Vicksburg National Military Park, MississippiEverhart, William C.
History
Vicksburg National Military Park, Mississippi
Everhart, William C.
Vicksburg (Miss.) -- History -- Siege, 1863; Vicksburg National Military Park (Miss.)
Modeled after the Pantheon in Rome, this Memorial Temple, the largest
monument on the field, is dedicated to the 36,312 Illinois men whose
names are inscribed on the bronze plaques within. The Illinois
Commission specified that no device indicative of war should appear on
the memorial.
11. THIRD LOUISIANA REDAN.
This Confederate fort, marked by the three artillery pieces at right of
the avenue, was reached by “Logan’s Approach,” a Union advance trench.
Federal engineers constructed a mine underneath the redan and exploded
2,200 pounds of powder, which blasted a tremendous crater into which
Union infantry raced, only to be driven back after severe fighting.
12. GLASS BAYOU BRIDGE.
The precipitous slopes of the ridges and deeply cut ravines protected
the city, making Vicksburg a natural fortress. The 75-foot drop from the
bridge well illustrates the difficult terrain over which the Union Army
moved.
13. ARKANSAS MONUMENT.
Site of the Arkansas memorial. The twin pylons are representative of
North and South, which were split by the sword of war and reunited by
the cross of faith in a restored Union. Depicted on the left are
Arkansas soldiers repelling a Union assault; on the right, the
Confederate ram _Arkansas_.
14. MISSOURI MONUMENT.
A border State, Missouri was divided in sympathy during the Civil War.
Her soldiers enlisted in the armies of both the North and the South. By
the fortunes of war, in this sector of the siege line, Missouri soldiers
of the Union and Confederate armies faced and fought each other. The
monument honors both. The plaque on the left depicts Missouri Federals
attacking this position; on the right, Missouri Confederates defending
it. Between the panels, the prow of the Ship of State symbolizes the
divided Union; the figure above is the Republic, emerging from the war
with renewed strength.
15. STOCKADE REDAN.
For a close view of siege warfare, walk up into the fort, to the
artillery piece at the right of the avenue. From the ridge 150 yards
away, Union cannon, which are trained on the fort, blasted the
Confederate defenders continuously. During the assault of May 22,
Grant’s infantry reached the wall of the fort. The two black markers in
front of the cannon and just below it indicate where colorbearers
planted their flags, almost at the top of the wall, before the assault
was broken and driven back.
16. OBSERVATION TOWER.
Erected by the Vicksburg National Military Park Commission, in 1909, to
provide a panoramic view of the park and the city of Vicksburg.
[Illustration: _Terraces in Vicksburg National Cemetery._]
17. FORT HILL.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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