THE LOWER RIVER 113 VICKSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK Vicksburg was an important location for Confederate troops in Mississippi. The Battle of Vicksburg, from May 18 to July 4, 1863, is preserved by markers and monuments throughout the Vicksburg National Military Park. Vicksburg National Cemetery holds the remains of 17,000 Civil War Union soldiers. This 116-acre cemetery was established by an act of Congress is 1866. At Vicksburg National Cemetery, 75 percent of the Civil War soldiers are listed as unknown. The known soldiers’ graves are identified by rounded, upright headstones; the unknown soldiers’ graves consist of small, square blocks imprinted with a grave number. The War Department had authority over the Vicksburg National Cemetery until 1933. After this, jurisdiction changed to the Department of the Interior’s National Park Service. In 1947, the superintendent of Vicksburg National Military Park gained responsibility of the cemetery.