We were in Red Bay Alabama in January for a few motorhome repairs. Our current location is Vicksburg Mississippi where a large Civil War battleground was preserved by the National Park Service. The visitor center was closed (Covid-19) but the park was open. We drove through the park on a fifteen mile paved road. There are many monuments and markers where major action took place. We have been to Gettysburg and this is similar but different. Vicksburg overlooked the Mississippi River and the battle was for final control of the river by the Union soldiers under General Ulysses Grant. The river has since bypassed the loop where the battle occurred, now called the Yazoo River. The Mississippi is still at Vicksburg, just shifted about two miles south. The river has changed course many times, the link below explains the changes.
Here are some links to Vicksburg history
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| The Shirley House was there during the war. https://www.nps.gov/vick/learn/historyculture/tour-stop-2-shirley-house.htm |
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| Red markers were the Confederates, Blue markers were the Union. |
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| This overlook shows the Yazoo River. In 1876, the Mississippi River changed its course, shifting west several miles and leaving Vicksburg without a river front. In 1902, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers diverted the Yazoo River into the old river bed, forming the Yazoo Diversion Canal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yazoo_River |
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| USS Cairo Ironclad, recovered from the river where is sank during the war. It was recovered in 1965, 100 years after the war. The museum was closed and I could not get closer than the fence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cairo |
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| Parts of the main structure are intact. The "ironclad" covering can be seen in the front. I believe you can walk on/over the boat when the museum is open. |
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| The paddlewheel. |
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