Greenwood, Mississippi

Well, the one thing to keep in mind too is that when the Corps of Engineers built a massive levee system along the Mississippi River it prevented the river from meandering. The water flow became narrow and swift, which meant the inland rivers like the Yazoo and Big Black drained much quicker and thus remain at a lower average level today than it did during the war.

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine rivers like the Big Black, for example, could sustain river traffic so far upstream. But before the Mississippi River levee system, the Mississippi flowed much slower and wider which backed up the rivers like the Yazoo and Big Black, making it easier for steamboats to operate.
I recall that discussion when we were at Grand Gulf but it still amazes me that ships like the USS Cairo were able to operate in those waters. The length of the Star Of The West was actually longer than the width of the Tallahatchie River at the point in Greenwood where it was sunk to block Union vessels. They had to scuttle it an angle to make it fit.
 
It's now the "Museum Of The Mississippi Delta". It is very much still there and I have plenty to post about it later in the thread. I went there when it opened on the Monday morning after our Vicksburg tour before rolling out homeward bound.
Can’t wait. It’s been a long time since I’ve been there. I do remember it had some incredible artifacts
 
I recall that discussion when we were at Grand Gulf but it still amazes me that ships like the USS Cairo were able to operate in those waters. The length of the Star Of The West was actually longer than the width of the Tallahatchie River at the point in Greenwood where it was sunk to block Union vessels. They had to scuttle it an angle to make it fit.

I remember someone saying on the CWT tour that the water level that gunboats (turtles) could operate was in as little as 7ft.
 
Past the gate is a levee running perpendicular to the road. Don't know what is on the other side of the levee. Wish I had taken a couple of pictures so y'all could see what I am trying to describe.
Shh. We did not pass around the gate. We out-flanked it.
Since there is no fences, I assume the gate is there to prevent good ole boys from riding the levee of the cut-off built by the Corps of Engineers. We parked in front of the gate and headed almost due South.

Here is a map that I created for @bdtex that listed some places of interest.
The STAR at Point 2A is the large earthworks. The Star further north next to hiway marker {49E} is where the Marker is located on the north side of Hiway 82 (and 49E). This is where the cut-off was built to connect the two rivers.
The original Fort ran North/South across the highway and paralleled the river cut-off.

Map Ft Pemberton Tour.jpg

The river on the north side (at Point 2) is the Tallahatchie River that is flowing West to East. It then loops around Greenwood and joins with the Yalobusha River to create the Yazoo River.
The river on the south of this image--just next to Stop 3---is the Yazoo River and it is flowing East to West.
Stop 5? is the cemetery where Lt. Stoddard is buried along with other veterans. I found the grave of a staff officer from my Gr-Grandfather's 30 Mississippi Regt.
 
Shh. We did not pass around the gate. We out-flanked it.
Since there is no fences, I assume the gate is there to prevent good ole boys from riding the levee of the cut-off built by the Corps of Engineers. We parked in front of the gate and headed almost due South.
I never looked back after we went off-road. :biggrin:
 
The earthworks are hidden by the trees. The Corps of Engineers built a large mound next to the highway but not sure of its purpose. They didn't build up a large levee along the cut-off.
Here is a map that locates it to the best of my calculations. I hope no relic hunters go tramping out there as I know the locals have hunted that area 30-50 years ago.

Green are the Levee on the north side of Hiway 82 and the odd mounds on the South side.
Orange are the earthworks. On the north side there is a lot of erosion and possible alterations by the CofE.
The Orange square is the marker and the Park.
You can correct me but I recall the earthworks on the South had a slight bend in it. There was a washout that cut through it or it may have been built that way. Then the rest of it was gone.
Red is the Gate. White is the cut-off for the river(s).

Map Ft Pemberton Earthworks.jpg
 
You can correct me but I recall the earthworks on the South had a slight bend in it. There was a washout that cut through it or it may have been built that way. Then the rest of it was gone.
That's the way I remember it. Next time,I may walk a little deeper into the woods just to make sure all the rest of it is gone.
 
Next time,I may walk a little deeper into the woods just to make sure all the rest of it is gone.
I'm sure it is. That is why I get excited when I see what is left. You have to know the history of the cut-off---or whatever the engineers call it. Over they years they tried different methods including a simple channel with levees. Then they installed what appears to be a gate to control the flow.
Further up the Tallahatchie, they cut a similar channel to bypass a large loop of the river that passed by my boyhood home. It it almost left that section of the river much like a stagnate lagoon, except the river was much too deep and still have some flow to it.
 
Boy, this thread is really enticing me to go to Fort Pemberton! Thanks, @bdtex, for creating this thread. And especially to @DixieRifles for additional pictures and very good explanations of the site!
You're welcome. I was certainly counting on DixieRifles to ante up and kick in too. I know he has some good stuff too. That Google Earth shot was awesome. I haven't quite figured out how to do what he did with that and post it too.
 
@DixieRifles, I really enjoyed your picture below. In addition to it, could you describe for me where the Yalobusha (as described in bdtex’s picture of the historical marker above) is located in reference to Fort Pemberton below?
16A979FF-95A6-4062-AD6F-CB7689FFF955.jpeg
 
The monument at the Leflore County Courthouse is one of the nicer courthouse Civil War monuments that I have seen. @Nathanb1 and @DixieRifles have been posting about it and pics of it in other threads and are certainly free to do it here too. A lot of symbolism in that monument. I really need to spend some time studying the inscriptions on it on my desktop monitor. I am on my cellphone tonight. Just gonna post a few pics tonight.

IMG_20191027_170057275_HDR.jpg
 
The opportunity to go there as part of my trip to Vicksburg with our CWT group a little over a week ago presented itself and I couldn't pass it up.

Greenwood has a Great pre-war history and really didn't come into play till after the CS defeat at Corinth and the CS army fell back to Grenad and spent the winter there. In the spring of 63 when CS Troops were ordered to Vicksburg the direct route was thru Greenwood. I'm at a loss. It was not part of our CWT group and I thought you told me it was why you were 4 hrs late in meeting me at the hotel to get everything setup for the "Official Group"
 
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