Civil War Tour: Mississippi River Campaign

You will start with a brief visit to Confederate Park in Memphis on the Mississippi River where a naval battle fought here on June 6, 1862 resulted in a crushing defeat for the Confederates.

After traveling by late morning to Shiloh National Military Park, you will analyze the two days of bloody battle that raged at Shiloh until the Confederates finally withdrew from the field without result.

You will overnight in Pickwick Landing, Tennessee.

In the spring of 1862, the initial Union objective was the vital rail link at Corinth that connected the western Confederacy to its Atlantic states and also linked the South from the Gulf of Mexico to the border states. After a lengthy siege in April and the bloody battle called Second Corinth that lasted for two days in October, the Union achieved its objective of capturing this crossroads town. The victory here for the Union opened the door for the Vicksburg Campaign.

Your morning will begin with a tour of the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center, where you will be able to see the remaining preserved redoubt of the fortifications and many artifacts relating to the siege and battle of Corinth. You will then go downtown to see General Albert Sidney Johnston’s headquarters, break for lunch, and then visit the Crossroads Museum; the vital and strategic railroad center which both sides were determined to control.

In the afternoon, you will pass by Brice’s Crossroads, the site of a much-later clash between Confederate troops under General Nathan Bedford Forrest (the post-war founder of the Ku Klux Klan) and the Union Cavalry under General Samuel D. Sturgis. Stopping here, you will learn how Forrest craftily routed the Union forces, though his Confederates were outnumbered nearly two to one.

Overnight in Tupelo, Mississippi.

You will start your study of the Vicksburg Campaign at the remote site on the east bank of the Mississippi River near Grand Gulf where General Grant initially wanted to land his troops. There you will have lunch and visit the Grand Gulf Museum. You will then see Port Gibson, a site then miles from the river where the first engagement of the Vicksburg Campaign took place. Next, you will go to Windsor Ruins, the magnificent remains of a plantation home that Grant and his troops moved past as they searched out Confederate forces. Windsor Ruins is in the vicinity of Bruinsburg where General Grant and his troops actually landed following their amphibious river crossing to the eastern side of the river and started to march towards Vicksburg in April 1862.

Overnight in Vicksburg.

You will begin the day exploring the Raymond Battlefield and the site of the Battle of Champion Hill. You will then go to the Vicksburg National Military Park — the vast and hallowed ground where the maneuvering and struggle for control of the Mississippi could occupy a scholar for several days, or even a lifetime. Half of today is dedicated to this landmark battle. You will explore the park and study the way the two sides fought here. You will view evidence of the grueling siege at this Confederate stronghold and then finish the day with a visit to the USS Cairo, the US gunboat sunk by a Confederate torpedo in the Yazoo River.

Overnight in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Your visits will begin in the morning at the Old Courthouse Museum in Vicksburg with its eclectic collection of artifacts from the Civil War. You will also see the riverfront and the murals that line the flood wall and depict the history of Vicksburg.

Proceeding south to the city of Natchez, you will travel some of the way on the historic Natchez Trace. The Trace was the primary wilderness road in the Old Southwest, and it remains a scenic parkway today. In Natchez, you will tour a town that avoided destruction in the Civil War, and thus remains steeped in history, one of the most well-preserved cities of the Old South.

Overnight in Natchez, Mississippi.

Embarking downriver, you will travel to Port Hudson, Louisiana. The next Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi, just south of Vicksburg, Port Hudson was the site of a 48-day siege in 1863. The bluffs at Port Hudson still present the first high ground upstream from Baton Rouge, and the Confederates constructed a line of earthworks there. The rebels also positioned batteries to defend the river at this point.

Port Hudson presented a critical trade junction where another artery for supplies from Texas to the rest of the Confederacy, the Red River flows into the Mississippi. Like Vicksburg, both sides fought bitterly for the strategic jewel. After touring the bucolic and rolling fields of battle at Port Hudson and the area of the siege, you will continue south to the great city of New Orleans.

This afternoon you will have free time to explore the city on your own.

You will enjoy a Farewell Dinner in the evening.

Starting the day with a short walking tour of the world-famous French Quarter, you will visit the Confederate Memorial Hall Museum before lunch. The oldest museum in Louisiana, the Memorial Hall holds one of the largest collections of Confederate memorabilia in the country.

For the remainder of the afternoon, you can explore New Orleans as you please. Some of the extraordinary sites to consider include The National WWII Museum, located across the street from the Confederate Memorial Hall Museum; Chalmette Battlefield, where Jackson fought the Battle of New Orleans; and the many beautiful parks and neighborhoods, art galleries, antique stores, and restaurants.

Overnight New Orleans.

The tour ends with a morning check out from your hotel.