Day 10

Brian and I were friends in high school. His father was a Civil War historian. He was the first person I knew who had an interest in that chapter of American history. Now, whenever I take G3 to visit a Civil War battlefield I think of Mr. Walter.

This morning we went to Vicksburg Battlefield which was an important victory for the Union since it turned the tied of the war. Vicksburg is on the Mississippi River. The River was a major transportation artery for the Confederates. They used it to ship supplies and soldiers. If the Union could gain control of Vicksburg, they could sever the Confederacy in half and obstruct the movement of goods. However, the bluffs rising up from the River made it a natural fortress. Overtaking the city would not be easy. And the plan Grant devised was so daring that even Sherman doubted that he could succeed.

In the mid-1800s Vicksburg was a wealthy city. Most residents owned slaves. During the worst of the fighting the residents would escape into caves for shelter.

Grant sent troops deep into enemy territory in Louisiana with the intention of attacking the city from the south. He had Sherman create a diversion by attacking in the north so that he could bring boats passed the cannons. The plan worked. He managed to land soldiers, but every attack ended in retreat. He had soldiers dig trenches and they tunneled under Fort Hill, but the Confederates continued to thwart them. Union casualties and failures mounted.

However, the Union siege of the city was successful. Confederates began to starve. Domesticated animals started to disappear as Confederates ate anything they could find in their desperation. Eventually, soldiers grew weak and started to get sick. On July 4, 1863, General Pemberton surrendered to Grant. He then resigned in disgrace.

Once the Union took control of the city, they made the Vicksburg citizens sign loyalty oaths and they suspended many civil liberties. The city’s economy was in ruins. Sherman didn’t improve things by doing what he did best and burning things. Thirty thousand enslaved people escaped to freedom now that Vicksburg was occupied by the North. The Freedman’s Bureau started schools for the formerly enslaved. Vicksburg became a model for Reconstruction.

At Vicksburg, we stopped by the USS Cairo museum. It was closed—it’s only open on weekends—but we were able to see the ruins of the ship. Confederates sank it on the Yazoo River—near Vicksburg—in 1862. Most of the crew were immigrants from Europe. They all survived.

We took the Natchez Trace Parkway to Natchez. We didn’t get to enjoy the beauty too much. Not long after we detoured on to it the sky opened and rain poured down.

By the time we reached Natchez the rain had stopped. Natchez was originally settled by the French in the early 1700s. When the French lost the French and Indian war they ceded it to England. In the decades leading up to the Civil War,

it attracted many wealthy planters. The soil was good for growing cotton and sugarcane and the proximity to the river was fantastic for commerce. Natchez became the biggest slave trading city in Mississippi, and in the United States only New Orleans was bigger. Since the city is saturated with history, I wanted to stop in for a visit.

Mostly, I wanted to take G3 to the National Historical Park. But when we got to the visitor’s center we learned that the antebellum houses that make up the park were not open. A staffing shortage meant that there weren’t enough rangers to provide tours. We did go to the Melrose Mansion, but all we could do was walk around the grounds and take pictures. We’ve been to so many historic house that it was rather uneventful.

G3 did put his feet in the Mississippi River, though it wasn’t as exciting as it was last year when we visited the headwaters.

The Mississippi was probably the nicest part of the city. A block or two in from the water the houses looked rundown or abandoned. There definitely didn’t appear to be much wealth in the neighborhood. Even tourism didn’t even appear to be bringing in all that much money.

Since I dragged Kati to a battlefield, I searched for a winery in the area. Old South Winery does not grow their own grapes. They get their muscadine grapes from elsewhere. The tasting was cheaper than up north and we got to keep our glasses. The wine was okay. Nothing special. But it too was inexpensive so we bought a bottle. It will make the sandwiches we’ll eat for dinner taste a little better.

I fear this trip is boring G3. We’ve spent more time in the car this year and there aren’t as many National Parks to visit. I think history is also starting to bore him—though he is the one who said he wanted to visit EVERY president’s house.

Kati stopped at McDonald’s for a snack. She ordered large fries. G3 ordered ice cream and a small fries. Without charging us extra we got three orders of large fries sitting on top of a bed of more fries. How many fries can one person or two or three eat?