Vicksburg National Military Park

Vicksburg National Military Park

Infobox_protected_area | name = Vicksburg National Military Park




caption =
locator_x = 171
locator_y = 132
location = Vicksburg, Mississippi & Delta, Louisiana, USA
nearest_city =
lat_degrees = 32
lat_minutes = 20
lat_seconds = 39
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 90
long_minutes = 51
long_seconds = 6
long_direction = W
area = convert|1852.75|acre|km2
(7.50 km²)
established = February 21, 1899
visitation_num = 703,484
visitation_year = 2005
governing_body = National Park Service
Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from May 18 to July 4, 1863. The park, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Delta, Louisiana, also commemorates the greater Vicksburg Campaign, which preceded the battle. Reconstructed forts and trenches evoke memories of the 47-day siege that ended in the surrender of the city. Victory here and at Port Hudson gave the United States control of the Mississippi River.

Battlefield

The park includes 1,325 historic monuments and markers, convert|20|mi|km of historic trenches and earthworks, a convert|16|mi|km|sing=on tour road, two antebellum homes, 144 emplaced cannons, restored gunboat USS "Cairo" (sunk on December 12, 1862, on the Yazoo River), and the Grant's Canal site, where the Union army attempted to build a canal to let their ships bypass Confederate artillery fire. The Cairo, also known as the "Hardluck Ironclad," was the first U.S. ship in history to be sunk by a torpedo/mine. It was raised in 1964. The Illinois State Memorial has 47 steps, one for every day Vicksburg was besieged.

Cemetery

The convert|116.28|acre|km2|sing=on Vicksburg National Cemetery, is within the park. It has 18,244 interments (12,954 unidentified); grave space is not available. Date of Civil War interments: 1866-1874.

Grant's Canal

The remnants of Grant's Canal, a detached section of the military park, are located across from Vicksburg near Delta, Louisiana. Union Army Major General Ulysses S. Grant ordered the project, started on June 27, 1862, as part of his Vicksburg Campaign with two goals in mind. The first was to alter the course of the Mississippi River in order to bypass the Confederate guns at Vicksburg. For various technical reasons the project failed to meet this goal. The river did change course by itself on April 26, 1876. The project met its second goal, keeping troops occupied during the laborious maneuvering required to begin the Battle of Vicksburg.clear

Administrative history

The national military park was established on February 21, 1899, to "commemorate the siege and defense of Vicksburg". The park sprawls over convert|1800|acre|km2 of land. Over a million visitors visit the park every year. The park and cemetery were transferred from the War Department to the National Park Service (NPS) on August 10, 1933. In the late 1950s, a portion of the park was transferred to the city as a local park, in exchange for closing local roads running through the remainder of the park. It also allowed for the construction of Interstate 20. The monuments in the transferred land are still maintained by the NPS. As with all historic areas administered by the NPS, the park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. Of the park's 1,736.47 acres (not including the cemetery), convert|1729.63|acre|km2 are federally owned.clear

References

* "The National Parks: Index 2001-2003". Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.clear

External links

* Official NPS website: [http://www.nps.gov/vick/ Vicksburg National Military Park]
* Grant's Canal map links: coord|32|19|14|N|90|56|0|W|


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Vicksburg National Military Park — ➡ Vicksburg * * * …   Universalium

  • National Military Park — Vicksburg National Military Park, Illinois Memorial …   Wikipedia

  • National Military Park — Fort Donelson National Battlefield Als National Battlefield (Nationales Schlachtfeld), National Battlefield Park, National Battlefield Site oder National Military Park werden in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika Gebiete bezeichnet, die aufgrund …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park — IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape) …   Wikipedia

  • Military Park — can refer to: Local parks Military Park (Indianapolis): in Indianapolis, Indiana Military Park (Newark): in Newark, New Jersey Military Park (NCS station): National Parks National Military Park: run by the United States National Park Service,… …   Wikipedia

  • National Battlefield Park — Fort Donelson National Battlefield Als National Battlefield (Nationales Schlachtfeld), National Battlefield Park, National Battlefield Site oder National Military Park werden in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika Gebiete bezeichnet, die aufgrund …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Natchez National Historical Park — U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. National Historical Park …   Wikipedia

  • Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve — IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape) …   Wikipedia

  • New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park — U.S. National Register of Historic Places …   Wikipedia

  • Vicksburg, Mississippi —   City   Aerial view of Vicksburg Harbor Nickname(s) …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”