2017 Fall Trip -- Vicksburg and Natchez

While we were in Birmingham I connected with my friends Janet and Doug who live in Lumberton TX. I figured we'd go visit after Thanksgiving which would give us a day in Vicksburg and one in Natches.  It also included Thanksgiving, which I thought we'd spend walking around Natchez and watching football.  Instead, our friends who were going to be alone for the holiday invited us to visit them.  Score!  But I still wanted to see that area so we combined the two places into one visit.

We moved to Vicksburg on Monday and arrived in mid-afternoon.  Here is the link to where we stayed.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=32.23814,-90.92001&ll=32.23814,-90.92001&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1 

After parking quickly, we headed to the National Military Park. We started at the visitors center to learn more about the importance of Vicksburg to the war efforts.

The campaign for Vicksburg started in December 1862 and finished with the Confederate forces surrender on July 4, 1863.  For more than 6 months various armies would maneuver around and occasionally face each other in battle, with more than 48,000 casualties. This included a 47 day siege that lead to the eventual surrender.  Both Presidents, Davis and Lincoln felt that Vicksburg and the Mississippi River were the key to the war.

 In the park there are more than 1400 memorials, most are small and some very large.  This is the Illinois State Memorial which was dedicated in 1906.  Inside all 36,325 Illinois participants are listed.  It is 62 feet tall and originally cost Illinois state $194,423.92.

 This is the Shirley house.  It is the only house in the park that survived the battles.  Most were burned by the Confederates, but the solder assigned to burn this house was shot and died before he could.

 Some of the memorials, large and small

 This was where General Grants Headquarters were located

 This is the Cairo, one of seven ironclad gunboats built for the Union.  It was leading a small flotilla up the Yazoo River north of Vicksburg to attack the battlements and clear the channel of  torpedoes (underwater mines).  While taking fire it hit 2 of the mines and sunk in 12 minutes, with no loss of life.  It became the first ship in history to be sunk by an electronically detonated mine.

By the time we left here the sun was beginning to set and the park was closing.  We headed back to camp.

The sunset was beautiful

The next day we headed 60 miles south to Natchez to see some of the Antebellum houses that still stand there.

 We started at Melrose which is part of the Natchez National Historical Park.  It is a 15,000 square foot Greek revival style mansion built between 1841-1849 by John T McMurran for his family of 4.  Eventually 3 generations would live there before they sold the place in 1865.

 What a grand entrance

 Slave quarters

 Most of the furnishing are original to either this house or the second owners house in Choctaw.  This large paddle is called at punkah, or as our guide called it a "shoo-fly".

 This piece was designed for card playing

 Check out the real gold window cornice and the 'courting couch'.  Gold is used alot in the first floor furnishings.  The McMuran's were a very wealthy family.

 This beautiful price originally cost $138.  Definitely not Ikea quality!!

 One family bedroom

 The carriage house is restored, the barn is a work in progress

 Wayne after ducking under several fences...

 From Melrose we headed to the Natchez Visitors Center to learn more and to see the Mississippi River

 The Under the Hill area was the low-rent area full of ruffians, drinking and riverboats.

 The Mississippi River

 This barge is how we travel the river now

 This was then

 We found this little cutie, but he was too interested in what was in the grass, plus I bet he was wild.

After lunch and walking around the Under Hill we headed across the bridge into Louisiana for our trip back to the coach.  The next day we were off to visit friends.