The Forks of the Road

This exhibit was very hard to read, but it needs to be told so we can learn.

 

 

 

Natchez NHP: Melrose, A Cotton Kingdom Estate

One of 13 National Historic Landmarks in Natchez, Melrose is one of the best preserved and most significant historic sites in the entire South. The Greek Revival mansion was constructed circa 1845 for Pennsylvania native and Natchez attorney John T. McMurran.

Many people came from all over the world to make money in cotton and sugar cane.

The cotton gin changed everything. Invented by Eli Whitney in 1793, the cotton gin (short for "engine") is a machine that separates cotton fibers (lint) from the sticky seeds hidden inside the harvested cotton bolls.

 

However, while the machine drastically sped up the removal of seeds, it did not automate picking, which actually increased the demand for field labor and enslaved workers to harvest more crops.

 

 

In the dining room, a punkha fan (or shoe-fly fan) was moved with a rope by a child who stood behind the couch. 

Ladies Parlor:

 A Jib Window is a unique architectural feature—most commonly found in historic or antebellum Southern homes—that combines a window and a door and  consists of a traditional double-hung window (or upper sash) sitting directly above a pair of lower hinged wooden panel doors (often called jib doors).

 

Parlor (above)

Mosquito netting covered all the beds.  

A rarity for these mansions was an indoor bathroom. Here is a shower with water coming from the top of the tall wooden structure.  

A small bathtub is below: 

On The Mississippi

The experience of being on the Mississippi is definitely something to see. 

 

Barges pushed by tug boats were a daily sight. 

The area labeled "Delta" on the map is one of many extremely difficult (and potentially dangerous) areas to navigate on the Mississippi. You literally can't see what's ahead around the bend. 

Above, a great blue heron by the shore.

 

Below, one of many bridges with covered oil barges nearby. 

Vicksburg, Mississippi: Vicksburg National Military Park

Vicksburg National Military Park commemorates one of the most decisive Civil War battles including the campaign, siege, and defense of Vicksburg. There are over 1,300 to 1,400 historic markers and memorials, including the Pantheon-styled Illinois State Memorial and the Mississippi African American Monument.

The topography of Vicksburg is challenging. It sat high atop steep bluffs overlooking a sharp horseshoe bend in the Mississippi River, giving Confederate artillery a commanding view to fire down on any approaching Union gunboats or ships.

The region surrounding Vicksburg was a labyrinth of 200 miles of dense bayous, thick forests, swamps, and overflowing rivers. Union troops had to hack through flooded, snake-filled terrain where tropical and waterborne illnesses plagued the camps.

After General Ulysses S. Grant finally moved his army across the river from Louisiana and fought his way inland, direct infantry charges against the Confederate earthworks on May 19 and May 22, 1863, resulted in heavy Union losses.

Because direct assaults failed, Grant had to resort to a grueling 47-day siege, digging over 15 miles of trenches and enduring intense supply and and other challenges before the garrison finally surrendered on July 4, 1863.

Union and Confederate markers dot the park as well as state memorials.

 

 

Vines and chasms were everywhere!

 

 

 One of many very steep hills on the battlefield.

 

 

Beautiful statues throughout the park. 

A view of a portion of the cemetery.