Vicksburg goes by many names. It's the Key City, the Gibraltar of the West, the Key to the South, the Red Carpet City of the South. The city was the link between the Eastern and Western Confederacy during the American Civil War.

In the spring and summer of 1863, the city became the focal point for Union General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee. For months, the Federals attempted to take the bastion on the banks of the Mississippi River. Still, it took a combined Army and Navy effort to land troops south of the city, and march north, east, and eventually west in a masterful campaign of battles and maneuvers. For 47 days, Confederates commanded by General John C. Pemberton held out, besieged by the United States Army. On July 4, 1863, Southern forces surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant and his army.

Join host Chris Mackowski as he explores Vicksburg National Military Park and the USS Cairo. He'll head into the city, visit the Old Depot Museum, the Old Court House Museum, Catfish Row, Coca-Cola's first bottling plant, enjoy lunch at Walnut Hills, and head out on the Mississippi River.

0:00 Welcome to Vicksburg
3:11 Cruising Down the Mississippi River
12:46 Old Depot Museum
16:41 Vicksburg National Military Park
17:38 Vicksburg Memorial Arch
18:38 Vicksburg Fortifications
23:50 Illinois Monument
28:06 Grant's Vicksburg Campaign
32:30 Shirley House
36:49 Orion Howe - Dash of Courage
39:12 Pemberton at Vicksburg
42:25 Vicksburg National Cemetery
43:06 USS Cairo
48:51 Walnut Hills Restaurant
53:28 Downtown Vicksburg
54:39 Vicksburg Civil War Museum
1:04:16 Catfish Row
1:05:26 Vicksburg - Turning Point of the Civil War
1:06:54 Old Court House Museum
1:17:36 Duff Green Mansion
1:28:26 Vicksburg's Legacy

The American Battlefield Trust preserves America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educates the public about what happened there and why it matters. We permanently protect these battlefields for future generations as a lasting and tangible memorial to the brave soldiers who fought in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Civil War.