We spent several hours at the Vicksburg National Military Park today. We learned about the heights and depths that humans can reach. We saw a place where over 20,000 were killed, wounded, or were missing in just three months. It was a sad day and an enlightening day all at the same time.
The park has two small museums and a 16 mile tour of part of the full battlefield. We spent about six hours on the self guided tour. It starts at a beautiful arch.
The tour takes you along the line of the Union forces for most of the first half of the tour. There are many markers, statues, monuments, and signs that outline the history of the three months of this campaign. Much has changed since that time. Forests have grown back, the river has changed course, and much of the digging and earth moving done by soldiers has filled back in. In some places the park service has kept the battle period look in place.
One area that is still similar is where General Thayer had his men dig a tunnel and ditches to provide a way to attack the hill. Here is a view of the hill from the Union side.
The photo disguises the steepness of the hill. Here is the tunnel that the Union army dug under a ridge leading to this area that helped to reduce the time they spent in open space.
The bricks were added much later to preserve the tunnel. In its original form it was held up by boards, logs, and hope. The view from the Confederate side was much different.
Most of the trees you see in either view did not exist at the time of the battle. This was all open ground. In every location the Confederate Army held the high ground. The geography of the battlefield made all attempts to take a hill a losing battle. This is why the battle of Vicksburg turned into a siege. While the Confederate Army had the high ground, the Union Army had the men and equipment to totally surround the city and the Confederate Army to cut off their supplies. Then it became a waiting game.
To show the superior equipment of the Union forces, you can look at the Union Navy. They had access to manufacturing that could build boats very quickly.
These seven ships and other ships helped the army cut off the supplies from the Mississippi River. With superior manpower, supply lines, and supplies, a siege was a longer and better alternative for the Union Army. It took about six weeks for the siege to work. It was a brutal time for the Confederate Army and the civilians in the city. The siege ended on July 4, 1863, just one day after the Battle of Gettysburg ended.
These two battles were not the only changes that occurred around that time. The Union army had begun to enlist black soldiers into their ranks. While they were separated, the black soldiers quickly proved how well they would fight. This brought even more men into the Union Army.
As mentioned at the start, this was a bloody battle. It did not matter if you were a general or a private, the loss of life and number of wounded was huge. Here is one statue noting the death of Brigadier General Tilghman in this battle.
All of this fighting was done to control a part of a river. A river that carried a lot of supplies.
Here is a summary of the death and devastation of this battle.
I know that war is a part of every generation of man. When you see it as we saw it today, you have to ask, can’t we find another way. The painful answer seems to be no, we cannot. It is proof of man’s inhumanity to man, and of the fact that we humans cannot control our need for power, wealth, and control over others. A sad but true statement of the human condition.