My sweetheart and I had been wanting to see the river at Vicksburg ever since it crested last week. Well, we finally got in the car this past Sunday. And I finally had an excuse to toss our brand new Mississippi Atlas in the car. We didn’t need the map to get to Vicksburg. The map was to guide us to some of the interesting places in between Jackson and Vicksburg.

The one place in between that we wanted to see was the area where the Battle of Champion Hill was fought. Even though these country roads right are outside of Jackson, you immediately get a sense of place and the feeling that something momentous happened there. We were not sure, however, exactly where Champion Hill was. When we saw a man on the side of the road, we had a feeling that it was a man we had read about: Sid Champion V. We couldn’t resist stopping and it was indeed Sid who was so kind to talk to us about the area, his family’s history and his efforts to preserve the battlefield.

Standing across the road from Champion Hill, it takes some work to imagine the thousands of soldiers killed, the hospital set up in the Champion home; Battle of Champion Hill, William C. Everhart, Harper's Weekly, 1863

We couldn’t go on without stopping at the Battle of of the Big Black river, which eventually led us to Edwards and Bovina.

The 1927 railroad crossing at Big Black River; You can still see some of the old pilings from the civil war constructions. There are many more stories to tell about this area.

 

Earl's Art Shop in Bovina

The old Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad Station in Vicksburg

Looks like America has more recovery work to do now.

 

Finally, we made it to Vicksburg to see the river at sunset. We even got to see the train coming across the bridge just after sunset.

All of the places we visited warrant another visit, if not more. We Mississippians have so much history in our own back yard and much of it will tickle your brain with adventure and mystery if you only leave your house to explore.

The Kansas City Southern on its way to Jackson.

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