History buffs and fans of the American Civil War can get their history fix when they visit one of the key battlefields in this period in American history ? the Battle of Vicksburg, which happened from May 18 to July 4, 1863. The site is preserved through the Vicksburg National Military Park.

The park contains reconstructed forts and trenches that defined the landscape of the battlefield during the 47-day campaign that led to the surrender of the city, which ultimately led to the control of the Mississippi River. The park also includes 1,325 monuments and markers, a preserved 12.5-mile trail, 144 cannons, a restored gunboat (the USS Cairo that sunk at the Yazoo River), and the historic Grant?s Canal Site. The park, which attracts up to a million visitors each year, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.