[1krispy1, 10.06.2007] Tchoate rated Vicksburg National Battlefield as four of five stars. Vicksburg sits high on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. During the American Civil War this "was a major fortress guarding the supply route". The entrance to the park is an easy "one quarter of a mile off of Interstate 20". Vicksburg is "one of those places where you can see where the battle was and learn how the men lived and died". The siege occurred from March 29 to July 4, 1863. One of the factors noted by Tchoate is that the park "is really a beautiful place and well maintained". At several points on the 16 mile tour road one can "look across the trench to see the cannons across the way that were firing" right back on the position from where one is looking from. While there Tchoate was able to have a picnic lunch near the Texas Memorial. She notes the "wooden picnic table was fairly clean, the area around the table was mowed and there was no trash around". She goes on to state they were "very impressed with the cleanliness around the picnic area and the monuments". This is the site of a major part of the War Between the States as can be attested to by the mementos remaining. These include "1,325 historic monuments, 20 miles of reconstructed trenches, 144 emplaced cannon" and other features. Per one of the more interesting is the U.S.S. Cairo Museum. This is a gunboat of the US Navy sunk during the battle when it tried to run the fortress. It "exhibits naval operations of the Civil War". Included "are many artifacts" salvaged when the ship was recovered in 1964 1965. An impressive area is the National Cemetery. Built on a terraced hillside it contains some 17,000 souls. Of this number 13000 are not marked. She felt "unreal to see all the headstones that were unknown". It brings to mind "what a sacrifice all those that serve" make by doing so. The cemetery provides "a beautiful resting place that is well maintained". In conclusion if one finds themselves close "be sure and visit the Vicksburg National Military Park".