Last Night's 150th Grand Illumination

Last night the Vicksburg National Military Park‘s Sesquicentennial Grand Illumination was held.  I was lucky to be able to make the whole trip through the park which took close to two hours.  It was held from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.  You could not stop or exit your vehicle and had to keep moving about 5 or so miles an hour with your lights on. We had to stay alert for wildlife but saw no deer, hogs or turkeys that have been seen in our park. It was a very memorable and uplifting experience for me.  Could hear the cicada bugs and frogs loud and clear.  I went in close to 7:00 and came out around  8:45.  As I was exiting the park their were a mob of cars trying to get in and to view the illumination.  Below are some pictures that I took that turn out fairly well considering I was trying to drive and take pictures at the same time.  By the end of the tour you could really see the luminaries well with the led candles inside.  It was an awesome site!  Their were yellow bags and white bags throughout the park.

According to the brochures that was handed to me at the entrance, the luminaries were representing men who were killed, wounded, or missing were place at the state memorials – one luminary for each soldier from that state who was a casualty.  Of the 19,233 casualties, records could not determine the exact location for 2,228 confirmed casualties that could not be identified by state were dispersed though out the Grand Illumination in yellow bags to mark them as confirmed, but unidentified casualties.  No site had less than 100 luminaries.  The traditional white bag luminaries represented confirmed casualties honored at their state memorial.  In addition to state monuments, several sites were  selected to honor other casualties including the U. S. Colored Troops and the C. S. River Batteries.

“…we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground.  The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.”  
~Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address 

A mother, stepmother, grandmother and great grandmother who was taught deer hunting by my second husband, Bob, in my mid-forties. I’m still hunting today and loving it!