The Vicksburg Park is a driving park. There are plenty of places to get out and wander around if you want to. But you can drive straight through it and see the memorials and monuments and still have had a great visit. And if you haven't driven it lately, you will want to see the approach to the Illinois Monument where the trees have been cleared off the hillsides and the monument and the Shirley House beside it are visible for a lot farther up the road that I can ever remember.
The monument commemorating the African-American involvement in the siege is near Grant's Circle at the upper end of the Vicksburg National Military Park. Dr. Kim Sessums of Brookhaven is the artist who created it. And Dr. Sessums is a physician. And for the month of February, has loaned the park some of his preparation pieces in coming up with the design for the monument.
Park Ranger David Slay was instrumental in getting the loan to the park. "Several years ago I gave a speech down in Brookhaven to a garden club and was invited over to Kim's house and when I walked into his living room my jaw dropped seeing all this amazing collection of art work sitting around the house. Immediately the wheels started turning. I wanted to bring them up here so we could show it off. And he was gracious enough to loan it to us for Black History Month. So it will be on display up here at the park seven days a week through March 2nd," said Slay.
Park Superintendent Mike Madell says Vicksburg is a VERY appropriate park for an African-American monument. Madell said, "Cause it was here that the Union Army found out that yes indeed, U.S. colored troops could fight well and be important tools in the war effort. And the successes here proved to Lincoln and Grant that they should probably use them elsewhere."
Ranger Trainee Nicky Anderson says she sees all of this as an example of how history is ever evolving as new layers are brought to light.
"They tend to not want to talk too much about the African-American history in the Civil War because the first thought is Slavery. 'Oh my goodness that's a shunned story.' But I tend to think otherwise. I think it's important that story needs to be told so we can understand history," said Anderson.
And that is what the park is for. So we can understand history. And just because that story is told in stone doesn't mean it's carved in stone. History must always be open to new revelations or it is no longer history, but simply lore.
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