At Considerable Cost

After a fried catfish dinner and a good night's sleep, we woke the next day to see more of the park.    I took MANY pictures on this day because I was so fascinated by the ironclad gunboat, Cairo , who now rests in special splendor at Vicksburg.   When I visited the park in the mid-80s, the gunboat had just been placed there.   The awning and the boat's surroundings, including a nice museum, were only plans on paper.   The history of the Cairo is told on the park's official website: http://www.nps.gov/vick/u-s-s-cairo-gunboat.htm .   Entombed in mud after being sunk by Confederate forces, the Cairo lay until it was raised in 1965.   The gunboat is a testament to the intelligence and skill of its designers and builders.   Its easy to look at our technology of today and think ourselves superior, but to gaze upon the beauty and workmanship of such a 19th century vessel is humbling.   Most of th...

I visited Vicksburg National Military Park  in seventh grade and I was glad to have an opportunity to return.   Joey had never visited the site of one of the major sieges of the Civil War, so he was very excited to stop and spend a day in the beautiful Mississippi town.   It was right on our way so it seemed a natural first hotel stop on our trip.   We arrived in early afternoon. The siege of Vicksburg was of major importance, because with victory there and at Port Hudson in Louisiana (just a few miles from the farm where I grew up), the Union took complete of the Mississippi River--vital for shipments of troops and goods-- and divided the Confederacy in half.   Vicksburg was a hard-fought battle, though and General Grant failed on his first attempts.   The town was perfectly fortified because of its position amongst among high bluffs along the Mississippi River.   Its strategic importance to both the Con...