Standing Guard at Jackson Road

Standing Guard at Jackson Road. . You are on the historic Jackson Road, a critical link
 between Jackson and Vicksburg during the Civil War.
 To guard this key entrance to the city, Confederate
 forces built a major fort here: the Third Louisiana
 Redan. Look to your left at the end of the road, the 
high ground beyond is the old fort's wall. , 
On May 22, 1863, Union troops swarmed down
 Jackson Road from the east to attack the Third
 Louisiana Redan. An innocent-looking ridge today 
this once-massive structure posed a forbidding
 obstacle to Federal forces. The assault failed, and 
Grant's men withdrew to safety behind the ridge 
below the Shirley House (to your right). , Sharpshooter vs. Sharpshooter , 
 When the siege began, Union troops
 dug toward the Third Louisiana Redan.
 As the trench neared the fort, Confederate
 sharpshooters made life difficult for the
 Federal digging crews. , 

Lieutenant Henry Foster, known as
"Coonskin" for his raccoon fur cap, built
 a tower out of railroad ties facing the Third
 Louisiana Redan to protect his comrades. , 

Union sharpshooters concealed in
 Coonskin's Tower used a mirror to watch
 for Confederates taking aim at Federal 
soldiers below. Without becoming targets 
themselves, Foster and friends beat their 
enemies to the trigger.