The meadows, hills and forests of this 1,800-acre site were where the Confederate and Union armies clashed in 1863 in a decisive battle for Vicksburg, a critical Confederate port. After a 47-day siege, Vicksburg surrendered on July 4. The Visitor Center is the site of reconstituted army camps, Confederate trenches and caves in which the inhabitants of Vicksburg sought refuge. A 19mi-road makes it possible to motor around the site, which is dotted with some 1,320 monuments.