Plotting our trip to Asheville, NC, Ray and I steered through Mississippi and stopped in Vicksburg, MS to tour the Vicksburg National Military Park . We needed far more to time to explore the area, however the driving tour was quite interesting. Summer of 1882, the Confederate Army still held on to Vicksburg for control of the Mississippi River. It finally surrendered July 4, 1863. Like a drive through Gettysburg, PA, Vicksburg is so pretty now. Rolling hills, high bluffs, forest thicket. It's hard to imagine bloody battles on this solemn earth.
The thought of hauling cannon up hill and down dale is daunting. Our government park service does a stellar job of presenting information. Witnessing the red signs and blue signs dotting the grounds, you realize how close the two sides were on a daily basis. Eye to eye, bayonet to bayonet, smoke, cries, and final gasps on this hallowed ground
The tour features a large variety of statues and monuments dedicated to the battalions and regiments from the Union and Confederate armies. Various states honor their fallen and those who survived.
Now the drive is peaceful, the land serene.
Blue skies. Difficult to imagine the townsfolk's fear as cannons boomed. Or young lads dug into bunkers, nervously fingering a trigger. Vicksburg proved pivotal in the Civil War. It's a worthy pitstop for any traveler today.
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