Yesterday was occupied with touring the Vicksburg Battlefield. It was hotter than blue blazes and I say this as one who knows! Tour included documentary film and talks by a re-enactor. Such sadness. This has the highest number of monuments of any of the Civil War.
Illinois sent the most soldiers to the battle and has the biggest monument. Alabama Memorial Replica of Confederate fortification used during the Siege of Vicksburg. USS Cairo – this Union ironclad bombarded Vicksburg before it was sunk by a Confederate mine. Much later it was recovered and is now on displayToday, I’m looking forward to a tour of B.B. King’s hometown of Indianola, Mississippi and a nice dose of the Blues.
Thanks for the tour.
On one of my trips to Natchez, we took a few days to go up Highway 61 and one of our stops was the Vicksburg battlefield and then the museum at the old Vicksburg courthouse! I’ve been fascinated with the whole Vicksburg siege for years, so it was a wonderful experience for me.
So did anybody point out the crossroads where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil? I think you’re in the general area. There’s a restaurant called Crossroads at the site, so you can’t miss it.
I didn’t get to see Indianola when I was there. But I did see BB King live in the 1980s!
I’m reading Shelby Foote’s Civil War as we roll up the river. Haven’t made it to Vicksburg in the book quite yet but the film and battlefield made it very real. No glimpse of the Crossroads unfortunately. I’ll take BB King live over his museum any day,