The Union artillery played a major role in the outcome of the Vicksburg Campaign.
To Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Vicksburg was the "nailhead that holds the South's two halves together." President Abraham Lincoln remarked "Vicksburg is the key" to victory, and could be the north's lifeline into the south. As the federals closed in on the Fortress City, they were met by a ring of forts with over 170 cannon. The resulting battle would determine the war's outcome.
The National Park Service and the Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park & Campaign will be hosting events at Vicksburg National Military Park in observance of Memorial Day.