Vicksburg National Military Park

Welcome to the Vicksburg National Military Park website. Please click the "In Depth" link at right for detailed information about the park, including on-line tours, photographs, historical records, battles, state and regimental monuments, maps, educator's guide, and a variety of reference materials.

Vicksburg National Military Park was established by Congress on February 21, 1899, to commemorate one of the most decisive battles of the American Civil War, the campaign, siege and defense of Vicksburg.

The Vicksburg campaign was waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. It included battles in west-central Mississippi at Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hill, Big Black River and 47 days of Union siege operations against Confederate forces defending the city of Vicksburg. Located high on the bluffs, Vicksburg was a fortress guarding the Mississippi River. It was known as "The Gibraltar of the Confederacy." Its surrender on July 4, 1863, coupled with the fall of Port Hudson, Louisiana, divided the South, and gave the North undisputed control of the Mississippi River.

Today, the battlefield at Vicksburg is in an excellent state of preservation. It includes 1,325 historic monuments and markers, 20 miles of reconstructed trenches and earthworks, a 16 mile tour road, antebellum home, 144 emplaced cannon, restored Union gunboat-USS Cairo, and the Vicksburg National Cemetery.

3201 Clay Street
Vicksburg, MS 39183
601-636-0583 - Visitor Information

By Plane
Closest commercial airport is Jackson, MS, 50 miles to the east.

By Car
Location, Directions to Vicksburg

From the East, Take Interstate 20 west to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Use
exit ramp 4B. Follow Clay Street (US-80) west 1/4 mile to the park entrance.

From the North,
Take Interstate 55 south to Jackson, Mississippi. (To save
time you can use the Interstate
220 bypass on the west side of
Jackson). Take Interstate 20
west to Vicksburg, approximately 40 miles. Use exit ramp 4B. Follow Clay Street (US-80) west 1/4 mile to the park entrance.

From the South,
Take Interstate 55 or US Highway 49 to Jackson, Mississippi. Take Interstate 20 west to Vicksburg, Mississippi, approximately 42 miles. Use exit ramp 4B. Follow Clay Street (US-80) west 1/4 mile to the park entrance.

From the West,
Take Interstate 20 east to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Use exit ramp 4B. Follow Clay Street (US-80)
west 1/4 mile to the park entrance.

By Plane
Taxi Cabs, Charter Buses (see your travel agent).

Getting Around
Private Automobile, Taxi Cab, Tour Bus, Bicycle, or Walking.

Orientation to the park begins at the park visitor center with an 18 minute film. Visitors can then
drive the historic 16 mile tour road through Union and Confederate siege lines.

Halfway through the park, visitors get a close-up view of the Union gunboat, the USS Cairo. The 175 foot long ironclad was sunk on December 12, 1862, by underwater Confederate mines just North of Vicksburg in the Yazoo River. Raised in 1964, the restored city class gunboat offers visitors a unique opportunity to view original cannons, cannon carriages, engines, boilers and pilot house, via a reconstructed gundeck. The nearby USS Cairo Museum houses a variety of military and personal artifacts, which were recovered with the Cairo during its salvage operation.

Adjacent to the USS Cairo is the Vicksburg National Cemetery. Established in 1866, it contains
in excess of 18,000 graves, of which over 12,000 are unknown. Soldiers from the Civil War, the
Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II and the Korean War are interred here.

Sunny, with humid rainy periods throughout the year. Sudden and severe thunderstorms are common. Mild winters. Summers hot and humid. Wear comfortable sportswear in season, with walking or hiking shoes recommended.

Here are some of the activities that are offered at Mount Rainier National Park.

• Auto Touring
• Biking
• Educational Programs
• Hiking
• Wildlife Viewing
• Backpacking
• Bird Watching

Recommended Activities
The VISITOR CENTER offers general and historical information services, orientation film, exhibits on the various topics of the Civil War period, bookstore, pay telephone, rest room facilities and regional (city/county) information.


The USS CAIRO MUSEUM AND GUNBOAT offers general and historical information services, exhibits on naval operations of the Civil War, bookstore, pay telephone, restroom facilities and picnic area.
Artifacts on display are a time capsule of life aboard a ironclad gunboat. Sailors' personal possessions, cookware, medical supplies, and weaponry are featured. A 6 minute video explains the sinking, discovery and salvage operations.


Three EXTERNAL UNITS include the riverfront batteries at Navy Circle, South Fort and Louisiana Circle.

Across the Mississippi River is the last remaining section of GRANT'S CANAL, where Union forces attempted to bypass Vicksburg by digging a channel through Desoto Point. Facilities include an historic state highway marker, bronze tablet and wayside exhibits on Williams Canal, Grant's Canal and Black Troops at Milliken's Bend.


A sixteen mile TOUR ROAD parallels Union and Confederate siege lines, with three interconnecting roadways, fifteen TOUR STOPS, waysite markers and exhibits, short SPUR TRAILS to points of interest, one primitive TWELVE MILE SCOUT COMPASS TRAIL, and 7 and 14 mile HIKES that follow the park tour road.