Vicksburg National Military Park News Release Release date: Immediate Contact(s): Michael Madell, Superintendent Phone number: 601 619-2902 Date: December 22, 2014 Additions to Vicksburg National Military Park Authorized VICKSBURG, MISS -- Vicksburg National Military Park superintendent Mike Madell announced the authorization by the United States Congress for the National Park Service to acquire up to 11,680 acres of core battlefield land at Champion Hill, Port Gibson, and Raymond for addition to park. President Obama signed the bill into law on December 19, 2014. “This authorization is a significant opportunity for the park,” Madell said. “It makes it possible to add three separate battlefield sites that will make significant contributions to telling the full story of the remarkable campaign that resulted in the siege and fall the city of Vicksburg during the Civil War. It also helps guarantee the preservation, protection, and restoration of these important lands for current and future generations.” “Now that we have this authority, we will need to embark on a detailed planning process that will include extensive public engagement,” Madell said. “The planning will help us determine the level of services that will be needed to serve the visiting public and to identify important battlefield protection strategies and priorities for these new lands.” “Fortunately, all three battlefield sites exhibit a very high degree of historical integrity,” Madell said. “Most essential features remain intact, and modern intrusions are limited.” “We do not expect that the park will be able to acquire all these lands immediately,” Madell said. “The State of Mississippi, Civil War Trust, and Friends of Raymond cumulatively own about 1,050 acres, and hold preservation easements on about 1,172 acres of land at these sites. Each of these entities has expressed the desire to donate their interests to the National Park Service, so acquisition costs for these properties would be nominal.” “The balance of the lands are privately owned and will only be acquired from willing sellers if funds are appropriated by Congress,” Madell said. “Those properties will not be added to the boundary of, or managed as part of, Vicksburg National Military Park unless and until they are actually acquired.” The Vicksburg Campaign was a major milestone on the road that led to the final success of the Union army in the Civil War and the ultimate reunification of the nation. The strategies and tactics of Major General Ulysses S. Grant during the campaign continue to be studied by modern military leaders as examples of excellence in generalship. The battlefield at Port Gibson marks the first engagement of Grants operations against Vicksburg after his army landed on Mississippi soil. After a day of battle, the Confederate army left the field and Grant secured his beachhead. The historic Schaifer House, a Civil War-era home, is extant on the property owned by the state. Many roads within the battlefield remain very similar in appearance to the mid-19th century and provide a strong sense of how Civil War troops moved. Eleven days after the battle at Port Gibson, the Union and Confederate armies met again on the field at Raymond. After a day of heavy fighting, Federal forces again prevailed and Confederate troops withdrew to Jackson. The battlefield remains largely pristine, and holds high potential for interpretation. Following the battle at Raymond and the subsequent occupation of Jackson, General Grant turned his army towards the west. On May 16, 1863, Union and Confederate forces met again, this time at Champion Hill. The battle was the largest, bloodiest, and most decisive engagement of the Vicksburg Campaign. By the end of the day, the Confederates were in full retreat towards Vicksburg. Madell said the park’s management team will begin working with the Southeast Regional Office in Atlanta to start the planning process sometime in 2015.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 15:55:11 +0000
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