VICKBURG BATTLEFIELD TOUR STOP 5: STOCKADE REDAN ATTACK
Tour Stop 5 on the Vicksburg National Military Park Battlefield Tour is one of the few stops on the tour that does not focus on events that occurred during the siege of Vicksburg. This is the position of Union troops on May 19, 1863, when they began their attack on the Confederate’s Stockade Redan, which is on the other end of Graveyard Road. The attack was led by General Sherman. From here you can view the redan across the field filled with hills and deep ravines, and later in the tour at Tour Stop 10 you will be at the Stockade Redan and can look back towards the Union line. This offers an excellent opportunity to see what each side was up against, something you cannot learn from a text book. Once you visit Stockade Redan you will understand why the attack failed. It would be nearly impossible to scale the walls of the fort with a rifle in your hand while getting shot at from above. One thousand Union soldiers were killed or wounded in the failed attack.
Stockade Redan was a complex of three forts that guarded Graveyard Road, one route into Vicksburg. After the failed attack on May 19th, the redan was attacked again on May 22nd as part of a massive assault on all Confederate forts. Troops were sent directly down Graveyard Road. Anyone who made it to the redan alive was faced with one last obstacle: a large trench that had been dug at the base of the fort. To negate this obstacle, 150 volunteers carried planks to create a bridge over the trench. The Confederates waited until they had almost reached the ditch, then opened fire. Very few made it to the ditch alive, and those who did were pinned down. A second wave of men was sent, but the results were the same. Over half of the original volunteers were killed. Those who lived received the Medal of Honor.
At Tour Stop 5 are a number of minor monuments to both individuals and military units, as well as cannon exhibits. To get the best view of the terrain and Stockade Redan, walk down the short, gravel path from the parking area. An information panel and tablets at the end of the path explain the attack.
When done at Tour Stop 5, be sure to walk or drive down Graveyard Road to see the terrain before continuing the battlefield tour. Markers along the road denote how far Union troops got during the attack. Graveyard Road is a two-way road, so you can turn around at the end and get back to Union Avenue.
Markers along Graveyard Road denote forward progress of Union troops during the attack on Stockade Redan
On the way to Tour Stop 6, Thayer’s Approach, be sure to take a short detour on Grant Avenue. This will take you to the Grant’s Headquarters Area, site of Grant’s headquarters during the fighting and siege, plus the state memorials for Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Kansas, and New York. It is not a stop on the tour, but if you want to see a cluster of large monuments, this is the place to go. It adds about 20-30 minutes to the tour if you get out to take photos. Drive-bys probably don’t add much more than five minutes.
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Last updated on January 18, 2022