Mississippi, Vicksburg - Saturday, May 9, 2015 - Vicksburg Tour

Vicksburg was founded in 1819.  It was incorporated in 1825 with a population of 180.  The city grew rapidly because of its location on the high bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River and soon became the largest most progressive city in the state.  We started our exploration of Vicksburg at the Louisiana Circle overlook.

 

 

Below us is the Riverfront Park.

View of the Mississippi River from the Louisiana Circle.  In 1876 the river suddenly changed course to what we see now.  Prior to that it flowed further north closer to Vicksburg and then took a turn south.

A critical piece of General Ulysses Grant’s plan was to attack Vicksburg.  The problem – the Confederate cannon along the city bluff.

The first attack on Vicksburg happened in the spring of 1862.  During the winter of that same year the Union was badly defeated north of town.

On April 16, 1863 the Union Flotilla successfully floated past this point.  After over a year of trying, the Union Army was about to cross the Mississippi River.

Unable to take the city by storm Northern troops lay siege for 47 days, May 17 to July 4, 1863.  The Union victory is considered by many to be the turning point of the war.

One of the Confederate cannons was the “Widow Blakely”.  This cannon was the only Blakely rifled cannon in all of the Vicksburg defenses.  On May 22, 1863 one of its own shells exploded in its muzzle in a fight against Union gunboats.

 

 

Before doing any more exploring we picked Rusty’s Riverfront Grill for lunch. We spotted all the cars before we saw the restaurant which is located in the historical district on Washington Street.

Lots of good looking food was coming out of this window.

These fried green tomatoes are the best I have ever tasted.  They came served with hollandaise sauce and lumps of crabmeat.  These things are worth a special trip back to Vicksburg.

As soon as our shrimp po’boys arrived we once again uttered our famous, “we should have split one”.  What this picture doesn’t show is Greg’s fork ready to pounce as soon as I get done with the picture.  I know there were southerners in the room that were cringing because I ate my po’boy with a knife and fork so I only ate half the bun.  The sandwiches were awesome also.  I had sweet potato fries that were perfect, Greg said the onion rings were ok.

After lunch we waddled across the street to the Lower Mississippi River Museum.  This museum highlights the efforts of the Mississippi River Commission to preserve and improve the Mississippi River and those rivers that flow into it.

Several intricate miniature displays are found in the museum.

 

 

The feature of the museum is the Motor Vessel Mississippi IV.

The Mississippi IV was commissioned in 1961 and was used by the Mississippi River Commission for over 30 years.  It is referred to as a “motor vessel” because it runs by diesel power instead of steam which gives it greater towing capacity and better handling in rough waters.  Not only was this a workhorse for the Commission it also hosted public meetings during biannual inspections from Illinois to Louisiana.  It was decommissioned in 1993 and added to the museum when it opened in 2012.

Lounge area, this had to be pretty luxurious accommodations at the time.

 

 

One of the rooms, there is a bath that can’t be seen in this picture.

 

 

Galley looked like it was ready for breakfast.  There is a larger galley a deck below this one but we didn’t tour it.

Dining area.

 

 

The riverfront murals along the levee are amazing.

 

 

Artist Robert Dafford painted 32 life-like pictorial murals depicting periods of history in Vicksburg.

This mural depicts the day in February, 1861 when a messenger arrived at Brierfield, Jefferson Davis’ home south of Vicksburg, to tell him that he had been elected president of the Confederate States.  His wife wrote that “he looked so grieved that I feared some evil had befallen our family”.

This one is of the Sultana, a single wheel steamboat meant to carry 376 people plus its cargo.  On April 24, 1865 it docked in Vicksburg to pick up Union soldiers recently released from Confederate prisons.  The Federal Government was paying $5 per soldier for the trip back to Illinois.  Prior to the arrival in Vicksburg one of the four boilers on the Sultana started leaking.  Rather than take the time to replace the boiler and chance losing the commission for transporting the soldiers a patch was placed over the bulge in the boiler.  While this repair was being completed 2300 soldiers crowded on board.  After making several stops on the trip north, on April 27, 1865 three of the four boilers exploded.  The resulting fire and the swift waters of the Mississippi took 1700 lives.  This has been called the worst maritime disaster in American history.

Although Coca-Cola was created in 1886 in Atlanta, GA, Joseph Biedenharn from Vicksburg changed the course of Coca-Cola history in the summer of 1894 when he decided to bottle it.  Up until that time Coca-Cola was a treat only to be enjoyed in the local soda fountain for the price of 5 cents a glass.

 

 

Biedenharn was a candy merchant until a Coca-Cola salesman sold him a 5 gallon keg of Coca-Cola syrup in 1890.  Once he started bottling Coca-Cola he could deliver it to the rural areas around Vicksburg in metal lined picnic baskets like this one. 

 

 

Biedenharn stated that he didn’t get prior approval from Asa G. Candler who was president of Coca-Cola in Atlanta before he started bottling the product.  But, he did send Mr. Candler the first two dozen cases that he bottled.  Mr. Candler wrote back that it was “fine”.  It was also noted that Mr. Candler didn’t return the two dozen cases of empty bottles.

The museum is filled with lots of Coca-Cola memorabilia like these from the 1930’s and 40’s – 6 for $.25 plus deposit.  Current day price at the museum is $1.75 for an 8 oz. bottle J

 

 

This courtyard leads to a 1900 soda fountain display.

 

 

In the store you can get a Coke, ice cream and lots of Coke merchandise.

The magnolia trees are still blooming although I think they are almost done.

 

 

 

This is the old courthouse built in 1858.  It served as the courthouse until 1939.  It has been a museum since 1948.

 

 

This is the new one across the street.  One hundred years from now do you think anyone will be touring this one?

The octagonal buildings on the corners of the courthouse lawn were used as cistern houses.  Today they are restrooms.

The courthouse holds lots of Vicksburg and southern history.  One of the displays talked about the surrender of Vicksburg.  It said that on July 3, 1863 General Pemberton knew that surrender was inevitable and asked General Grant for the terms of surrender – the answer was “unconditional”.  This had always been Grant’s answer in previous surrenders.  However, Vicksburg was different, terms were negotiated.  The officers could keep their personal fire arms.  All Confederate soldiers were paroled.  The Southerners insisted as a point of honor that their men march out of the trenches and stack their arms – the Yankees had not set foot inside the Rebel works during 47 days of siege and they would not be allowed to do so at the end.

Many Southerners criticized Pemberton for surrendering on the 4^th of July, but he felt that the 4^th of July was a special day to the Union and that he could get better terms on that day than any other.  He was right, but for many years the 4^th of July wasn’t celebrated in Vicksburg.

Iron stair case leading up to the old courtroom.

 

 

Court was first held here in June, 1859 even before the entire building was finished.

This iron judge’s dais is original.

 

 

The swivel chairs for the jury were added a little later.

During the 1863 siege the courthouse received little damage.  It did receive one hit from a mortar shell and the cupola was riddled by small shot because it was being used as a Confederate signal station.  It was here on July 4, 1963 that the Stars and Stripes replaced the Stars and Bars.

 

 

This picture doesn’t do it justice, but the walk to the courthouse was up a really steep hill, it sits on one of the highest hills in the city.  I don’t think there is a flat street in the city, seems like everything goes up hill.

On the way back home we stopped at the Visitors Center so I could get some pictures of the bridges over the Mississippi River.

The new and old bridges next to each other.

There was a train just starting over the old bridge.

 

 

One lonely barge was out on the river.

Our last stop of the day was a colorful and unusual one – The Tomato Place.

 

 

They sell tomatoes and other produce.

Plants are also for sale.

 

 

The kitchen (in this little building) turns out some pretty good food according to some of the reviews I read.

 

 

Several small tables are crowded together so you can enjoy your sandwich or smoothie on site.

If you have to wait on a table – no problem.

 

 

Our purchases for the day, a tomato and two bottles of Coke.