Vicksburg National Military Park - Monument Placement in Vicksburg National Military Park (U.S. National Park Service)

NPS Photo

Massachusetts State Memorial

MONUMENTS ERECTED BY STATES

The enabling legislation that established Vicksburg National Military Park on February 21, 1899, directed the Secretary of War to mark the lines of battle. It also gave sole authority to the States which were involved in the campaign, siege, and defense of Vicksburg, the ability to erect monuments and markers in memory of their soldiers.

The legislation further specified that the Secretary must approve the location, design, and inscription of all memorials placed upon the battlefield.

Although the park features over 1,300 monuments, markers, plaques and tablets, not every state or military unit is represented.

NPS Photo

Campaign Tablet, Champion's Hill - Grant's Headquarters Area

METAL DRIVE OF WORLD WAR II

In 1942, the United States was deeply involved in World War II. The demand for natural resources, metal, and raw materials was at an all-time high, and the National Park Service and Vicksburg National Military Park were called upon to assist in the war effort. Government officials identified and removed 440 of the largest and heaviest cast iron tablets and markers (such as the one shown here), which were then melted down and used in the construction of military supplies and equipment.

Park officials could only hope that when the war came to an end, funding would be available to replace the tablets and markers. Unfortunately, the costs of replacing the tablets has soared. The years have passed and only a few markers have been replaced.