The Gibraltar of the South

Yesterday, my AmeriCorps team visited Vicksburg National Military Park, situated on a dramatic bluff above the Mississippi River in what is now the Deep South, but during the Civil War was considered the "Western Theater." The Siege of Vicksburg resulted in a Union victory, giving control of the important waterway to the Union.

A fortress city dominating the Mississippi River, Vicksburg was wealthy and cosmopolitan prior to the war. Its position made it a necessary target for the Union but also made it very difficult to assault. Between 1862 and 1863, the Union continually attacked the stronghold to no avail. Finally, Ulysses S Grant decided to out-camp the Confederates, which caused the city to surrender after 47 days. The Union victory opened the river to northern shipping and, coming one day after the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg, is considered a turning point in the Civil War.

With the surrender, the town was occupied and life became dramatically different. Civil liberties were suspended and African Americans were given jobs within the military and back on plantations, but they were all paid. 

After the war, Union and Confederate veterans managed to protect the battlefield as a military park. Almost immediately, artists and architects began working on memorials for the fallen of the battle. The park has been described as "the art park of the world" and encompasses over 1000 monuments to soldiers from the North and South.