Guide to Vicksburg, Mississippi
Our day trip to Vicksburg, Mississippi was so fun! I really wanted to go somewhere with some Civil War history while I was in Louisiana because we just don't have that history in Utah. Utah wasn't even a state in the union yet. The Mormon Pioneers first made it to Utah or Deseret as they called it in 1847 and were busy settling the territory while the tensions back east raged into civil war. Of all the places we could have visited, I was so happy that a city with such historical significance was nearby.
Vicksburg was in a key strategic position high a top a 200ft cliff overlooking the Mississippi. President Lincoln said that they would never win the war unless Vicksburg was in their pocket.
while Jefferson Davis knew it was the "nailhead that held the South's two halves together." Sever that, and the Confederacy would effectively be cut in half and the Union would control the entire length of the Mississippi which was a huge military advantage for keeping supply lines strong.
There were many unsuccessful attempts by the Union to take Vicksburg and led to Vicksburg being nicknamed "The Gibraltar of the West". Finally, General Grant gambled by taking his troops deep into enemy territory and attacking Vicksburg from the South. 70,000 Union troops lay siege to Vicksburg with a plan that is still studied today as a classic example of how to conduct siege warfare. 47 days later, on July 4th, Vicksburg surrendered. It took over a hundred years for the city to celebrate the 4th of July as a holiday again.
Where to Eat
There were a few must-see items on our list for that day and we definitely made use of all the time we had while still enjoying ourselves. Originally, we were going to grab lunch and take it over to the Vicksburg National Military Park because along with a visitor and civil war era war ship, the tour is mostly a driving tour with optional stops to get out and look around. However, we also wanted to see an antebellum home. Most of these required appointments and we didn't have enough time to do the driving tour of the military park before our scheduled appointment at the Bazsinsky House so we decided to have a sit down lunch and hit the park later.
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| The Tomato Place |
I never feel like I can really experience a culture or location unless I can try its food and there is no better way to do that than by finding a local 'hole in the wall' in the most obscure place. I really wanted to try The Tomato Place and it did not disappoint!
It is really unassuming and could easily by missed. It isn't near any other commercial buildings and just looks like a fruit stand off to the side of a back road.
Actually, it is a fruit stand off to the side of a back road. They sell the most delicious seasonal produce. I bought some grapefruit and some oranges to take home for the next morning and couldn't believe how good it tasted. Those oranges were soooo juicy. Oh, and they make their own orangeade and lemonade at the Tomato Place. It was to die for!
Not only do they sell mouthwateringly good fruit, but they also have a large selection of pre-assembled smoothies that you can pick from in a wall of freezers and have them blend it up fresh for you when you pay.
If you keep walking through the fruitstand part, there are two more rooms behind it. I would have never guessed looking from the road. In the back is the restaurant. Everything is fresh and local. With a name like theirs I just had to try their BLT. It's what they are famous for. I got the Fried Green Tomato BLT for a little southern twist. I also got their housemade baked beans and fried okra. Everything was great. In retrospect, I should've only gotten one fried thing (probably the okra) to switch up the flavors a bit, but I really wanted both. And the fried green tomato BLT was such a cool idea. So yummy!
I love that they make so many things in-house. They had the most amazing condiments and sauces. There was one spicy/tangy sauce they named the Mississippi Fever that I am just kicking myself for not buying and bringing home with me. But, while writing this post I found out that they have an online store! Now I don't feel so bad.
I felt so at home among the canned veggies and preserved fruits and jellies. They had so many interesting things to choose from. I wanted it all. I did manage to buy the Pecan Soppin' Syrup. Pecans are such a traditional ingredient in the south and thought my girls would love a little southern infused syrup for their pancakes.
I was like a kid in a candy store and lost all track of time. We finally had to drag ourselves out of there 1 1/2 hrs later and were actually late for our appointment...oops. Luckily our host Andrew was very gracious about the whole thing.
What to See
There are antebellum houses spread all over the south and Vicksburg had quite a few to choose from. I really wanted to see the Martha Vick Home (as in Vicksburg) or The McRaven House but they were closed for President's Day. We ended up going with the Bazsinsky House which is conveniently located across the street from our next stop, The Old Courthouse just up the street from the river.
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| Bazsinsky House |
The Bazsinsky house has a very interesting family history and the architecture inside and out is beautiful. It is so interesting to think about what life and the town would have been like before, during and after the war. Everything changed so much.
The house itself didn't have any period furniture which was disappointing and not what I was expecting. I wish there had been more information available on the website. Some of the other houses function more as a museum and have artifacts from the era. The Bazsinsky house is available as a B&B which is a fun idea I would love to try if I had enough time. But it didn't offer quite the view I was hoping for into everyday life. It has been recently restored by the new owners and you can check out some interesting pictures of the restoration here.
This museum boasts the largest collection of Civil War artifacts in America: confederate flags, including one that was never surrendered, the tie worn by Jefferson Davis at his inauguration as Confederate President, fine portraits, china and silver, exquisite antique furniture, the trophy antlers won by the steamboat Robert E Lee in an 1870 race, antebellum clothing, toys, Indian and pioneer implements.
Vicksburg National Military Park
Vicksburg National Military Park is really interesting because it is not just a visitor center with exhibits. The Park is reconstructed on the actual battle site with 20 miles of historic trenches and earthworks to give a feel for what it was really like during the siege. It also includes 1,325 historic monuments and markers, a 16-mile road tour, a 12.5-mile walking trail, two antebellum homes, 144 cannon, and the Grant's Canal site, where the Union Army attempted to build a canal to let their ships bypass Confederate artillery fire during one of their other unsuccessful attacks.
The first thing I like to do at any national park is to watch their orientation video which is usually about 20 minutes long. I feel like it helps give a very solid understanding of the background to everything else you will see later. They are really well done and so worth the time.
You need at least 1 1/2 hours here but really 3 hours would be best. There is just so much to see and do. We decided to buy the 1 hour audio tour they have available at the bookstore, there is a 2 hour one too but we didn't have time for it. Getting the tour was great, as we drove around the 16 mile tour road, the guide would point out the things we were seeing and give interesting facts about them.
USS CAIRO
Another very interesting housed in the military park is this war boat. The USS CAIRO was one of the first ironclad warships built at the beginning of the Civil War. This ship was the first to be sunk by a torpedo. It took 12 minutes and luckily no loss of life.
The house itself didn't have any period furniture which was disappointing and not what I was expecting. I wish there had been more information available on the website. Some of the other houses function more as a museum and have artifacts from the era. The Bazsinsky house is available as a B&B which is a fun idea I would love to try if I had enough time. But it didn't offer quite the view I was hoping for into everyday life. It has been recently restored by the new owners and you can check out some interesting pictures of the restoration here.
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| The Old Courthouse Museum |
It was fascinating and I would highly recommend making the stop to see it. I only wish we had had more time.
Vicksburg National Military Park
Vicksburg National Military Park is really interesting because it is not just a visitor center with exhibits. The Park is reconstructed on the actual battle site with 20 miles of historic trenches and earthworks to give a feel for what it was really like during the siege. It also includes 1,325 historic monuments and markers, a 16-mile road tour, a 12.5-mile walking trail, two antebellum homes, 144 cannon, and the Grant's Canal site, where the Union Army attempted to build a canal to let their ships bypass Confederate artillery fire during one of their other unsuccessful attacks.
The first thing I like to do at any national park is to watch their orientation video which is usually about 20 minutes long. I feel like it helps give a very solid understanding of the background to everything else you will see later. They are really well done and so worth the time.
You need at least 1 1/2 hours here but really 3 hours would be best. There is just so much to see and do. We decided to buy the 1 hour audio tour they have available at the bookstore, there is a 2 hour one too but we didn't have time for it. Getting the tour was great, as we drove around the 16 mile tour road, the guide would point out the things we were seeing and give interesting facts about them.
USS CAIRO
Another very interesting housed in the military park is this war boat. The USS CAIRO was one of the first ironclad warships built at the beginning of the Civil War. This ship was the first to be sunk by a torpedo. It took 12 minutes and luckily no loss of life.
So many artifacts were recovered from the ship when it was raised over a hundred years later in 1964. The craftsmanship of everyday items seems so much better than now.
The last stop was the cemetary. Vicksburg National Cemetery is made up of 116 acres, and holds the remains of 17,000 Civil War Union soldiers, more than any other national cemetery. Almost 13,000 of them unknown. When the National Cemeteries were created, only Union soldiers were allowed to be interred there. Most of the Confederate dead were buried behind Southern lines in the "Soldiers' Rest area of Cedar Hill Cemetery.
It's a sobering sight to see all those white markers stretching as far as the eye could see. What a sad time in the history of our country. The ride back to Louisiana was a quite one where we were all lost in our individual thoughts. There are so many who have fought to make America what it is today. I am so grateful for all of their sacrifices and hope we as a country can make it worth the cost.
Well I hope you all liked this historical peak into the Civil War past. Where else are good locations to learn about the Civil War?
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