Vicksburg National Military Park | GREAT REDOUBT

Confederate Great Redoubt at Vicksburg National Military Park

Confederate Great Redoubt at Vicksburg National Military Park

VICKSBURG BATTLEFIELD TOUR STOP 11: GREAT REDOUBT

If you recall, the very first stop on the tour of the Vicksburg battlefield, Battery De Golyer, was a battery of cannons that faced the Great Redoubt and bombarded it constantly throughout the siege of Vicksburg. You could see the redoubt from Battery De Golyer, for it was marked by the Louisiana State Memorial.

Union cannons at Battery De Goyler face the Confederate’s Great Redoubt, 650 yards away

Union cannons at Battery De Goyler face the Confederate’s Great Redoubt, 650 yards away

Louisiana State Memorial, Vicksburg National Military Park

Louisiana State Memorial, Vicksburg National Military Park

At Tour Stop 11 you can now see the Great Redoubt up close. Most of the Confederate forts, including the Great Redoubt, sat on top of hills to begin with, so to overtake such a fort would require the Union soldiers to climb a pretty steep hill while Confederate soldiers shot at them and tossed hand detonated artillery shells (primitive hand grenades) over the walls and down into their midst. Thus, it comes as no surprise that every Union attack against a Confederate fort at Vicksburg ended in failure.

The Great Redoubt was the largest Confederate fort at Vicksburg, thus the name Great. It guarded Jackson Road, which led into Vicksburg (it followed a different route than Jackson Road does today). Union soldiers mounted a full attack on the fort on May 22, 1863. During the attack, men from the 7th Missouri Infantry made it to the base of the fort, suffering heavy loses along the way. They had brought with them ladders so they could scale the wall but found out the hard way that they had made them too short. They then had to retreat back across the field under another barrage of bullets and artillery fire. The unit suffered 272 causalities in this half hour assault.

In addition to the Louisiana State Memorial, there is an elaborate memorial to Brigadier General Lloyd Tilghman. However, he was killed at the Battle of Champion’s Hill, not at Vicksburg. Champion’s Hill was one of several battles Grant fought on his way to Vicksburg. Tilghman’s memorial is here most likely due to the prominence of the Vicksburg battlefield preservation.

Memorial to General Lloyd Tilghman

Memorial to General Lloyd Tilghman

Once done at the Great Redoubt, continue to Tour Stop 12, the Second Texas Lunette. On your way you will pass two sites of interest. The first is Pemburton Circle, which features a small monument of General John Pemberton, the commander of all Confederate troops at Vicksburg. For those wanting to take a photo, there is no place to park. Thus, pass by the circle and head to the second point of interest, the Mississippi State Memorial, one of the most ornate in the park. From here you can take the very short walk back to Pemberton Circle and get your photo. For trivia purposes, Pemberton’s nephew was John Stith Pemberton, the inventor of Coca-Cola.

Memorial to General John Pemberton

Memorial to General John Pemberton

Mississippi State Memorial at Vicksburg National Military Park

Mississippi State Memorial at Vicksburg National Military Park


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Last updated on January 19, 2022
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