Union Memorial.

[Tompre]

This memorial is located just inside the gate of the Vicksburg National Cemetery. It was purchased by the NPS to be installed in Soldiers Rest CS Cemetery. Most of the soldiers were captured at Chickasaw Bayou, and died as prisoners. They were buried in the Vicksburg City Cemetery, and there they remain. When the Park approached the UDC, who oversees Soldiers Rest, and asked to install it in the Confederate Cemetery, the UDC said no. So it was installed in the National Cemetery instead.

 

[Forrest]

Makes sense. I understand why they would want a memorial for soldiers to be located in the area where the soldiers are actually buried, but with the current attitude toward soldier memorials, this result is to be expected.

 

[Bradley]

It is very odd to me that the NPS would commission a marker without getting the appropriate permission well in advance.

 

[Don Dixon]

Clearly a coordination fail, but it Tells you a lot about the UDC, doesn't it.

 

[Tompre]

Clearly a coordination fail, but it Tells you a lot about the UDC, doesn't it.

The soldiers weren't buried in Soldiers Rest. It wasn't established until 1866, that's why the UDC said no. No one know where the Union troops were buried, the Park should have placed the monument close to the front gate which is where the burial trenches were that held the Union occupation troops. I suspect the prisoners were buried close to this location.

 

[Bradley]

The soldiers weren't buried in Soldiers Rest.

But NPS phrases the marker "on this site"... so I wonder what sort of evidence NPS was going by? Again, one would think there had to have been some sort of correspondence and agreement between UDC and NPS before the memorial was even created...

 

[Tompre]

But NPS phrases the marker "on this site"... so I wonder what sort of evidence NPS was going by? Again, one would think there had to have been some sort of correspondence and agreement between UDC and NPS before the memorial was even created...

The NPS dropped the ball, they didn't research before creating the monument. They know very little about Vicksburg other than the Park. They should have know that SR wasn't established till 1866, so it was impossible that the Union prisoners were buried there. There has always been very little cooperation between the NPS and the Vicksburg. It's like Ed Bearss and the Cairo. The people of Vicksburg knew where it was located, but wasn't asked.