Today, as we drove around Vicksburg and into the Vicksburg National Military Park, we could see the natural
defenses that kept Grant from taking Vicksburg in his previous attempts. He had attacked several times - from the north, from the south and east, but the natural fortifications, made even more impenetrable by the Confederates, doomed Grant to failure. Rivers, valleys and hills plus the bluffs of the Mississippi River protected Vicksburg from assault. In this photo, we're standing above the Mississippi by cannons that overlooked the river. Visible is the old bridge from the 1930s. To the left is the newer four-lane bridge built in the 1970s.
Author Winston Groom, who wrote Vicksburg 1863 spoke to us first. His book focuses on more of the personal stories of the siege. His other acclaimed histories had had a personal connection to a relative, however he could not find one for Vicksburg - at first. Finally he found a distant relative in the Mississippi cavalry who probably fought here.
After an enormous and delicious lunch at Walnut Hills Restaurant with its round tables loaded with food and a driving tour around historic Vicksburg, we stopped at the city cemetery to see the Confederate soldier burial site. Confederate soldiers were not allowed to be buried in the national cemeteries. Most of those buried here are unidentified. A unique headstone marks where the bones of Old Douglas, a camel, are buried. Old Douglas has an interesting story. Suffice it to say, he was the mascot of a Confederate regiment. After he was killed, he was eaten by starving soldiers. His bones were honored, though, and a headstone erected.

When we got to Vicksburg National Military Park, our guide was NPS historian Terrence Winschel. After viewing the NPS film, our first stop was to see an Old Douglas presentation complete with camels! Doug Baum of the Texas Camel Corps, was a special guest in the park and had brought two camels. No rides, but we could pet them. Doug gave us the history of camels in the U.S. Jefferson Davis, when Secretary of the War, imported them for the Army's use in the western deserts. The project died but camels remained. Old Douglas was adopted by the 43rd Missisippi Company A and accompanied it in the campaign. We found out that a variety of animals and birds were used as mascots. It's hard to imagine them not taking off with all the gunfire. Mascots included Old Abe, the bald eagle, bears and other creatures. An interesting aside is the fact that the King of Siam, hearing about camels in the war, offered to give elephants for the same purpose! His gift was declined.
Within the park, the 28 states involved in the War Between the States have erected monuments to their soldiers. Some are more elaborate than others but they dot the road which follows the Union/Confederate line along the crest of hills were cannons were set up. This park is called the "Art Park of the World" because of the Tiffanys and works of prominent sculptors of the 19th and 20th century that have works in the park.
We also saw the Cairo, an ironclad Union gun ship that had been sunk by enemy fire and laid in the Mississippi for almost 100 years. NPS historian, Edwin Bearss, studied all sorts of documents and maps and was able to plot approximately where the ironclad lay. He was correct. Much of the Cairo had rotted away, but they were able to salvage part of the ship. It was hauled on land and has been partially reconstructed. Another interesting fact: it was found in the Yazoo River. The Mississippi changed course leaving Vicksburg without river access, but the Yazoo was diverted so that Vicksburg would still have river access for its port activities.
After several direct assaults on Vicksburg failed, including tunneling under fortifications, Grant called for a siege to starve the city out. The siege lasted 47 days. Shelling of the city went on day and night. Citizens resorted to tunneling caves and living in them, especially at night. Finally on July 4th, 1863, General Pemberton surrendered to Grant. Diaries by Emma Balfour and an account by Mary Webster Loughborough called My Cave Life in Vicksburg, are among the accounts that describe the siege from within. Vicksburg, by the way, did not celebrate the 4th of July for 80 years since this was the day of their defeat.
Vicksburg, Port Gibson and Raymond are working together to commemorate the Vicksburg campaign sesquicentennial in 2013, culminating in the surrender on July 4th. If your travels in 2013 take you this way, the celebration will be worth your while. Activities commemorating Civil War events have already started and will continue through the ending of the war in 1865.The first shot on Fort Sumpter was fired April 12, 1861. One website for Mississippi events is the Mississippi Civil War Sesquicentennial site.
For RVers, there are several RV parks in the area including one at the downtown casino. See the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau site for a list. You might want to check RVParkReviews to help pick your spot.
Life was so different during the Civil War than now. It took 8 days in each direction for a telegram to get from the Grant in the field to Washington and back. There was no way to have an aerial view. And thousands, upon thousands of men died. Being here, seeing where events happened help us to understand what happened and to appreciate the strength and determination of the people who lived then. It was an amazing time in history. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak