New Virtual Driving Tour of Vicksburg Takes Viewers Along for a Comprehensive Overview of the 47-Day Siege

(Vicksburg, Miss.) — The American Battlefield Trust has added to its ever-growing video arsenal with the Vicksburg Driving Tour, a two-hour, historian-led exploration of Vicksburg National Military Park. From the Memorial Arch to Sherman’s Line, Confederate Avenue to the National Cemetery, former park ranger, historian and author Tim Smith takes viewers along for an educational drive through the most visited cultural site in Mississippi.  

“I’m thrilled the Trust is utilizing technology to bring the story of Vicksburg to people’s screens around the world,” said David Duncan, president of the American Battlefield Trust. “I look forward to hearing the ways people learn from our latest video, and I anticipate many will be inspired to take a trip to Mississippi to see this hallowed ground for themselves.” 

Smith guides viewers through thirty key sites on the battlefield, including stops at the Illinois Memorial, 3rd Louisiana Redan, Stockade Redan, the U.S.S. Cairo and the Railroad Redoubt. Vicksburg joins the ranks of Chickamauga, Gettysburg, Shiloh and Yorktown as battlefields for which the Trust has produced driving tours. Together, these tours are part of the more than 1,000 videos on the Trust’s popular and award-winning YouTube channel. 

The tour premieres on the heels of the Trust encouraging preservation advocates to contact their legislators in support of bipartisan legislation that will clear the way for a state-of-the-art new visitor center.  

After a 47-day siege, Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton’s Confederate troops surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant on July 4, 1863. Vicksburg’s strategic location on the Mississippi River made it a critical win for the Union. The Confederate surrender ensured Union control of the Mississippi River and cleaved the South in two. Together with the Union victory at Gettysburg just a day before, Vicksburg marked a turning point in the fortunes of the Union army. 

The American Battlefield Trust is dedicated to preserving America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educating the public about what happened there and why it matters today. The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization has protected more than 60,000 acres associated with the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War across 160 sites in 25 states. Learn more at www.battlefields.org. 

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