Our next stop was in Vicksburg, MS for a couple of days. This city has struck Susan and I as a "subtle and genteel place." First on the agenda, we toured the Vicksburg Military Park. This park is the site of the Battle for Vicksburg that occurred from May 18 – July 4, 1863. During the Civil War, Vicksburg was a key location because of its strategic location on the Mississippi River and its rail connections to other parts of the Confederacy. The city is built on bluffs the are nearly 300 feet above the river, making it ideal for defense. Confederate President Jefferson Davis described Vicksburg as "the nail-head that holds the South's two halves together." Abraham Lincoln declared Vicksburg "the key" and said "the war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket."
View of the main battle area. The Union would be entrenched on the left side while the confederacy would be on the right with their backs to the river. The structure to the right of the picture is the old park headquarters and did not exist during the war. You can see the remnants of the trenches and ditches that were dug to either defend or trying to get closer in order to attack. An attack by either side would require an uphill charge which would expose either side to rifle and cannon fire from the top of the hills.
There are over 1,325 monuments and markers in the park. One of the largest is the Illinois monument. Out of about 77,000 Union troops, 36,000 were from Illinois. There are 47 steps leading up to the monument, one for each day of the siege that ended the battle.
The wall inside the monument lists all the names of Illinois troops by unit and rank or occupation.
All the States who had troops at Vicksburg have built monuments, some small, some large but all are represented. Maryland is the odd one, seems the State was split between the confedercy and the Union. Memiors from one Maryland soldier fighting for the confederacy stated "I saw a man carrying the flag of my State advancing towards me and I hesitated to kill one from my own State. I then thought, what would he do to me once he got here."
This is the Wisconsin monument. About 9,500 Wisconsin troops were at the battle. Sitting atop the 122 foot column is "Old Abe" the war eagle and mascot of the 8th Wisconsin Infantry and traveled with them throughout the war on a perch resembling a shield. Seeing "Old Abe" atop his perch during the battle of Corinth, Mississippi, Confederate General Sterling Price remarked, "that bird must be captured or killed at all hazards, I would rather get that eagle than capture a whole brigade or a dozen battle flags." "Old Abe" lived out the remainder of his life in an aviary in the Wisconsin Capitol building. In 1881, a fire broke out in a paint and solvent storage area near "Old Abe's" aviary. A month later the famous Wisconsin War Eagle, weakened by fumes, died in the arms of his handler, George Gilles. "Old Abe" lives on today as the the shoulder patch of the 101st Airborne.
This is the USS Cairo, a river gun boat used by the Union Navy to forge their way up the Mississippi past the canons and gun fire from the fortified Vicksburg to open the river to Union travel. It was originally sunk in the Yazoo river and lay on the bottom for 100 years before being hauled up and reconstructed with its original timbers.
A view of the paddle-wheels and drive assembly. All the metal parts on the Cairo are original. It was covered with silt for 100 years which helped preserve the metal. It has been painstakingly recovered and preserved. It is the only surviving boat of this type. Seven of these boats were completed in 100 days, using railroad foundry's.
Since we were touring in a bus, we did not stop near enough. The story of the battle is long and detailed so I have presented only a bit of what is there. I would encourage anyone who has thought about it to make the journey to this place that sealed the Confederacy's fate and started the end of the war.
It was then on to lunch at the Anchuca Mansion. This is a antebellum mansion built in the 1830's. It now houses an elegant Inn and restaurant. It is located in the oldest residential area in Vicksburg. The Inn is decorated in the furnishings of the period and is an elegant and tranquil place to spend time.
View of the porch and balcony of the mansion. After release from his two year prison sentence, Jefferson Davis stayed here with his older brother and gave his last talk from the balcony. As part of his sentence, Jeff Davis was not allowed to give speeches again.
Example of the furnishings in the Anchuca Mansion. You can visit their website at www.anchuca.com to see many more photos of the inn's rooms and find out more.
So where are the bears I mentioned in the title? One of the combatants at the siege of Vicksburg was Holt Collier. He was a third generation born slave who killed his first bear at the age of 10. His story is almost forgotten but he is still a legend in the Mississippi Delta region for his ability to track and shoot. This ability led the plantation owner to give him the duty of providing the slaves and owners meat. When the war started, the plantation owner left to fight for the Confederacy and Holt followed. During the war he joined with the 9th Texas Cavalry regiment to fight. After the war he made a decent living selling meat to the locals. He is said to have been the best tracker and hunter around. So good that when Theodore Roosevelt (TR) came to Mississippi to hunt bear, Holt was hired to track for him. TR had not seen a bear all day, Holt went ahead and cornored a black bear that then turned and attacked his favorite dog, Jocko. Holt jumped off his horse and smashed his rifle butt on the bears head, stunning him. Holt tied the bear to a tree and when TR arrived the entire hunting party urged him to shoot it. Holt told him not to, TR listened to Holt and said it was "unsportsmanlike." An editorial cartoon by the Washington Post showing TR refusing to shoot the bear, Morris Michtom, a Brooklyn candy shop owner, saw the cartoon and had an idea. He and his wife Rose also made stuffed animals, and Michtom decided to create a stuffed toy bear and dedicate it to the president who refused to shoot a bear. He called it 'Teddy's Bear'. They received TR's approval to use his name and the teddy bear was born. Holt went on to become friends with TR and travel with him on hunts, he even accompanied TR to Africa.
We left Vicksburg this morning and headed south to Natchez. On the way we had lunch at The Old Country Store. The hot chicken is the best there is and we agree, it was all good. The building remains pretty much the same since it was built, except being brought up to current codes. Rustic uneven floors, tall ceilings and antique inlay dining tables take you back it time. Down home cooking at its best.
Tomorrow we get tour old Natchez in a horse drawn carriage. Hope you all have a blessed week and will return to follow us as we wind up our Great River Road trip.
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