Graves At Grindstone Ford, Mississippi

Very close to Magnum Mound, and about five miles north of Port Gibson, is Grindstone Ford in Bayou Pierre. This was about 45 miles, or a two days walk, from Natchez during the heyday of the Natchez Trace. It marks the boundary between the Natchez district and Indian territory of the Choctaw Nation.

The Ford was named for a water-driven mill nearby. It was a major water crossing on the Trace because Bayou Pierre is a stream that can be floated for more than 100 miles before it eventually feeds into the Mississippi River.

We took a short hike at Grindstone Ford and came upon a very interesting old cemetery dating back about 200 years, as seen in this photo.

Magnum Mound, Mississippi

About five miles north of Port Gibson, Mississippi, on the Natchez Trace Parkway, is the site of Magnum Mound, believed to have been built by the Plaquemine Indian culture around 1000 years ago. The Plaquemine's were a forerunner of the Natchez tribe which were encountered in this area by the first French explorers.

Mounds such as this one were used as platforms upon which buildings were erected of interwoven rods and laths, plastered with mud. This construction technique is called wattle and daub. The mounds were also used for burials and reburial of human remains. Like their Natchez descendents, those of the Plaquemine Culture sacrificed infants in their death-ritual ceremonies.

A parking area is at the site and there is a hiking trail around and over the mound with interpretative exhibits.

The Old Sunken Trace, near Windsor, Mississippi

The Natchez Trace is an ancient trail, first created by animals, then people. Today a beautifully landscaped parkway follows the original route, cutting a diagonal path through parts of what are today Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. In the late 1700s and early 1800s this footpath became a heavily traveled thoroughfare on the American frontier.

The Natchez Trace Parkway, a 444-mile-long National Park highway, connects Natchez, Mississippi with Nashville, Tennessee. Amazingly, several stretches of the old trace, some which have been worn many feet into the ground, can still be seen at spots beside the newer Parkway. One of the best places to see - and walk - a portion of the old trace is just north of the town of Port Gibson, as shown in these photographs. The spot is at milepost #41.5, where you will find a parking area and an interpretative exhibit.

The hike here is short in distance, but with imagination it can carry you back in time for centuries - even millennia. Karen and I thoroughly enjoyed our walk here on a cool but pleasant late December morning. Along this sunken trace it seems we sensed the lingering spirits of those who had trod this way before.

The Ruins of Windsor, Mississippi

Windsor Plantation in Claiborne County was one of the most magnificnet antebellum mansions to survive the War Between the States. But what the War did not do, was accomplished by a careless smoker in 1890. Thirty-five years after the War ended, on February 17, 1890, Windsor burned to the ground.

All that was left were a few pieces of china, 23 ghostly columns and some of the wrought iron balustrade. Originally there were 29 columns, standing 45-feet tall.Windsor was built by Smith Coffee Daniell II, from 1859-1861. The mansion had 25 rooms and 25 fireplaces on four stories. Attic tanks supplied water for the baths in a day when indoor plumbing was a novelty. In the basement was a schoolroom, a dairy and supply rooms.

The War Between the States broke out about the time the mansion was completed and the observatory on the roof was used to signal Confederate troops about Union advances. The building survived the War in part because Union troops used it as a hospital after they occupied the area.

Several films have used these dramatic columns as a backdrop. These include Raintree Country, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift. The ruins are on County Road #18, about twelve miles south of Windsor. There is a small parking area and when we were there no one else was around. There is an interpretative marker which helps tell the story.

The ruins are always open and admission is free. There are no visitor facilities, other than a small parking lot. The site is administered by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Claiborne County Confederate Monument

Directly across from the courthouse, in the center of Port Gibson, Mississippi, is this very imposing Confederate Monument, dedicated to the soldiers from Claiborne County who fought to defind their homeland against Northern aggressors during the War Between the States.

Claiborne County was the scene of two important battles of that War. The Battle of Grand Gulf, on the banks of the Mississippi River, was counted as a Confederate victory although it allowed Union General U.S. Grant to move his troops past the fortifications and land them at Bruinsburg. This helped set the stage for the Siege of Vicksburg and the opening of the Mississippi for the invading Union Army. The former town of Grand Gulf is now Grand Gulf Military Park with a museum, historic buildings, hiking trails and an observation tower with an outstanding view of the Mississippi river.

The Battle of Port Gibson started near the A. K. Shaifer house, May 1, 1863. A portion of this battlefield is preserved within the Vicksburg National Military Park.

This site has a special personal significance for me because two of my great great uncles, Sargent James Monroe Devaughn and his younger brother, Private John Allen Devaughn, successfully fought against the invading Northern army at Port Gibson. Both of them, members of the Alabama 46th Infantry, Company A, were captured a few weeks later, July 4, 1863, at the surrender of Vicksburg.

According to Confederate war records, the Devaughn brothers were exchanged and furloughed less than three weeks later, on July 22. However both returned to the front lines of battle in defending their Southern homeland. John died about six weeks later. James lived for another year, and was killed at the hand of General Sherman's brutal troops at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia, on the northern outskirts of Atlanta, on June 30, 1864.

I had other kinfolk on both sides of my family who fought and died for the Confederacy. All told, more than 620,000 men, women and children were needlessly slaughtered in the War Between the States - to say nothing of the wanton destruction of homes, churches, schools and the entire infrastructure of the South.

Contrary to popular misconception, The War was not about slavery. No serious historian believes that - yet it remains the politically correct "excuse" given after-the-fact by the victors (the North) in an effort to justify the most senseless and shameful chapter in American history.

My uncles were poor dirt farmers who never owned a slave. They fought, as did virtually all Confederates, for only one reason. Their homeland was invaded and they were compelled by honor to defend their homes and their families.

Most people - especially Americans - would be extremely enlightened to study The War from a Southern perspective. Check out my Confederate blog: http://confederatedigest.com/

Port Gibson, Mississippi

Port Gibson, located near the Mississippi River between Vicksburg and Natchez, is the third oldest city in Mississippi, chartered as a town on March 12, 1803. It was occupied by General Ulysses S. Grant and his Federal troops in May of 1863, during the War Between the States.

Port Gibson was spared the wanton destruction which was the fate of many Southern cities during the War because Grant said it was "too beautiful to burn." Grant and other Union Generals were responsible for burning hundreds of other Southern cities, leaving tens of thousands of innocent civilians destitute and homeless. I guess they ransacked and burned those places, butchered the livestock and left it rotting in the field, burned barns and crops, and committed other war crimes and atrocities against men, women, and children - black and white - because they thought those places were ugly.

Although the town is historically significant, Port Gibson is smaller today than it has been in times past. The population was 1,840 at the 2000 census. It is the seat of Claiborne County.

Natchez National Cemetery, Natchez, Mississippi

The most striking thing I noticed about Natchez National Cemetery was the very large number of graves to unknown Confederate soldiers. Each one represents some mother's boy, some child's father, or some grieving young wife's husband who never came home from The War.

The 25.7-acre cemetery was established during the War Between the States and is located on a Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. Some Union soldiers are also interred here, as well as veterans of all American wars, up until the present time. Plots are still available. Visitation Hours are from Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to sunset.

Natchez National Cemetery was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

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Check out my Confederate blog: http://confederatedigest.com

Forks of the Road, Natchez, Mississippi

Forks of the Road is small park on the northeast side of Natchez that marks the spot of what was once the second largest slave market in the United States. An interpretative exhibit tells the story of the slave trade.

Slavery, which has been practiced in almost every country of the world, is one of the greatest blights in the history of mankind and one of the most misunderstood. Although the majority of slaves were Africans and the majority of slave owners were whites of European descent, it was far more complex than a simple black and white situation. There were also white slaves with fair skin, blue eyes and sandy hair. Slave owners included whites, American Indians, and also thousands of free blacks.

The politically correct (albeit historically inaccurate) concept of slavery puts all the guilt on one race and makes all members of the other race victims. As new economic realities, as well as conscience, brought a gradual phasing out of slavery in the northern states, most of the northern slaves were not freed but were "sold down the river" to southern plantations. Actually far more free blacks lived in the South than in the North. Some northern states were so racist that they did not allow blacks within their borders whether slave or free.

To those who have an interest in learning more about this tragic chapter in American history, I highly recommend a book which I saw on the shelves of a bookstore in Natchez, "The Myths of American Slavery.

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Also, check out my Confederate blog: http://confederatedigest.com

Stanton Hall, Natchez, Mississippi

Of the dozens of historic antebellum mansions in Natchez, none is more opulent than Stanton Hall. Unfortunately they would not let us take pictures on the inside.Stantton Hall was built in 1857 by Frederick Stanton, a cotton broker who immigrated to Natchez from Ireland in 1815, at the age of 21. He became one of the richest men in what was then America's wealthiest city.

The house he built is one of the most magnificent and palatial residences of antebellum America.

The interior contains original furnishings and Natchez antiques. We saw hand-carved woodwork, silver-plated hinges and doorknobs and marble mantles. Guided tours, available on the half hour, are $8.00 for adults. Our knowledgeable tour guide gave a very interesting narrative of the house, its furnishing and its history.

Behind Stanton Hall is the Carriage House Restaurant, where we planned to have lunch on the day of our tour. Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed to tourists because the Kiwanis Club was meeting there that day. Our disappointment lead to the opportunity to visit another mansion, Dunleith, where we enjoyed a great lunch - an experience we would have otherwise missed.

Longwood Plantation, Natchez, Mississippi

Built by Haller and Julia Nutt, 1860-1861, Longwood is said to be the grandest octagonal house in America. Unlike the other Natchez mansions, which are primarily in the Greek Revival style, Longood is a superb example of mid-19th century Oriental style.

Unfortunately, because of the outbreak of the War Between the States, and the untimely death of Mr. Nutt, the house was never finished. However, Julia and her several children finished the spacious basement and lived there for many years.

The unfinished nature of Longwood is both a bane and a blessing. The basement rooms contain original furnishings and artwork, while the upstairs provides a glimpse of the intricate details of the construction. It is also a sober reminder of the devastating change of life in the South as a result of the War.

Today Longwood is owned by the City of Natchez and is operated by the Pilgrimage Garden Club. The dome atop the house was reconstructed in 1993. The house and grounds, a National Historic Landmark, is open for tours and is a "must see" for those who visit Natchez.

Elizabeth Female Academy Ruins

These ruins are all that is left of the Elizabeth Female Academy, the first college for women in the state of Mississippi.

The school operated from 1818-1845 and primarily served the emerging upper class of Natchez society. The famous naturalist and artist John James Audubon once taught here. One of the graduates was Varina Howell, who would later marry Jefferson Davis, the future President of the Confederate States of America. The Academy closed after the Capitol of Mississippi was moved from the nearby community of Washington, Mississippi to Jackson.

This very interesting historic site is about 4.7 miles northwest of Natchez, Mississippi and is best reached via the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Natchez Trace Parkway

The Natchez Trace Parkway is a delightful 444-mile long National Park which stretches from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee.

Karen and I took three days to drive the entire length of the Parkway, although we could have easily driven the entire distance in a day. Actually three days was not enough to stop at all the many historic and natural sights along the way. The Parkway is a very well landscaped two-lane highway which is off limits to commercial vehicles. There is not a single billboard along the way, and only one business - a small country store with a gas pump in front, operated as a park concession. The top speed limit is 50 miles per hour.

Along the way there are numerous picnic areas, three campgrounds, hiking trails, and dozens of interpretative exhibits which provide a satisfying smorgasboard for anyone who has the slightest interest in nature and/or history.

The original Natchez Trace had its beginnings in pre-historic times as an animal trail and Indian path. It was later used by early pioneers as a highway. In the early 1800s, thousands of "Kaintucks" from the Ohio River Valley floated their crops down river to markets in New Orleans, sold their wares and their boats for lumber, and walked or rode horses back home along the Trace. Then it was a very difficult and dangerous journey. Today the Natchez Trace Parkway provides a not-to-be-missed excursion through the beauty of nature and the fascination of a bygone era.

Indian Mound at Grand Village of the Natchez

Before European settlers came to the area that is today known as Natchez, Mississippi, it was inhabited by people of the Natchez Indian tribe. Just south of the city is a state operated archeological site, Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, which preserves a bit of their history and culture. It is a National Historic Landmark and admission is free.

There is a Visitor Center and a small museum and gift shop here. However, the main attraction is a series of ancient Indian ceremonial mounds, a plaza, and a re-constructed Indian dwelling. The site is located on the banks of the Natchez River, and was still in use, but already in decline, when the first French explorers came to the area in the early 1700s.

We enjoyed taking a very interesting self-guided walk here. Interpretative signs help explain the sights along the way.

Amite County Courthouse, Liberty, Mississippi

Liberty, in the southwest corner of Mississippi, is the county seat of Amite County, named for the Amite River. The name is derived from the French "amiti", meaning "friendiness." This sleepy little town reported 633 residents at the census of 2,000. It is 59 miles north of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and 23 miles west of McComb, Mississippi.

Karen and I made a stop in Liberty during a road trip through Mississippi in December, 2006. I learned that although Liberty's population is small, the town has many reasons to be proud.

First, the Amite County Courthouse, on the National Register of Historic Places, is the oldest standing courthouse in the state of Mississippi. It was built in 1839-1841, twenty years before the War Between the States. Liberty is also the site of the First Confederate Monument to be erected in the state following the War.

Ever hear of Borden Condensed Milk? Canned condensed milk is a staple ingredient of cooking that can be found on the shelves of virtually every grocery store in America, and Borden is one of the most popular brands. It all started here in Amite County when Gail Borden, founder of the Borden Milk Company (now Borden Inc.) conducted condensed milk experiments while working as a teacher and surveyor in Liberty.

Also, Dr. Tichenor's Antiseptic originated in Liberty. George Humphrey Tichenor (1837-1923) was a physician who introduced antiseptic surgery while in the service of the Confederate States of America. He is believed to have been the first surgeon to use antiseptic during the Civil War. Dr. Tiehenor's Antiseptic is still being produced and is available commercially.

Finally, Liberty is the birthplace of Jerry Clower the famous southern comedian and one of America's greatest storytellers.

Gardens at Monmouth Plantation, Natchez, Mississippi

Monmouth was built by John Hankinson in 1818 and General John A. Quitman purchased the plantation eight years later. Quitman was a hero of the Mexican War and also served as the first governor of Mississippi. Although he was originally from New York, Quitman was a strong advocate of secession. He died before the eruption of the War Between the States. When Natchez was occupied by Northern troops they remembered Quitman’s sympathies and treated Monmouth roughly. His daughters were forced to pledge loyalty to the Union in order to save Monmouth from destruction.

The estate remained in Quitman’s family for almost a century, until just after his daughter Rose died in 1914. The current owners of Monmouth, Ron and Lani Riches, have restored the plantation to its antebellum glory. Visitors see not only the mansion, but also the equally impressive 26 acres of magnificently landscaped grounds, dominated by Southern Live Oaks, draped with Spanish Moss and bejeweled with ponds, statuary and gazebos. Tours are available daily.

Melrose Plantation, Natchez, Mississippi

Melrose Plantation, built beginning in 1841, is the most completely preserved plantation we saw on our visit to Natchez. It was one of five plantations once owned by a wealthy attorney and cotton planter, John T. McMurran. Today the house, outbuildings and 80 surrounding acres are owned and operated by the National Park Service as a part of the Natchez National Historic Park.

The grounds still have two original slave houses and other domestic outbuildings such as a well house, privy, barn and carriage house. A very interesting part of the story we heard on our tour at Melrose is that the original owners only lived here during the cooler half of the year, and spent their summers in such places as Newport, Rhode Island; Greenbrier, West Virginia or touring Europe. During their extended absences they left their slaves to take care of the place. Some of the slaves at Melrose were so devoted that even after Emancipation they stayed at Melrose voluntarily as servants.

After the death of Melrose's owner in 1883, the house was left in the care of former slaves, Jane Johnson and Alice Sims. These two women lived in and maintained the house for about 30 years. They protected the property, resisting repeated attempts from would-be looters to remove fine furnishings. Both Sims and Johnson played vital roles in the restoration of the property by new owners George M.D. and Ethel Moore Kelly who bought the house in the early 20th century.

Former slave Alice Sims died at age 96, in the 1930's and Jane Johnson at the age of 103, in the 1940s.Guided tours of the home, offered daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas, give visitors a glimpse into the lifestyle of the antebellum American South

Home of William Johnson - Free Black Barber of Antebellum Natchez, Mississippi

There are more than 50 antebellum homes which can be toured in Natchez. The first one of the seven that we personally visited on our trip to Natchez was the William Johnson House. William Johnson was a prosperous businessman and the owner of 16 slaves.

He was also a free black man. Those with only a superficial knowledge of the American South often think that all blacks were slaves and all (or at least most) whites were slave owners. In fact, only 4.08 percent of free southern whites owned slaves, while there were literally thousands of free blacks, and among them 28 percent were slave owners.

Far more free blacks lived in the south than in the north, and they owned slaves in disproportionate numbers to the white population.A National Park Service employee in Natchez told us that when the William Johnson house was being restored, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was very actively and enthusiastically involved in the process. Then, when the NAACP discovered that Johnson had been a slave owner, they immediately withdrew from the project. It seems that the NAACP is only interested in perpetuating their own "politically correct", albeit incomplete, story of the black man in the antebellum South.

William Johnson was born a slave but freed by his master as a young man. He became a barber, and eventually owned four barber shops in Natchez. He hired others to work for him, and he also bought slaves who worked in his home and businesses. The slave quarters are in a separate building behind his home, which is now owned by the National Park Service. Inside the house are exhibits which tell Johnson's story. William Johnson kept a detailed diary for many years and quotes from those journals provide an amazing source of information about the often misunderstood realities of what it was like to be black and free in antebellum America.

Claiborne County Mississippi, Port Gibson, Mississippi

Port Gibson, located near the Mississippi River between Vicksburg and Natchez, is the third oldest city in Mississippi, chartered as a town on March 12, 1803. It was occupied by General Ulysses S. Grant and his Federal troops in May of 1863, during the War Between the States. Port Gibson was spared the wanton destruction which was the fate of many Southern cities during the War because Grant said it was "too beautiful to burn."

Although the town is historically significant, Port Gibson is smaller today than it has been in times past. The population was 1,840 at the 2000 census. It is the seat of Claiborne County.

Bethany A.R.P. Church, Brices Cross Roads, Mississippi

On the south side of Rt. 370, across the highway from Brice's Cross Roads Battlefield National Historic Site, is the Bethany Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. During the battle of Brice's Cross Roads, Bethany Church was across the street from its present location. The church served as a field hospital following the June 10, 1864, battle.

The Bethany A.R.P. Church Cemetery, in use for more than 150 years, is also the burial site for 96 Confederates who fought and died as a result of the battle. Union dead from the battle have been re-interred to the National Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee.

A historic marker at the church states that it was organized in 1852 with 25 charter members, including 4 African-Americans. This illustrates the fact that, even with the deplorable institution of slavery, the pre-Civil War South was more racially integrated than much of the North, which had very restrictive anti-black laws.

After his visit to America in the 1850s, Alex De Tocqueville, the French historian observed that "Race prejudice seems stronger in those states that have abolished slavery than in those where it still exists, and nowhere is it more intolerant than in those states where slavery was never known."

Had there been on War, slavery would have soon ended peacefully in the South, just as it did in the North, and many more Southern churches and other institutions would have remained integrated. Atrocities of the War Between the States, followed by 12 years of Federal occupation and abuse during the disgraceful period called "Reconstruction," exacerbated a racial divide that would not be overcome in America for 100 years.

Black Confederate Soldiers Monument

Most Confederate monuments, and Union monuments too, only refer to groups of soldiers, such as those from a certain company or a particular town or county. This monument honors local African Americans from Canton, Madison County, Mississippi, who fought for the Confederate States of America with the Harvey Scouts (cavalry), in defense of their Southern homeland during the War Between the States. Specifically mentioned is Willis Howcott, a local black man who gave his life in fighting against the United States troops who invaded the Confederate States.

An estimated 60,000 or more African American men, both free and slave, were Confederate soldiers - a fact which is often overlooked by history books because it contradicts the politically correct northern view of the War for Southern Independence.

Learn more at my other website: www.ConfederateDigest.com