Part 5

A border State, Missouri was divided in sympathy during the Civil War. Her soldiers enlisted in the armies of both the North and the South. By the fortunes of war, in this sector of the siege line, Missouri soldiers of the Union and Confederate armies faced and fought each other. The monument honors both. The plaque on the left depicts Missouri Federals attacking this position; on the right, Missouri Confederates defending it. Between the panels, the prow of the Ship of State symbolizes the divided Union; the figure above is the Republic, emerging from the war with renewed strength.

15. STOCKADE REDAN.

For a close view of siege warfare, walk up into the fort, to the artillery piece at the right of the avenue. From the ridge 150 yards away, Union cannon, which are trained on the fort, blasted the Confederate defenders continuously. During the assault of May 22, Grant's infantry reached the wall of the fort. The two black markers in front of the cannon and just below it indicate where colorbearers planted their flags, almost at the top of the wall, before the assault was broken and driven back.

16. OBSERVATION TOWER.

Erected by the Vicksburg National Military Park Commission, in 1909, to provide a panoramic view of the park and the city of Vicksburg.

17. FORT HILL.

Anchoring the Confederate left flank on the Mississippi River, its guns commanded the Union right as well as the river. The flags of England, France, Spain, the United States, and the Confederate States have flown over this historic site, where the bluffs meet the river, during the centuries-old struggle for control of the Mississippi. Fort Nogales (Spanish) was built here in 1791, and Fort McHenry, 1798, was the first American settlement at Vicksburg. The water below the fort is not the Mississippi River--it changed its course in 1876--but the Yazoo Diversion Canal, bringing the Yazoo water into the old bed of the Mississippi.

18. VICKSBURG NATIONAL CEMETERY.

Established in 1866 to reinter the remains of nearly 17,000 Union soldiers who had been given temporary burial in scattered locations during the war. The identity of almost 13,000 of the soldiers is unknown. The national cemetery also contains the remains of veterans of the Mexican and Spanish-American Wars, World Wars I and II, and Korea.

From the lower cemetery drive, you may leave the park and emerge 2 miles north of downtown Vicksburg on U. S. 61. If time permits, we recommend your completing the tour of the park by following the "Park Tour" arrows from the cemetery, south on Union Avenue, in order that you may view the Union lines and monuments and the southern portion of the park.

19. UNION NAVY MEMORIAL.

The 202-foot shaft is a tribute to the achievements of the Union Navy in the Vicksburg operations. Statues of four fleet commanders, Admirals Farragut and Porter and Flag Officers Davis and Andrew H. Foote, surround the base.

20. GRANT'S HEADQUARTERS.

An equestrian statute of General Grant marks his headquarters location. Impressive monuments, here, of five northeastern States--PENNSYLVANIA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, MASSACHUSETTS, NEW YORK, and RHODE ISLAND--indicate their troops were on the exterior line of defense against Johnston's army.

21. WISCONSIN MONUMENT.

"Old Abe," the famous Wisconsin war eagle and mascot of the 8th Wisconsin, was carried alongside the regimental colors, on the march and in battle, through 3 years of war. A 6-foot bronze replica atop the State monument now honors his war service. Names of all Wisconsin soldiers at Vicksburg are on plaques around the base.

22. MINNESOTA MONUMENT.

At the base of the 100-foot shaft, a symbolic figure of Peace holds a shield and a sword, signifying that the soldiers of both armies have placed their weapons in her keeping, and the Union is at peace.

23. IOWA MONUMENT.

In front, a mounted colorbearer with unfurled flag awaits the order to advance. The six bronze bas-relief panels portray scenes of the Vicksburg operations in which Iowa soldiers participated--the bombardment of Grand Gulf, the battles of Port Gibson, Jackson, Champion's Hill, and Big Black River, and the assault on Vicksburg of May 22, 1863.

24. FORT GARROTT.

Also called Square Fort, its walls are well preserved. The two lines of markers in front of the fort indicate the site of "Hovey's Approach"--a Union trench dug almost against the walls of the Confederate fort.

25. ALABAMA MONUMENT.

Around the flag--which represents the spirit of Alabama--the group of figures symbolizes the courage and devotion of both the soldiers and women of Alabama during the war. The monument was dedicated in 1951.

This completes the park tour. By continuing northward on Confederate Avenue for one-half mile, you will reach U. S. 80 at Memorial Arch. Turning left, through the arch, you will be in the city of Vicksburg. Colored route markers will guide you over U. S. 61 north and south and U. S. 80 west through the city. You may also reach U. S. 61 south and U. S. 80 west by turning south at the Alabama Monument and following Confederate Avenue through the southernmost portion of Vicksburg National Military Park to U. S. 61, below the city of Vicksburg.

_The Park_

Vicksburg National Military Park was established in 1899 to preserve the site of the siege of Vicksburg and was placed under the jurisdiction of the War Department. In 1933, it was transferred to the National Park Service of the United States Department of the Interior. The park consists generally of the Confederate and Union siege lines, now Confederate and Union Avenues, and the area between. The park's 30 miles of avenues and about 1,330 acres of federally owned land contain 128 artillery pieces and 1,600 monuments, markers, and tablets, as well as 17 State memorials.

_How To Reach the Park_

The park forms a semicircle around the city of Vicksburg, Miss., which is located at the intersection of U. S. 80 and 61, midway between Memphis and New Orleans.

_Administration_

Vicksburg National Military Park is administered by the National Park Service of the United States Department of the Interior. Communications should be addressed to the Superintendent, Vicksburg National Military Park, Box 349, Vicksburg, Miss.

_Related Areas_

Other Civil War battlefields administered by the National Park Service, and important to the military operations in the West, are: Shiloh, Stones River, and Fort Donelson National Military Parks, Tenn., and Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Ga.-Tenn.

_Visitor Facilities_

The Union and Confederate siege-lines are well marked and readily visible from Union and Confederate Avenues. Information and free literature, as well as the service of park historians, are available in the museum which contains exhibits explaining and illustrating the Vicksburg operations. An electrical relief map synchronized with a recorded lecture affords a full explanation of the campaign and siege to each visitor. Educational groups may receive a guided tour of the park.

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1961 O-586734

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HISTORICAL HANDBOOK SERIES

(Price lists of National Park Service publications may be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, Washington 25, D.C.)

Antietam Bandelier Chalmette Chickamauga and Chattanooga Battlefields Custer Battlefield Custis-Lee Mansion, the Robert E. Lee Memorial Fort Laramie Fort McHenry Fort Necessity Fort Pulaski Fort Raleigh Fort Sumter George Washington Birthplace Gettysburg Guilford Courthouse Hopewell Village Independence Jamestown, Virginia Kings Mountain The Lincoln Museum and the House Where Lincoln Died Manassas (Bull Run) Montezuma Castle Morristown, a Military Capital of the Revolution Ocmulgee Petersburg Battlefields Saratoga Scotts Bluff Shiloh Statue of Liberty Vanderbilt Mansion Vicksburg Yorktown

Transcriber's Notes

--Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication.

--Corrected a few palpable typos.

--In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_.