spanish built a fort on the site in 1790 and the Americans assumed ownership in 1798. The town flourished prior to the Civil War but the war changed the course of it’s’ development. The town sits on a major transportation corridor between the west and east, with the only rail crossing between Baton Rouge and Memphis and the only highway crossing between Natchez and Greenville. This is not an affluent community and reminds me of a dowager empress, tottering in a decrepit state of tattered gowns and soiled undergarments. Never the less, the town (which is predominantly black in population) has some impressive architecture (mostly in a state of genteel decay) remaining from the late 1800’s. Much of the downtown area was damaged during the 47 day siege in 1863 so most of the buildings were built after the Civil War. The farther back from the edge of the bluff, the older the buildings. Reigning above all is the 1845 Warren County Courthouse, high on a hill set back about six blocks from the western edge of the bluff which rises sharply from the river below.
The compact downtown area has not yet reaped the benefits of gentrification and is more than a bit worn around the edges…
Tucked here and there are some magnificent examples of architecture from around 1900. City Hall (left) was built in 1903, the Mississippi River Commission building across the street (right) was built in 1894.
Around the corner is the 1937 US Post Office and Courthouse. I thought that the building was abandoned, but only the post office has moved out and the building, even in a considerable state of disrepair, is still in use as the federal courthouse.
The two tallest buildings in town are the Hotel Vicksburg (left) and an old bank building (right). Something just didn’t feel quite right during this visit. I was there about 11:00am in the middle of the week and yet the streets were virtually empty. In addition, when was the last time you were in the center of a city of nearly 50,000 people where the utility lines were still hanging off poles out in the open? Just seemed a bit odd…
In the area around the county courthouse several old mansions still are intact, some have been restored, including the mansion (center) use as by General Pemberton as the Confederate headquarters during the battle of Vicksburg.
Sitting on a corner is a relatively well preserved mansion and around the back is the carriage house, since converted to a small cottage.
On the downward slope from the courthouse facing north (away from the Mississippi River and thus escaping the Union bombardment of the city) several pre-Civil War buildings still stand. On the left is the Planter’s Hall, built in 1834, and on the right is Anchuca, a mansion constructed in three stages between 1830 and 1854.
Tucked away on a corner is the Martha Vick house. Martha was the daughter of the founder of Vicksburg and her house was built in 1831.
The skyline of the city is punctuated by a number of historic churches.
Finally, as I leave I stop at the overlook on the west edge of the bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, the rail/interstate bridges south of the city and the lands west of the river.
Next up: Rags to Riches
Post a Comment