Vicksburg National Military Park

Ranger Program Announcement:

National Cemetery Walking Tour - Black History Month

Date and Time: Saturday, February 14, 2026 from 10:00 - 10:30
Location: Meet at Stop #8 - Vicksburg National Cemetery Gate

Discover the stories of African American Veterans in Vicksburg National Cemetery

Fix bayonet! Rally on the battalion! To the color! Come hear a bugle ring again across the battlefield. Experience Civil War-era bugle calls and learn the importance of communication on the battlefield.

Bugle calls from 2-3 PM (ongoing for the hour, drop in anytime during the program)

Discover the stories of the veterans in Vicksburg National Cemetery.

Discover the stories of the veterans in Vicksburg National Cemetary.

Fix bayonet! Rally on the battalion! To the color! Come hear a bugle ring again across the battlefield. Experience Civil War-era bugle calls and learn the importance of communication on the battlefield.

Bugle calls from 2-3 PM (ongoing for the hour, drop in anytime during the program)

 The Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and the Licensed Battlefield Guides of Vicksburg will commemorate the Battle of Champion Hill, Saturday, May 16, 2026, 9 AM-4PM at the Coker House, the only antebellum house left on the battlefield.  The Coker House is located at Adams Lane, Edwards, MS 39066, and is a unit of Vicksburg National Military Park.

As part of the commemoration activities, Mr. Duffy Neubauer, Curator at the Starkville Civil War Arsenal, will have an original Civil War 24 pd Howitzer, that was actually at the Champion Hill Battle, as part of McCallister’s Battery, Battery D, 1st Illinois Light Artillery.  Mr. Neubauer and fellow reenactors will demonstrate the loading and firing drill as well as talk about the gun at the battle.

Also, Mr. Sid Champion V, a prominent historian, storyteller, and the great-great-grandson of Sid and Matilda Champion, who owned the land where the pivotal 1863 Battle of Champion Hill took place in Mississippi, will be present to talk about his family.

Morgan Gates, local historian and a Licensed Battlefield Guide of Vicksburg, will portray Lieutenant General John Pemberton and present a program on him.  Morgan is nationally recognized for his portrayal of Pemberton.

Mike Bryant, local historian and Licensed Battlefield Guide of Vicksburg, will present a program on the 8th Missouri and Civil War Infantry tactics and how they were used at Champion Hill.

Licensed Battlefield Guides of Vicksburg, who provide guided tours of the Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign will also present some programs on Champion Hill throughout the day at the Coker House and The Crossroads.

Bess Averett, Executive Director of the Friends of Vicksburg NMP and Campaign, will have information about the Friends Group and answer questions about the preservation efforts of Champion Hill.

A program schedule for the day is below.  You can bring your own chairs to listen to the programs if you would like.

Program Schedule

Coker House Programs

09:00 – 09:20 – How did we get to Champion Hill?

09:30 – 09:50 – Actions at Champion Hill/Coker House

10:00 – 10:30 – McAllister’s Battery Demonstration

10:30 – 10:50 – LTG Pemberton Speaks

11:00 – 11:30 – Confederate Commanders – Loring, Bowen, Stevenson, Lee

11:30-12:00 – Sid Champion V, and Champion’s Hill

12:00-1:00 – Lunch

12:15-12:45 – Union Commanders – Grant, McClernand, McPherson, Hovey, Logan

1:00-1:30 – 8th Missouri at Champion Hill

1:40-2:00 - McAllister’s Battery Demonstration

2:00-2:20 – LTG Pemberton Speaks

2:30-1:00 – Sid Champion V, and Champion’s Hill

3:00-3:30 - McAllister’s Battery Demonstration/Travel to Battery Position

3:30 – 4:00 – Champion Hill Outcomes /What happens to BG Tilghman?

Informal Programs All Day at the Coker House, Civil War Camp & an original

Civil War 24 pdr Howitzer(cannon) that was at Champion Hill on May 16, 1863

Crossroads Programs

10:50 – 11:30 – Actions at Crossroads

1200-1:00 – Lunch

1:15-2:15 – Actions on Crossroads

3:15-3:45 – Actions on Crossroads

Every year on the Friday before Memorial Day, a United States flag is placed at each individual grave site in remembrance of the sacrifice so many have made for our country. Join other volunteers, National Park Service staff, and the Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park & Campaign in continuing this tradition.

Located within Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg National Cemetery is the final resting place for over 18,000 U.S. Veterans – 17,000 of those being Union Civil War soldiers – a number unmatched by any other Civil War National Cemetery.

Sign up to volunteer

The Union Assault on the 2nd Texas Lunette

Join Ranger Peter Winfrey on a detailed walk of the grounds as we discuss William P. Benton’s and Stephen G. Burbridge’s Brigades’ May 22nd assault on the 2nd Texas Lunette. Learn about the successes, failures, and stories of this dramatic fight for this small fort guarding access into Vicksburg.  

Vicksburg National Military Park is partnering with the Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign, Four Seasons of the Arts, and the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra (MSO) to provide an outdoor pops concert on the grounds of the park free of charge. Celebration the nation's 250th Anniversary with a patriotic music. There will also be kid friendly activity stations. The concert will be on Saturday, May 23, 2026 at 7:00pm in front of the Vicksburg NMP Visitor Center at 3201 Clay Street. Tickets and registration are not required to attend the concert.

CANCELED due to potential for inclement weather

Join Licensed Battlefield Guide Tony Morgan and discover the stories of the Union assault on the Confederate stronghold guarding Graveyard Road.

Meet at Tour Stop #10 - Stockade Redan. 

This walking tour will cover approximately 1 mile and may travel over uneven terrain. Please wear appropriate footwear and be prepared for weather conditions by bringing a hat and plenty of water.