Ranging over the meadows, hills and forests of this 1,800-acre site, Confederate and Union armies clashed in a decisive 1863 Civil War battle for Vicksburg, a critical Confederate port. After a 47-day siege and incessant cannon fire, Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, 1863, thus giving the North control of the "Father of Waters" and slicing the Confederacy in two from north to south.