Vicksburg National Military Park - Pemberton's Headquarters (Willis-Cowan House) - Historic structure report
Oppermann JK. 2005. Vicksburg National Military Park - Pemberton's Headquarters (Willis-Cowan House) - Historic structure report. Historic Structure Report. National Park Service, Department of the Interior
Less than a week after the Siege of Vicksburg commenced, Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton, the commanding officer of the defending Confederate forces, chose one of the city’s finest houses to be his headquarters. The Willis-Cowan House was built in 1835-36 in the fashionable Greek Revival style of architecture. Then it was enlarged in 1850-51 in the same genre. The house was located in a neighborhood of handsome houses on large parcels of land, close to the city’s commercial and governmental center. From May 23 until the Confederate surrender on July 4, 1863, “Mrs. Willis’s House” as it was then known was General Pemberton’s Headquarters. It was here that General Pemberton worked with his senior officers and planned for battle. And it was here that they met on the night of July 3 and decided to give up the fight. Because of its presence in this epic Civil War battle, the Willis-Cowan House, or Pemberton’s Headquarters, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977. This historic structure report contains the developmental history of the Willis-Cowan House as well as suggestions for treatment and use.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Oppermann, Joseph
- Date of Issue
- 2005
- Publisher
- National Park Service, Department of the Interior
- Units
- HIST , VICK
- Keywords
- Architecture, Confederate Army, Cultural Resources, ehistory, History, Pemberton, Preservation, Vicksburg, war, Willis Cowan House