Civil War Battles Amplified

What places you’ve visited most remind you about the tragic impact of war?

“Walk through the mud in life if you ever want to get to the higher ground.”(Greg Plitt)

This past weekend, I enjoyed the Civil War portion of our spring road trip with visits to  Kennesaw National Battlefield in north central Georgia  and Vicksburg National Battlefield in west central  Mississippi. In doing so, I imagined the tumultuous time when a widespread Civil War in its latter stages continued on throughout the southern states with catastrophic consequences. At this time,  thousands of soldiers on both sides had already sacrificed their lives in major battles across the Shenandoah and Mississippi valleys. So what interested me most about each of these pivotal battle scenes I witnessed today were those determined efforts by the Union soldiers to advance their troops in seemingly unsurmountable conditions. For the naval assault below the cliffs lining the river at Vicksburg  as well as the fortified Confederate defenses smartly amassed atop Kennesaw presented formidable “high ground” challenges.              

Thus realizing my limited  time available to sightsee, I prioritized stopping at the respective Visitor Centers to watch the introductory movies and converse with park rangers about related issues of Civil War interest. In doing so, I discovered new facts about the status of southern slavery and high ranking military leaders at the time. We also enjoyed walking along the east bank of the Mississippi River and taking a leisurely drive to the 1,300 foot summit of Kennesaw Mountain that day. Our next stop on our road trip will be McKinney, Texas to spend time with my wife’s cousin. Enjoy the photos.

Battle Source Information:

https://www.nps.gov/vick/index.htm

https://www.nps.gov/kemo/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm