Over 1,300 plaques, markers and memorials have made Vicksburg Military Park one of the largest collections of outdoor sculpture in the world. Dedicated to one of the major battles of the American Civil War, the Self-Guided Driving Tour of the park allows visitors to experience the history that it honors and preserves via set driving routes and multiple stops in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Doing so has provided audiences with a powerful perspective around the Vicksburg Campaign and Siege that can be experienced in numerous ways.
The Campaign for and Seige of Vicksburg
At the start of the Civil War, Confederates controlled the vast majority of the Mississippi River, which made Vicksburg a tremendously important location. President Abraham Lincoln referred to it as the key to the south, which compelled a campaign to take the city that began in 1862.
For 18 months, during the Campaign for Vicksburg, Union and Confederate forces fought one another all through the region. During the Seige of Vicksburg which lasted for 47 days, the Union Army laid siege to the city. This siege led to the surrender of the Confederate Army on July 4, 1863. Soldiers from 28 states fought in the campaign and siege of 1863, most of which are memorialized throughout the park.
The park’s earliest state memorial was dedicated in 1903 while more than 95% of the monuments that followed were erected prior to 1917. The U.S.S. Cairo also played a vital role in the campaign for Vicksburg, and after sitting at the bottom of the river for over 100 years, the ship is on display at the military park. All of these monuments and landmarks can be seen and experienced in multiple ways across the Self-Guided Driving Tour of Vicksburg Military Park.
Monuments and Landmarks along the Self-Guided Driving Tour
The 16-mile Self-Guided Driving Tour utilizes a map that details driving routes, tour stops, and also provides a brief history of the Vicksburg Campaign and Siege. Visitors can experience the vast array of historical, cultural, and natural resources throughout its park grounds, offering them a choice of options tailored to meet their level of interest and timeframe. Many community members and visitors choose to walk, run, or bicycle portions of the tour road.
Stops along the tour include Battery De Golyer, Random’s Gun Path, Thayer’s Approach, the Vicksburg National Cemetary, Railroad Redoubt, Hovey’s Approach and many others. All of the stops are numbered to provide visitors with specific insights and context about the information they contain.
Interspersed throughout these stops are the numerous State Monuments that were designed by dozens of prominent 19th and 20th-century artists. The Memorial Arch, Illinois Memorial, Navy Monument and African American Monument are a few of the more notable monuments that can be seen along the Tour. Additionally, the U.S.S. Cairo Museum features the restored gunboat that is one of only four surviving Civil War-era ironclads in existence.
These monuments and literal pieces of history have allowed Vicksburg National Military Park to become an attraction for both residents and visitors, creating numerous opportunities that have positively impacted the economy and culture of the entire region.
Products, Passes, Tours and More
All park visitors, including walkers and joggers, are required to purchase a recreational use pass upon entering Vicksburg National Military Park. Different types of passes that provide access to the park are also available for purchase. Additionally, licensed Battlefield Guides as well as a Cell Phone Driving Tour provide visitors with other options to experience the park.
At the Visitor’s Center, Park Rangers can answer questions and assist with orientation to park areas. Maps and audio tours of the park are available for purchase at the Visitor Center and at the USS Cairo Museum. Both stores are stocked with an incredible selection of books, souvenirs, apparel, artwork, and many other unique items to tell the story of the Civil War at Vicksburg.
Locations like Pemberton’s Headquarters and the Old Court House Museum are not located in Vicksburg Military park, but they highlight how the experiences at the park are connected to the wider city and region. Civil War Guides of the entire state further showcase the history that visitors can experience in Vicksburg. The notoriety of the park has also fueled myths that pertain to bleeding faces, bronze eagles, eyes that follow visitors, and much more.
It’s for all these reasons and more that the Vicksburg Military Park is such an important attraction for the city and region. This connection has further cultivated the impact it has enabled for the entire community.
Experiencing History
Referred to as a Civil War safari park, the Self-Guided Driving Tour of Vicksburg Military Park has been able to generate interest from audiences across the era. The estimated 1,340 monuments that are located all across the tour and landscape have further cultivated this interest, allowing audiences to experience all of it in their own way at their own pace.
Self-guided tours of battlefields have proven to provide visitors with numerous ways to experience the history and notable landmarks that such sites have cultivated. These sorts of tours aren’t practical for all locations, but they highlight what it can look like to allow audiences to experience history, no matter the scape or scope, in an especially personal manner.
