Vicksburg National Military Park: Cultural Landscape Report, Vicksburg National Military Park, National Park Service

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Contractor; John Milner Associates, contractor

Vicksburg National Military Park was established on February 21, 1899, “to commemorate the campaign, siege, and defense of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and to preserve the history of the battles and operations of the siege and defense on the ground where they were fought and carried on.” With Antietam, Chickamauga/Chattanooga, Gettysburg, and Shiloh, Vicksburg was one of the first five national military parks established by the federal government in the 1890s to protect the sites of decisive battles for military education, to commemorate the battles, and to support national reunification. These parks were initially administered by the War Department. In 1933, they were transferred to the National Park Service (NPS) and have since been managed as part of the National Park System. Today, Vicksburg National Military Park and the contiguous Vicksburg National Cemetery together encompass more than 1,800 acres over six noncontiguous park units. The park includes more than 1,340 monuments, 16 miles of tour roads, and numerous examples of earthen fortifications depicting the primary components of the Union and Confederate armies during the siege. Vicksburg’s natural and cultural resources vary in their character and management needs. The NPS currently faces numerous challenges associated with the management and maintenance of this national treasure. As part of a broader planning process intended to support decisions regarding management of the park, the NPS engaged Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., of Northbrook, Illinois, (WJE), and their subconsultant John Milner Associates, Inc., of Charlottesville, Virginia, (JMA), to prepare a Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) for Vicksburg National Military Park. The CLR is intended to provide the NPS with an assessment of the character-defining features of the Vicksburg National Military Park landscape, document historic and existing conditions, and develop specific treatment recommendations to ensure the future protection of the park and its natural and cultural resources. The primary focus of this CLR is the main battlefield unit of Vicksburg National Military Park, which was the site of confrontations related to the siege of the city from May 18 to its surrender on July 4, 1863, and the three parcels that protect fortifications overlooking the river along Washington Avenue—South Fort, Louisiana Circle, and Navy Circle. Also considered to a lesser degree of detail are the Grant’s Canal and Pemberton’s Headquarters park parcels, the citymanaged road corridors that extend south from the park, and the parcel quitclaimed to Warren County along the park’s northern boundary.

Vicksburg National Military Park: Cultural Landscape Report, Vicksburg National Military Park, National Park Service

Series

Collections