At 8:00 we boarded a bus to go to the Vicksburg Military Park, which was established in 1899. We have WiFi on the bus!
At 8:15, we arrived at Vicksburg Military Park, which was established in 1899 and preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. Reconstructed forts and trenches evoke memories of the 47-day siege that ended in the surrender of the city. Victory here and at Port Hudson, farther south in Louisiana, gave the Union control of the Mississippi River.
The park includes 1,325 historic monuments and markers, 20 miles of historic trenches and earthworks, a 16-mile tour road, 144 emplaced cannons and the restored gunboat USS Cairo (which was sunk on the Yazoo River.
After watching a movie, "The Campaign and Siege of Vicksburg", we took a guided bus tour of the park entering through the Memorial Arch. Our extremely knowledgeable guide explained the siege and defense lines. There are many State monuments erected throughout the 16 mile road.
After exiting the park, we passed by several pre-Civil war homes on the way to the USS Cairo Museum. USS Cairo was one of the first American ironclad warships built at the beginning of the Civil War. It was the lead ship of the City-class gunboats and was named for Cairo, Illinois.
In June of 1977, the remains of the vessel were transported to the park and partially reconstructed on a concrete foundation near the Vicksburg National Cemetery. The recovery of artifacts revealed a treasure trove of weapons, munitions, naval stores and personal gear of the sailors who served on board.
The Vicksburg National Cemetery (union) is within the park and embraces 116 acres. It has 18,244 interments (12,954 unidentified). Rounded, upright headstones mark the graves of the known soldiers, while small, square blocks, etched with a grave number only, designate the burials of the unknowns. 
Next on our agenda was LUNCH! We were off to Anchuca, an historic mansion and antebellum (existing before the Civil War) home and Bed & Breakfast. Anchuca is a Choctaw Indian word meaning "Happy Home". Built in three stages, from 1830 to 1855, this Greek Revival style mansion represents the first columned mansion built in Vicksburg.
We enjoyed a wonderful lunch followed by a tour of this stately home.
It had started raining, so we drove by the Riverfront Murals, which are located on the floodwall. The 32 life-like pictorial murals depict periods of history in Vicksburg. Te first mural in the series was unveiled in 2002.
The last stop for the day was the Jesse Brent Lower Mississippi River Museum, which offers a glimpse of what life is like along the river through both interactive and static displays.
Cotton bales we transported down the river on steamers.
Outside the museum was a fully restored dry docked Riverboat, the MV Mississippi IV, which was open to explore. It is the largest diesel powered vessel on the river powered by two 8-cylinder engines..
On the way back to the campground, we passed by the "Halloween House", which was ridiculously decorated! This was only half of the display!
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