Restoring the Historic Scene

During the siege of Vicksburg, soldiers in blue and gray had an unobstructed view of the opposing force from any point along the siege and defense lines. Today, that view is blocked by a dense forest that was planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s to combat erosion. As environmental technologies now enable us to maintain soil stability without trees, the National Park Service is conducting vista clearing projects to restore the historic scene, expose key terrain features and provide access to monuments.


Before Vista Clearing	After Vista Clearing
Only one tablet that marked the path of Slack's Approach towards Square Fort (Fort Garrott) was visible from the tour road on the south loop of the park. Several tablets were hidden in the dense forest for decades.	A 10 acre vista clearing project removed tall trees and vegetation exposing over twenty monuments, markers and tablets. In this section of the tour road, visitors now have a clear, unobstructed view of opposing lines from both Confederate and Union Avenues. Fort Garrott is the high point visible in the background.

The view from Tour Stop 15 has changed drastically. In the picture at left, the south half of Square Fort (Fort Garrott) is barely visible. With the trees and vegetation cleared away, visitors now have a great view of the formidable Confederate defenses. It is easy to understand and appreciate the difficult obstacles that the Union army faced while trying to approach over steep and hilly terrain.

	Last update: Monday, January 22, 2001 http://www.nps.gov/vick/preserve/sl_vista/vista.htm Editor: G. Zeman