Grand Gulf Military State Park, Military park and historic site in Claiborne County, Mississippi, US.
Grand Gulf Military State Park covers 400 acres at the ghost town of Grand Gulf, 10 miles northwest of Port Gibson in Claiborne County, Mississippi. It holds the earthworks of Fort Cobun and Fort Wade, the Grand Gulf Cemetery, a museum, campgrounds, picnic facilities, hiking trails, an observation tower and restored buildings.
The site saw combat in 1863 when Confederate gunners held off Union troops commanded by General Grant. After the war, the river town of Grand Gulf faded away because the river shifted its course and the war had destroyed much of the settlement.
Grand Gulf was a river port before the Civil War; burned and cut off when the Mississippi shifted its channel, it emptied out and is now a ghost town. The park keeps its cemetery and restored buildings, and the museum displays finds from the vanished community. Visitors walk streets where the town once stood.
The park is open daily and welcomes visitors to walk the trails and view the fortifications from the observation tower. Those who want to camp will find spots with water and electrical connections, making it easy to spend more time exploring the site.
The park's two earthwork batteries, Fort Cobun and Fort Wade, are what fired on and repelled Ulysses S. Grant's forces at the Battle of Grand Gulf; after the Battle of Port Gibson, Grant made the town his base of operations. The site is a Mississippi Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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