Vicksburg National Cemetery, Mississippi, United States

5Posh1609 5:00 PM Sep 13, 2017

Unique and Awe-Inspiring Memorial Park
My grandfather was born in 1843 and married for the first and only time in his late 50's to his best friend's daughter; my mother was their third child, born when he was 63. All that is to say my grandfather and his lifelong best friend, my great grandfather, went through the War for Southern Independence together as Alabama regulars in the Army of the Confederacy. They fought and participated reluctantly in the surrender of the Confederate forces at the end of the Siege of Vicksburg. Taken prisoner, they returned to active duty as soon as they were released. That said, I believe the War Between the States was possibly the greatest debacle in American history; and yet the lives and deaths of an almost unimaginable number of, especially young, brave men on both sides continue to fascinate me and many others more than 150 years after Lee surrendered to Grant. The Park-Cemetery does not address the right or wrong, the wisdom of foolishness, of that terrible conflict. It is not about blame. Rather, it is a tribute by the various participating states, built and offered to honor the courage and ultimate sacrifice of their many beloved sons, those who survived physically unscathed, those gravely injured and disfigured for life, and those who tragically gave their lives for their nation or for their state or for their beliefs and values. Along the beautifully maintained drive, markers show where troops of the different states were bivouacked, where the battle lines were formed. The visages of many officers are memorialized in stone. My kids loved to play on the cannons and to run the many hills. They invariably wore themselves out and slept soundly on the drive home. What touch the heart deeply are the magnificent monuments paid for by the citizens of the various states, beautiful tributes to the bravest of the brave in grief and in hope that the terror of war never again visit our nation. I never tire of visiting the Vicksburg National Cemetery. Allow half a day at least, longer if you are a Civil War buff.

5Gia S 5:00 PM Jul 19, 2018

Part of Park
The cemetery is part of the park and it is where you will find several Union soldiers buried. If you are interested in the Confederate burials than you will need to go to the Cedar Grove city cemetery. There is a section called "Soldier's Rest" and you can visit that as well.