[johnb838]

Isn't Vicksburg the battle they portrayed at the beginning of Cold Mountain where the damn yanks tunneled under the Glorious Southron Defenders' lines like a bunch of damned palestinians and blew them up, then lost the battle by getting stuck in the hole?

If so there were a heck of a lot of timbers required for those trenches I would imagine.

[flying Elvis]

No, that was Petersburg.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Actually, the Battle of the Crater (July 30, 1864) at Petersburg, Virginia was what was portrayed at the beginning of 'Cold Mountain.' I don't think Vickburg as been done yet, except in the old 1980s miniseries "The Blue and the Grey."

[Graycliff]

Never seen Cold Mountain, wouldn't know.
I have heard that they considered rerouting the Mississippi.
That would have been a heck of a project.

[FredZarguna]

It's interesting and ironic to hear mention Vicksburg in a post about Gettysburg. The loss of Vicksburg was devastating to the South (and isn't portrayed in Cold Mountain). It's arguable that for all of the importance attributed to Gettysburg--and several posters here ignorantly and incorrectly have claimed that the significance of Gettysburg wasn't appreciated at the time--the most important event in the opening days of July 1863 occurred, not when Lee lost his chance to win the battle of Gettysburg when he failed to listen to his ablest general, Longstreet, but rather, when Grant reduced the fortress at Vicksburg after the surrender on the 4th of July.

As a Pennsylvanian who lived near and spent many afternoons and early evenings on the Gettysburg battlefield, it pains me to admit the truth: there's entirely too much emphasis on the Civil War fought in the Northeast--mostly Virginia. Gettysburg may have been the high water mark of the Confederacy, but after Vicksburg the South was split in two, and (coupled with the defeat at Gettysburg), its morale was never restored.

And as a former local, I disagree with the poster. Devil's Den in particular was completely overgrown. Restoration of the park is long overdue. I love trees, and I'll plant a couple more in the back forty along the fence as a tribute to the old fellows who went down this week, but they shouldn't have been allowed to grow on the battlefield in the first place.