Jackson & Vicksburg, Mississippi: Civil War Heritage Comes Alive!

A high tech experience at the Old Capitol includes true-to-size holographic government officials of the period giving historical speeches and audio/video presentations given there in the 1800s on the slavery issue in addition to state of the art digital recordings and interactive visual displays. There are real life statue-replicas of statesmen of the area and thorough historical explanations of the Capitol history and how its changed over time in relation to slavery. We were also issued audio players (free of charge) upon arrival that allowed us more enriching information at certain locations on the tour.

With today's children inclined to gravitate towards digital animation, I find this museum child-friendly. Several exhibits encourage a hands-on approach to initiate the interactive experiences available. For a family, the free admission is just the type of budget-friendly experience that should offer something for each family member to enjoy.

Next to the building was located a memorial to the Confederates. While some of these buildings and statues had been damaged by previous storms, they have now nearly all been remodeled or repaired for public viewing.

In Vicksburg, the Vicksburg National Military Park will include a movie given in the air-conditioned auditorium, real well-informed period actors dressed from every war since the start of our country through the current war, military vehicles and their corresponding weaponry.

To see the USS Cairo, you will follow a well-marked driving tour of the Civil War battlefields that will lead you to the USS Cairo, an actual vessel of the Civil War, that was raised from the bottom of the muddy bottom of the Yazoo River. The importance of the USS Cairo is detailed in the historical video below. Today, she is the best preserved ironclad Civil War ship. The concern today is her rapid deterioration due to her exposure to the elements in the heart of the South. While the original demise of the USS Cairo was due to an explosive water mine, the artifacts of her sailors were recovered and give us an accurate understanding of life at the time about this Naval vessel. Amazingly, all of the sailors aboard her, at the time of her sinking, survived!