Forum Host- Joined
- Mar 18, 2011
- Location
- Clinton, Mississippi
Yesterday was a beautiful day, and I decided to do some Vicksburg Campaign sightseeing along with my friend Joe.
We started out in Raymond:
Union artillery on McPherson's Ridge - the corn on either side is getting really tall
While walking the trail that runs through the Raymond battlefield, I spotted this sign on a tree. It must have been left after a living history program.
Next we went to the Coker House on the Champion Hill Battlefield. During the fighting, a shell fired from the yard of the house by the Chicago Mercantile Battery struck Brigadier General Lloyd Tilghman, killing him instantly.
Some of the original trees lining the drive leading to the Coker House still survive.
After Champion Hill, we headed to the Big Black River Battlefield - we went to the site of the Railroad Bridge of the Southern Railroad of Mississippi. When the Confederates retreated from the battlefield, they burned the bridge, but some of the footings of the bridge are still visible:
In the foreground is one of the footings for the Civil War bridge spanning the Big Black River. On the left is the modern railroad bridge built in the 1930s.
Closeup of the piling.
Our last stop of the day was in the Vicksburg National Military Park. The park had a number of living history programs going on in honor of the holiday. The Shirley house in the park was open, and I really wanted to see it, as I had never been inside:
They had a reenactor portraying General Grant - he certainly looked the part, and he gave a very good talk about Grant's role in the Vicksburg Campaign:
Dining room of the Shirley House:
Nice army desk setup in the Shirley House:
The National Park Service also had their living history crew doing cannon firing demonstrations at Battery De Golyer, so you could say we ended the day with a bang:
We started out in Raymond:
Union artillery on McPherson's Ridge - the corn on either side is getting really tall
While walking the trail that runs through the Raymond battlefield, I spotted this sign on a tree. It must have been left after a living history program.
Next we went to the Coker House on the Champion Hill Battlefield. During the fighting, a shell fired from the yard of the house by the Chicago Mercantile Battery struck Brigadier General Lloyd Tilghman, killing him instantly.
Some of the original trees lining the drive leading to the Coker House still survive.
After Champion Hill, we headed to the Big Black River Battlefield - we went to the site of the Railroad Bridge of the Southern Railroad of Mississippi. When the Confederates retreated from the battlefield, they burned the bridge, but some of the footings of the bridge are still visible:
In the foreground is one of the footings for the Civil War bridge spanning the Big Black River. On the left is the modern railroad bridge built in the 1930s.
Closeup of the piling.
Our last stop of the day was in the Vicksburg National Military Park. The park had a number of living history programs going on in honor of the holiday. The Shirley house in the park was open, and I really wanted to see it, as I had never been inside:
They had a reenactor portraying General Grant - he certainly looked the part, and he gave a very good talk about Grant's role in the Vicksburg Campaign:
Dining room of the Shirley House:
Nice army desk setup in the Shirley House:
The National Park Service also had their living history crew doing cannon firing demonstrations at Battery De Golyer, so you could say we ended the day with a bang:
Bringing the