One may be surprised that for a time, 160 years ago, the most important town in America wasn’t New York, Chicago, or Washington DC – but Vicksburg, Mississippi. Halfway through the third year of the American Civil War, Vicksburg was the most strategically vital point on the map for both the Union and the Confederacy.
In identifying the importance of Vicksburg, Lincoln stated that “the war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket." It was Vicksburg that Jefferson Davis referred to as the “Gibraltar of the West.” And it was in Vicksburg, on July 4th of 1863, where General Ulysses S. Grant accepted the surrender from General John C. Pemberton, ending a month-long siege and giving complete control of the Mississippi River to the Union.
Today, Vicksburg is still a place of interest – not because of its commanding position on Old Man River – but for another reason. Today, Vicksburg is home to a museum, privately owned and straightforwardly named “Vicksburg Civil War Museum.” It’s one of those places you find in smaller towns, a storefront gem you might not notice unless you took a calendar-clear afternoon actually to stroll the streets and view life.
The museum’s seven-dollar entrance fee belies its sizable worth – a comprehensive, best-in-class collection of Civil War antiques. Nearly every aspect of the soldier’s life is presented – rifles and revolvers, daggers and cookware, violins and drums, saws and scalpels, shells and ordnance, caps and uniforms, letters and diaries, swords and tack. The condition and quality of the exhibits are top-notch – the firearms alone are probably worth hundreds of thousands – and one comes away with a more defined picture of what fighting men in blue or gray carried and used.
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It is not a museum that gives a full treatment of the war or its political and economic backstory, but interesting touches go a long way in making the place more than just a collection of martial stuff. At the back of the museum, there’s a replica slave cabin with a recording of former slaves describing their lives under the thumb of our peculiar institution. And on one wall, there are copies of all the secession letters from all of the Confederate states; Florida’s is the shortest. It is all well-organized and tastefully arranged – and unlike so many other typical traps, this museum is thankfully untainted by interloping artifacts of dubious connection to the subject. You can also purchase recovered minié balls and ice cream near the front entrance.
But the most important part of the museum is not what is shown within the four walls – it is the story of the owner, a gentleman named Charles Pendleton. Indeed, the story of his museum is really the story of a person, for without Mr. Pendleton, his museum would not exist. After years of owning other successful businesses, it was the drive to preserve the history that compelled Mr. Pendleton to accumulate his collection and offer it to anyone passing through.
In fact, the museum has a mission statement, framed and mounted on the wall, with several core objectives driving its creation. As part of his goal to inspire people to become more educated, the charter boldly states, “Your personal interpretation of history does not change history.” In an age when so much of our culture is driven by mendacity, distortion, and inane fad phrases like “my truth,” Mr. Pendleton’s declaration is a stone-cold reminder that fact stills rules the record.
In talking with Mr. Pendleton – who also happens to have a son in the Marine Corps and whose picture is on the front desk as you walk in – I learned of his story, how he put his museum together, and his motivation to not let the history of the Civil War erode, especially in this era of revisionism and erasure. And though it should not matter, what makes the story of this museum all the more meaningful is that Mr. Pendleton is black.
It goes without saying that Mr. Pendleton’s story shatters a lot of imprecise narratives that shape our current social and political discourse. It is always refreshing to find people who challenge conventional notions, whether those notions contain any wisdom or not because that is where the marginalized reality of the human experience exists.
But his story contains an even deeper lesson that we can all learn from. He applied a life’s interest toward a calling that he felt needed attention. Had Mr. Pendleton not established a reason for his place, it may have been just another shop on the main street. Sure, a stop to peruse the displays may still be worthwhile…but it is the purpose – the mission – that makes the visit lasting. You get a lot of value here for seven bucks.
If you travel America’s roadways enough, every once in and while, you’ll stumble upon something that is both unplanned and unforgettable. It may become the highlight of the trip…reflected and remarked upon repeatedly due to its imprint on the conscious. America is a nation that really can only be fully appreciated via the road – it is too vast and too interesting to try and comprehend by sticking to the well-traveled path. So, the next time you find yourself in southwestern Mississippi, budget a couple of extra hours to see Vicksburg, once the most important place in America.
While there, do yourself a favor and check out Mr. Pendleton’s museum.
Connor Martin is a US Marine veteran and policy analyst in Washington, DC.
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