Voices of Americana: Charles Pendleton
More than a century and a half after the end of the American Civil War, the conflict is still making headlines, and driving curiosity. That’s especially true in towns and cities where the actual battles took place. Such is the story of Vicksburg, Mississippi, where an epic river struggle ended in victory for the Union — just one day after the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg. Many Americans have heard of Gettysburg — fought in the farm fields of Pennsylvania; but the deadly details of bloodshed on the bluffs of Vicksburg are not well known. Importantly, it brought control of a key war asset for the north: The Mississippi River.
At the onset of the Civil War, rivers were the “highways” for movement of freight, war materials and troops. Vicksburg, up on hills above the junction of the Yazoo River and Mississippi, was an important stronghold for the Confederacy to control this water highway. So much so, that the battle and the history of the town brings half a million visitors a year.
The war story is told in the very battlefield where it ended. The Vicksburg National Military Park, is now administered by the National Park Service. Here you find the old canons, memorials, the National Cemetery, and the very fields where the two armies met. A 47-day siege by Union General Ulysses Grant brought an end to the battle. It gave the Union control of the Mississippi River.
In addition to the National Military Park, a local businessman, Charles Pendleton, has created a museum in Vicksburg that tells the story of the war. 
He was first a collector of guns, but that became an obsession to learn about the war that changed the South forever. The Vicksburg Civil War Museum is full of interesting artifacts. Most interesting are some of the documents that tell the story of slavery, including the sale of a 7 year old girl named Ella.
A trip to the museum is not complete without hearing how this young girl has changed Charles’ destiny. We find a lot of people just want to talk to Charles and get his sense of the war. In this Voices of Americana we learn more about Vicksburg, the consequences of the war that lingers 160 years after it ended, and the hunt for answers to the mystery of Ella.
Voices of Americana: Charles Pendleton
More than a century and a half after the end of the American Civil War, the conflict is still making headlines, and driving curiosity. That’s especially true in towns and cities where the actual battles took place. Such is the story of Vicksburg, Mississippi, where an epic river struggle ended in victory for the Union — just one day after the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg. Many Americans have heard of Gettysburg — fought in the farm fields of Pennsylvania; but the deadly details of bloodshed on the bluffs of Vicksburg are not well known. Importantly, it brought control of a key war asset for the north: The Mississippi River.
At the onset of the Civil War, rivers were the “highways” for movement of freight, war materials and troops. Vicksburg, up on hills above the junction of the Yazoo River and Mississippi, was an important stronghold for the Confederacy to control this water highway. So much so, that the battle and the history of the town brings half a million visitors a year.
The war story is told in the very battlefield where it ended. The Vicksburg National Military Park, is now administered by the National Park Service. Here you find the old canons, memorials, the National Cemetery, and the very fields where the two armies met. A 47-day siege by Union General Ulysses Grant brought an end to the battle. It gave the Union control of the Mississippi River.
In addition to the National Military Park, a local businessman, Charles Pendleton, has created a museum in Vicksburg that tells the story of the war. He was first a collector of guns, but that became an obsession to learn about the war that changed the South forever. The Vicksburg Civil War Museum is full of interesting artifacts. Most interesting are some of the documents that tell the story of slavery, including the sale of a 7 year old girl named Ella.
A trip to the museum is not complete without hearing how this young girl has changed Charles’ destiny. We find a lot of people just want to talk to Charles and get his sense of the war. In this Voices of Americana we learn more about Vicksburg, the consequences of the war that lingers 160 years after it ended, and the hunt for answers to the mystery of Ella.
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When you see “Voices of Americana” stories, you’re in for a special treat – poignant tales that stand on their own.
My wife and I, and 2 friends from the UK, had the pleasure of visiting Mr Charles Pendelton’s Civil War Museum in the center of Vicksburg a couple of weeks ago. What a national treasure he has created that allows us to genuinely reflect on what happened during the Civil War prompted by the artifacts he has fastidiously collected. A must not miss in our country.