Matthews Silver Coins

Owner Comments:

The park commemorates one of the pivotal battles of the Civil War — the campaign, siege, and defense of Vicksburg, Miss. Surrender on July 4, 1863, coupled with the fall of Port Hudson, La., split the South, giving control of the Mississippi River to the North. The museum exhibits at the park depict the hardships of civilians and soldiers during the devastating 47-day siege of the city. More than 1,350 monuments, a national cemetery and the restored Union ironclad gunboat, the U.S.S. Cairo, mark the 16-mile tour road. The U.S.S. Cairo was the first warship sunk by an electronically detonated "torpedo," which ushered in a new age of navel warfare.

The reverse image depicts the U.S.S. Cairo on the yazoo river as it would have been seen when it served the U.S. Navy during the Civil War.