Lt. General John C. Pemberton

It's always nice to drive through our Vicksburg National Military Park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. I decided to stop at this particular monument yesterday because I have walked to it, on the north loop, so many times and turned around after 15 minutes in and walked out. At this monument there is a road that goes around behind it with markers. I have never stopped to really take the time to see who it was. To my surprise it was Lt. General John C. Pemberton! He was a Confederate general during the American Civil War and assigned to defend the fortress of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and the Mississippi River. Lt. General Pemberton was noted for his defeat and surrender in the critical Siege of Vicksburg to Maj. General Ulysses S. Grant, on July 4, 1863. As a tribute to Pemberton, we have a boulevard (with bust monuments displayed) and a shopping mall named after him.