Battle of Vicksburg

Vicksburg Battlefield was not that appealing to me before we got there because I thought it was one big siege...not much to see here. Boy was I wrong.

BOTH Presidents, Lincoln and Jefferson Davis said the same thing: "Vicksburg is the nail head that holds the South's two halves together...Vicksburg is the key"

So, one day, I went off by myself to scope it out by just going to the Visitor's Center and looking around. After a 30 minute discussion with one of the rangers, I was hooked. The next day I grabbed Kim and off we went to tour the battlefield.

This is the park map. The green is the battlefield area. Vicksburg is the the far right along the Mississippi river.

This is the park map. The green is the battlefield area. Vicksburg is the the far right along the Mississippi river.

Battle lines surrounding the city of Vicksburg. Blue is Union, Red line is the Confederate line of defense. Most of the tour takes place in this area.

  

As we travelled around we noticed many trees blocking our view of the Confederate positions. Turns out the park has a restoration project underwear to restore the park to it's 1863 appearance.

This is the view before restoration. Part I is the photo to the left and Part II is the photo on the right. The Union is to the left and the Confederates are to the right in both photos. This is the view, after present day restoration, to show how it was during the battle/siege in 1863. Part III is to the left and Part IV is the photo to the right. Notice how very close they were to each other, right across this valley...for over 45 days. This is the view, after present day restoration, to show how it was during the battle/siege in 1863. Part III is to the left and Part IV is the photo to the right. Notice how very close they were to each other, right across this valley...for over 45 days.

It took some time to understand the different battle lines because all of the Confederate "forts" and fortifications and the trenches that were dug by the Union forces have been eroded flat.

These are the fortifications the Union forces faces when trying to capture them.

These are the fortifications the Union forces faces when trying to capture them.

The blue marker is how far the Union troops got to the Confederate lines (where I'm standing taking the photo). They started waaaay down to the far right where that white speck is. Then, they tunneled up the slope on the left until they got to this spot. You are standing at the location of one of the Confederate "forts" looking across the valley at the Union forces. The blue markers in front of you are how close the Union men came to taking this fort. Down that valley, then up into gun fire and cannon. After a few more of these assaults, Grant decided to starve them out. You are standing at the location of one of the Confederate "forts" looking across the valley at the Union forces. The blue markers in front of you are how close the Union men came to taking this fort. Down that valley, then up into gun fire and cannon. After a few more of these assaults, Grant decided to starve them out.

Some of the cannons used by both sides. Notice how large they are compared to the vehicles.

A trench that has not completely eroded. The walls would've been totally vertical to avoid getting shot by snipers.

A trench that has not completely eroded. The walls would've been totally vertical to avoid getting shot by snipers.

Confederates to the left on top of that rise and Union to the right. Again, down and up before engaging the South troops.

Confederates to the left on top of that rise and Union to the right. Again, down and up before engaging the South troops.

This is what the trenches looked like in 1863. These had to be dug by the troops.

View from the Confederate position. The Union got to where those two people are walking to the left before getting repulsed.

View from the Confederate position. The Union got to where those two people are walking to the left before getting repulsed.

Vicksburg National Cemetery encompasses 117.85 acres and includes over 18,000 interments. Graves of Civil War soldiers total 17,077, of which 12,909 are unknown

Vicksburg National Cemetery encompasses 117.85 acres and includes over 18,000 interments. Graves of Civil War soldiers total 17,077, of which 12,909 are unknown

http://www.nps.gov/vick/historyculture/cemhistory.htm

Vicksburg National Cemetery is the largest internment of Civil War dead in the nation. It is the burial place for nearly 17,000 Union soldiers.

Vicksburg National Cemetery is the largest internment of Civil War dead in the nation. It is the burial place for nearly 17,000 Union soldiers.

The Confederate troops are buried in the local cemetery which we also visited.

 

Approximately 5,000 Confederates have been re-interred here, of which 1,600 are identified.

Approximately 5,000 Confederates have been re-interred here, of which 1,600 are identified.

The troops were buried according to the state they were from, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, etc.

The troops were buried according to the state they were from, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, etc.

Of course there were over 1,300 monuments throughout the park....some small, some very large.

General Grant Monument

General Grant monument - close up.

Monument to the Union Navy who came to land to help man the cannons that shelled the Confederates and the city of Vicksburg.

The Missouri monument is unique as the only state memorial on the battlefield dedicated to soldiers of both armies. The height is symbolic of the forty-two Missouri units, 27 Union, 15 Confederate. It stands where two opposing Missouri regiments clashed in battle.

One thing that has not been mentioned are the trials the citizens of Vicksburg had to endure during the constant bombardment from the Union land troops and the naval vessels off shore on the Mississippi River. They usually lived in caves during the night and tried to go about their lives during the day.

A life-size model in the Visitor's Center of cave life for the citizens of Vicksburg.

The siege/Battle of Vicksburg finally ended on July 4th, 1863 when Confederate General Pemberton surrendered to General Grant because Pemberton's troops were either starving or diseased.

When President Lincoln heard of the victory he said, "The Father of Waters again goes unvexed to the sea."

Some great overview of the Vicksburg Campaign, its importance and Vicksburg history can be found here:

http://www.nps.gov/vick/forteachers/educators-guide-the-river-and-the-campaign.htm

This was, as most battlefields are, very humbling. Amazing what both sides went through. Let's hope we never have another Civil War in this country.

A great stop....we recommend it.

Kim and Steve.

From <http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4459058967162107474#editor/target=post;postID=1133192318574575121;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=44;src=link> 

Capitol Reef National Park

 Capitol Reef NP is sometimes overlooked because Zion, Bryce and Arches get all the attention but it's the most unique of all of them for it has Waterpocket Fold geology.

The fold is difficult to describe but....instead of the earth shifting, like normal, the Pacific Plate from the west "folded" the earth so that the layers folded above the surface. Very unusual. See illustration below.

Capitol Reef encompasses the Waterpocket Fold, a warp in the earth's crust that is 65 million years old. It is the largest exposed monocline in North America. In this fold, newer and older layers of earth folded over each other in an S-shape. This warp, probably caused by the same colliding continental plates that created the Rocky Mountains, has weathered and eroded over millennia to expose layers of rock and fossils. The park is filled with brilliantly colored sandstone cliffs, gleaming white domes, and contrasting layers of stone and earth.

The area was named for a line of white domes and cliffs of Navajo Sandstone, each of which looks somewhat like the United States Capitol building, that run from the Fremont River to Pleasant Creek on the Waterpocket Fold.

The fold forms a north-to-south barrier that even today has barely been breached by roads. Early settlers referred to parallel, impassable ridges as "reefs", from which the park gets the second half of its name. The first paved road was constructed through the area in 1962. Today, State Route 24 cuts through the park traveling east and west between Canyonlands National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park, but few other paved roads invade the rugged landscape.

Terrific three-dimensional map of the entire 100+ Waterpocket Fold of the park in the Visitor's Center, which is right about where those ladies are looking. You are looking from the south.

The park is filled with canyons, cliffs, towers, domes, and arches. The Fremont River has cut canyons through parts of the Waterpocket Fold, but most of the park is arid desert country. A scenic drive shows park visitors some of the highlights, but it runs only a few miles from the main highway. Hundreds of miles of trails and unpaved roads lead the more adventurous into the equally scenic backcountry.

http://www.nps.gov/care/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Reef_National_Park

The Castle

View looking north from the Visitor's Center. You can see five geologic layers.

Here are the five layers most predominant in the park...from the bottom starting with Moenkopi, then Shinarump, Chinle (this is the greenish layer), Wingate Sandstone (this is the tall shiny walls), and Navajo Sandstone.

Moenkopi on the very bottom, then Chinle above it (the gray-green layer), then the dark brown Shinarump layer, then Wingate Sandstone at the very top. 

These whitish peaks are Navajo Sandstone. This is the layer above the Wingate Sandstone.

Check out this rock...what interesting patterns....never seen this before. The Ranger told us what caused it but I did not understand her explanation so I cannot pass it on.

You can see the tilt of the fold real well here...we're looking north along the fold.

Just some more fantastic rocks.

This "spider-like" web is gypsum.

Some marvelous colors on these rocks right next to the road. We had to stop and take pictures.

The holes are created by water that has seeped down from top, hit a non-permeable layer and went horizontal creating the holes.

Many, many hikes and drives in order to see the vastness of this park. If you have a jeep or 4-wheel drive you can see even more. One to two weeks would be great. 

We've posted lots more photos here if you are interested:

https://plus.google.com/photos/100376105788369441882/albums/5871544241232575137

Thanks for viewing. 

Kim and Steve 

Arches - More photos

Here are some more fabulous scenes of Arches National Park. We tried to show the size of the arches by including people next to them. Also, you'll see that Arches is much more than just the arches themselves.  Again, we'll be limiting captions as these shots stand on their own.

Double Arch!

A boy scout troop was underneath singing "God Bless America".

North and South Windows Arches.

This is Delicate Arch, the emblem for the state of Utah license plates.

View from across the canyon after an uphill .5 mile hike to view it. The people next to the arch had a 3-mile round trip hike to get under it.

This area is called Park Place.

If you look closely, you can see where a slab of rock has sheared off under the top rock, making it seem like it's going to topple over any day now.

We had so many more photos but you can get a feel for the magnificence of this park from these few. If you decide to travel here to visit, make sure you get into the park between 7 and 8am to do the hikes and get to the arches. It gets VERY crowded, noisy and un-peaceful once the mobs of people, kids, strollers, buses, etc. show up. We usually went between 7 and 11, then went driving around to view the sites.

Next up: Capitol Reef National Park