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Mississippi National Military Parks
Vicksburg National Military Park
9/29/1997 Continued south, then west to Vicksburg NMP. Saw a film in the visitor center,
then drove the park loop road along the Union battle lines. Many monuments and memorials in the very hilly terrain.
At the midpoint of the road is the Cairo Museum. The Cairo was a Union ironclad that was sunk by a mine. It was
excavated in the 1960s and what was left was reconstructed, along with modern wood frames as necessary to restore
the shape and support. Really fascinating seeing the old ship - all the cannons and carriages were in place, the wheel
iron frame, pilothouse, some cladding, etc. In the adjacent museum were hundreds of artifacts fond, from military
gear to personal items. Continued down the road along the Confederate lines a while, then exited the park ...
Many cannons and monuments
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The Cairo's defenses ...
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... and wheel
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4/30/2023 Continuing south we entered Vicksburg, hitting the Great River Road into town and also later much of the way to Port Gibson.
... Nearby we stopped at Pemberton’s Headquarters NHL, also in the Vicksburg NMP.
Built in 1836, it served as the headquarters for Confederate General John C. Pemberton during most of the 47-day siege of Vicksburg. Poor photos of this
building up on a little hill over the street, and with restoration construction, but oh well. ... then drove into the NMP (also in the Mississippi Delta NHA),
with Ken proudly displaying his new Senior National Park Pass in official hang tag. We stopped at the Cairo steamship restoration, which was closed for
cleaning of the protective canopy, but we could still get some photos. We also got photos of the adjacent National Cemetery, with some views to the
Mississippi. From there we got on the park loop road and passed (stopping to photo a few) a gazillion markers and memorials to the states and individual
fighting groups involved in the battle and siege of Vicksburg.
The park sign ...
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... and state sign
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... for the Headquarters
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Straight shot looking up the hill
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Interpretive signage
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The Cairo area ...
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... with repairs ongoing
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Info about ...
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... the pretty cemetery area
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Huge areas of monuments
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The beginning of the NCs
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Detail of one marker
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Interpretive signage ...
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... about these bluffs
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Missouri Memorial
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Ken in the car and cannon
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Arkansas Memorial
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Our ride in a wide shot near ...
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... the Louisiana Memorial
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Info about ...
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... artillery
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5/1/2023 We got on the Natchez Trace for a while, then navigated to near Edwards to the Coker House on the Champion Hill Battlefield
NHL (and part of the Vicksburg NMP). The May 16, 1863 Battle of Champion Hill was the pivotal battle in the Vicksburg Campaign of the Civil War.
Union Army commander Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Tennessee pursued the retreating Confederate States Army under Lt. Gen. John C.
Pemberton and defeated it twenty miles to the east of Vicksburg. As part of this NHL, Ken had a waypoint pretty far away for the plaque, but finding
it seemed really unlikely as we drove on smaller and smaller roads through the woods. However, there it was, along with some interpretive signage,
really in the middle of nowhere!
Me photoing ...
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... the park sign ...
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... in context
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Historical info
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The Coker House ...
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... with more info out front
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Another view of the house
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In the mddle of nowhere ...
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... signs about ...
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... the battle
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Ken photos ...
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... the NHL plaque
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Me and Ken
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