Vicksburg National Military Park in Warren County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)

"A Most Delightful Reunion"

Photographed By Mark Hilton, October 24, 2017

1. "A Most Delightful Reunion" Marker

Inscription. Imagine the open fields in front of you covered with tents and crowded with white-bearded men. In October 1917, as the United States entered World War I, this rolling landscape played host to thousands of Vicksburg veterans. Soldiers from both sides gathered in reunion for a memorial celebration. Funded by an appropriation of Congress, this National Peace Jubilee was for "survivors... who participated in the Battle of Vicksburg, July 1863.

"...among our own old comrades and those in gray, who were then separated from us by forts and embankments, big guns, and little guns –a most delightful reunion...
Wisconsin Delegation to the 1917 National Peace Jubilee

Campaign for Camaraderie
Over 8,000 veterans attended the 1917 National Peace Jubilee. The goal of this "operation" was to foster friendship and recognize what united them, they were once again citizens of a single nation.

Middle: Old soldiers shared stories and made new friends.Some even returned captured items.
Right: Veterans walked the battlefield to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice at Vicksburg.

Erected by National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil

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. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1863.

Location. 32° 20.357′ N, 90° 51.183′ W. Marker is in Vicksburg National Military Park, Mississippi, in Warren County. Marker is on Union Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Located in front of the Iowa Monument. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Union Avenue, Vicksburg MS 39180, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. U.S. Battery A, (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Michael K. Lawler (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named Michael K. Lawler (about 400 feet away); Wisconsin Eleventh Infantry (about 600 feet away); Peter J· Osterhaus (about 600 feet away); Eugene A. Carr (approx. 0.2 miles away); Illinois 99th Infantry. (approx. 0.2 miles away); Illinois 33D Infantry (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Vicksburg National Military Park.

View from marker to where the 1917 reunion happened. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, October 24, 2017

2. View from marker to where the 1917 reunion happened.

Memorial Arch at beginning of tour road. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, May 25, 2017

3. Memorial Arch at beginning of tour road.

This is the "Memorial Arch" located at the main entrance to the Vicksburg National Military Park. This arch was erected by the City of Vicksburg, commemorating the joint reunion of the Blue and the Gray held in Vicksburg in 1917

Credits. This page was last revised on March 16, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 31, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 384 times since then and 30 times this year. Last updated on December 18, 2017, by T. Patton of Jefferson, Georgia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 31, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.