Grand Gulf Military State Park is a

Mississippi state park This is a list of Mississippi state parks. , the state park system of the U.S. state of Mississippi comprises 24 state parks and one natural area. Current state parks Defunct state parks or under other jurisdiction *Arkbutla State Park *Casey ...

located 10 miles northwest of Port Gibson in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

, now the

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

of Grand Gulf, in

Claiborne County, Mississippi Claiborne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,135. Its county seat is Port Gibson. The county is named after William Claiborne, the second governor of the Mississippi Territo ...

. The park includes the remnants of two batteries that fired on and repelled

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

's forces during the

Battle of Grand Gulf The Battle of Grand Gulf was fought on April 29, 1863, during the American Civil War. As part of Major General Ulysses S. Grant's Vicksburg campaign, seven Union Navy ironclad warships commanded by Admiral David Dixon Porter bombarded Confederat ...

. After the

Battle of Port Gibson The Battle of Port Gibson was fought near Port Gibson, Mississippi, on May 1, 1863, between Union and Confederate forces during the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. The Union Army was led by Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and was victo ...

, Grant made Grand Gulf his base of operations. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

and is a

Mississippi Landmark The following is a list of Mississippi Landmarks officially nominated by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and approved by each county's chancery clerk. The Mississippi Landmark designation is the highest form of recognition bestow ...

. The 400-acre landmark includes Fort Cobun and Fort Wade earthworks, the Grand Gulf Cemetery, a museum, campgrounds, picnic facilities, hiking trails, an observation tower, and restored buildings. The town of Grand Gulf was originally a port on the Mississippi River. However, after being burned during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and a shift in the flow of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

, the community became a

Gallery

File:Fort Wade Earth Works.jpg, Overview of the Fort Wade earth works. File:Ammunition magazine at Fort Wade.jpg, Ammunition magazine at Fort Wade. The magazine was excavated in the late 1970s. File:Fort Cobun Earth Works.jpg, Remaining earth works of Fort Cobun. File:Observation tower at Grand Gulf.jpg, Observation tower at Grand Gulf Military Park

References

External links

Grand Gulf Military Park
official web site * {{authority control State parks of Mississippi Mississippi Landmarks Protected areas of Claiborne County, Mississippi Museums in Claiborne County, Mississippi American Civil War museums in Mississippi Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi National Register of Historic Places in Claiborne County, Mississippi Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi