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Vicksburg National Military ParkTheme(s): Civil War | Maritime History | |
Description:
Welcome to the Vicksburg National Military Park website. Please click the "In Depth" link at right for detailed information about the park, including on-line tours, photographs, historical records, battles, state and regimental monuments, maps, educator's guide, and a variety of reference materials.
Vicksburg National Military Park was established by Congress on February 21, 1899, to commemorate one of the most decisive battles of the American Civil War, the campaign, siege and defense of Vicksburg.
The Vicksburg campaign was waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. It included battles in west-central Mississippi at Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hill, Big Black River and 47 days of Union siege operations against Confederate forces defending the city of Vicksburg. Located high on the bluffs, Vicksburg was a fortress guarding the Mississippi River. It was known as "The Gibraltar of the Confederacy." Its surrender on July 4, 1863, coupled with the fall of Port Hudson, Louisiana, divided the South, and gave the North undisputed control of the Mississippi River.
Today, the battlefield at Vicksburg is in an excellent state of preservation. It includes 1,325 historic monuments and markers, 20 miles of reconstructed trenches and earthworks, a 16 mile tour road, antebellum home, 144 emplaced cannon, restored Union gunboat-USS Cairo, and the Vicksburg National Cemetery.
Click "IN DEPTH" (at right) for detailed information.
Designations:
National Military Cemetery (December 1866)
National Military Park (February 21, 1899)
Nat'l Register of Historic Places (October 15, 1966)
Accessibility:
The main park visitor center and Cairo Museum are wheelchair accessible, with a least one wheelchair available upon request.
Getting Around:
Private Automobile, Taxi Cab, Tour Bus, Bicycle, or Walking.
Orientation to the park begins at the park visitor center with an 18 minute film. Visitors can then
drive the historic 16 mile tour road through Union and Confederate siege lines.
Halfway through the park, visitors get a close-up view of the Union gunboat, the USS Cairo. The 175 foot long ironclad was sunk on December 12, 1862, by underwater Confederate mines just North of Vicksburg in the Yazoo River. Raised in 1964, the restored city class gunboat offers visitors a unique opportunity to view original cannons, cannon carriages, engines, boilers and pilot house, via a reconstructed gundeck. The nearby USS Cairo Museum houses a variety of military and personal artifacts, which were recovered with the Cairo during its salvage operation.
Adjacent to the USS Cairo is the Vicksburg National Cemetery. Established in 1866, it contains
in excess of 18,000 graves, of which over 12,000 are unknown. Soldiers from the Civil War, the
Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II and the Korean War are interred here.
Activites:
Auto_Touring | Biking | Hiking | Wildlife Viewing | Backpacking | Bird Watching | And more.
Facilities:
Picnic Areas | Comfort Stations | Museum Exhibits | Tours & Guided Activities | And more.
Directions to Vicksburg National Military Park
Plane:
Closest commercial airport is Jackson, MS, 50 miles to the east.
Car:
Location, Directions to Vicksburg
From the East, Take Interstate 20 west to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Use
exit ramp 4B. Follow Clay Street (US-80) west 1/4 mile to the park entrance.
From the North,
Take Interstate 55 south to Jackson, Mississippi. (To save
time you can use the Interstate
220 bypass on the west side of
Jackson). Take Interstate 20
west to Vicksburg, approximately 40 miles. Use exit ramp 4B. Follow Clay Street (US-80) west 1/4 mile to the park entrance.
From the South,
Take Interstate 55 or US Highway 49 to Jackson, Mississippi. Take Interstate 20 west to Vicksburg, Mississippi, approximately 42 miles. Use exit ramp 4B. Follow Clay Street (US-80) west 1/4 mile to the park entrance.
From the West,
Take Interstate 20 east to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Use exit ramp 4B. Follow Clay Street (US-80)
west 1/4 mile to the park entrance.
Public Transportation
Taxi Cabs, Charter Buses (see your travel agent).
Attractions:
Southern Cultural Heritage Complex
U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station (WES)
Phone:(601) 634-2502
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District
Phone:(601) 631-5053
Grand Gulf State Military Park (MS)
Phone:(601) 437-5911
Nearby Parks:
Natchez Trace Parkway (30 miles)
Natchez National Historical Park (74 miles)
Jean Lafitte National Historic Park & Preserve (237 miles)
Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site (250 miles)
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