The Battle of Vicksburg, Sun Records

The Battle of Vicksburg

One of the things that we have looked forward to on the second half of our troop is visiting civil war sites and understanding the history better. We've bought and watched a lot of movies and documentaries on it but nothing compares to walking the battle fields and hearing first hand how, "over there they charged up the hill" or "right here 25,000 men died" . Its been so fascinating for all of us to see the tremendous sacrifice on both sides, to hear their story's and feel their love of country.

The battle of Vicksburg was one of if not thee most decisive battle of the Civil War. It took us close to 3 hours to drive the perimeter of the battle where they had monuments to each of the states who had sent troops. We could still see the trenches, bunkers and command posts that were used during the siege. Almost 20,000 men died in this battle.

 In May and June of 1863, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s armies converged on Vicksburg, investing the city and entrapping a Confederate army under Lt. Gen. John Pemberton. On July 4, Vicksburg surrendered after prolonged siege operations. This was the culmination of one of the most brilliant military campaigns of the war. With the loss of Pemberton’s army and this vital stronghold on the Mississippi, the Confederacy was effectively split in half. Grant's successes in the West boosted his reputation, leading ultimately to his appointment as General-in-Chief of the Union armies.

"Vicksburg is the key. The war can never be brought to a close until the key is in our pocket," said. Union PresidentAbraham Lincoln

"Vicksburg is the nail head that holds the South's two halves together," said Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

General Grant

The King of Rock n Roll

Its been a long time since I've seen so many sideburns in one place. Elvis fever is still alive and thriving in Memphis. We met some wonderful people at Graceland that go almost weekly just to sit in the gardens or write another note to Elvis and leave it at the gate. It was inspiring to hear the story of how Elvis grew up and then became the King. We went to Sun Records where Elvis was discovered and recorded a lot of his songs. The boys and Ally got to sing into the same microphone that Elvis used as well as Johnny Cash, Bono, Chuck Berry and many other greats.