Road Trip 2018 - Day Thirteen, Vicksburg

We were up early in the morning so we could do our Rotary Club duty visiting the 7:00 AM Hattiesburg Sunrise Club. Hattiesburg, Mississippi is not on  the list of  places many would go and truthfully we were only there because of changing our route due to Hurricane Michael. As one of the local Rotarians put it, "We don't have a lot of guests so we're not really sure what to do." We enjoyed ourselves none the less.

Rotary meetings are quick and efficient so we were back to our hotel by 8:30 and on the road by 9:30. However that early morning rising had an effect on us and I would say we were not at our touring best today.

Our next stop is Jackson, Mississippi because of a recommendation from the friendly volunteer at the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum in Biloxi. But she also suggested we visit the Vicksburg National Battlefield. As you are all died in the wool Civil War buffs, I need not remind you that the capture of Vicksburg in 1863 on the same day as the Gettysburg battle ended was equally as important in determining the ultimate fate of the Civil War. Unlike Gettysburg which was an accidental encounter that grew into a massive three day battle, Vicksburg was the culmination of about a year of effort on the part of the Union forces to take this last stronghold the prevented them from controlling all of the Mississippi River and cutting the Confederacy in half. It's end was not some great battle but the last act of a siege that effectively starved out the defenders.

If you've ever been to the Gettysburg Battlefield Park, this is very similar. There is a Visitors Center where you get an overview by map and presentation of the total battle. Then you drive around the battlefield are itself. They've initiated a free video tour that you can access via your cell phone which was very convenient.

However, one negative was the result of some work done almost 70 years ago during the 1930's. It was decided to plant trees throughout the area to reduce erosion. What that has done is eliminate all the original vistas of the original battlefield so really don't get the same feel of what it was like between the forces except at a few areas. (Oddly enough they now have found that grass actually works better for erosion prevention so the plan is to start removing trees and replacing them with grass as it was originally.)

All the trees along with the building of the touring access road made it difficult to capture the feel using pictures. Nonetheless we made the attempt.

The site is filled with monuments paid for and erected by the states whose units participated

In the best sections you could still get the feel of how close the two armies were in the action

Here is the position of a Union artillery battery while the tower in background was the site of a Confederate

The one house of the era that is still standing

This video gives you an idea of the distance between the Union lines up by the Shirley House and two the Confederate fort

 

 

 

Here is another of the famous battles where the Union soldiers tunneled beneath the earthworks, set off an explosion to try and breech the fortifications

The proximity of the blue Union position markers and the red Confederate markers show where the battle was engaged hand-to-hand

 

Originally the road was not this high and the deep ravine wen all the way through

Confederate Captain Spouse mounts the fortress to oversee the photographic defenses

One last battle

Defending the rail line

Here the Union troops actually broke through only to have to withdraw for lack of reinforcements

Gastronomic Interlude

Oysters from back in Biloxi

In Jackson tonight at Lou's Full Serv

A Crawfish Cake

Very light and almost all seafood

Garnished with 'sausage' cracklings

Crispy Oysters

A very light batter with a bit of chile aioli on the top

Redfish with a buttermilk mash

A rib cut Pork Chop with loaded cornbread, greens and ham cooked with okra

We continue to eat exceedingly well on this trip