Standing Guard at Jackson Road

Standing Guard at Jackson Road (HM22F3)

Location: Vicksburg, MS 39183 Warren County
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Country: United States of America
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N 32° 21.566', W 90° 50.464'

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Inscription
You are on the historic Jackson Road, a critical link between Jackson and Vicksburg during the Civil War. To guard this key entrance to the city, Confederate forces built a major fort here: the Third Louisiana Redan. Look to your left at the end of the road—the high ground beyond is the old fort's wall.

On May 22, 1863, Union troops swarmed down Jackson Road from the east to attack the Third Louisiana Redan. An innocent-looking ridge today this once-massive structure posed a forbidding obstacle to Federal forces. The assault failed, and Grant's men withdrew to safety behind the ridge below the Shirley House (to your right).

Sharpshooter vs. Sharpshooter

When the siege began, Union troops dug toward the Third Louisiana Redan. As the trench neared the fort, Confederate sharpshooters made life difficult for the Federal digging crews.

Lieutenant Henry Foster—known as "Coonskin" for his raccoon fur cap—built a tower out of railroad ties facing the Third Louisiana Redan to protect his comrades.

Union sharpshooters concealed in Coonskin's Tower used a mirror to watch for Confederates
taking aim at Federal soldiers below. Without becoming targets themselves, Foster and friends beat their enemies to the trigger.
Details
HM NumberHM22F3
Tags
Placed ByNational Park Service, Department of the Interior
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, October 31st, 2017 at 4:02pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)15S E 703143 N 3582326
Decimal Degrees32.35943333, -90.84106667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 32° 21.566', W 90° 50.464'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds32° 21' 33.96" N, 90° 50' 27.84" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)601
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling West
Closest Postal AddressAt or near Union Ave, Vicksburg MS 39183, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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