Pemberton HQ Opens On Limited Basis
By Deborah Fitts

VICKSBURG, Miss. — The headquarters house of Gen. John C. Pemberton, Confederate commander during the fateful 1863 siege of Vicksburg, is being opened to the public for the first time.

The two-story brick home, located at 1018 Crawford St. in downtown Vicksburg, is open Mondays only, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., through July.

“The superintendent was determined to at least open it one day a week,” said Rick Martin, director of operations at Vicksburg National Military Park. The Monday openings began May 26 at the instigation of Superintendent Monika Mayr.

Pemberton used the 1832 home as his headquarters from May 23 to July 4, the day Vicksburg fell to the Union siege. Martin noted that it was in a room in the house that Pemberton met with his commanders on the evening of July 3, 1863, and made the decision to surrender.

“To have the house where the surrender was decided on” is a significant plus for the park, Martin said. “The house definitely has a compelling story.”

He added, “A lot of people point to the significance of Gettysburg, while Vicksburg is forgotten as being a critical turning point in the war. Both Lincoln and Jefferson Davis cited the significance of Vicksburg and its fall.”

Martin said it was unclear why Pemberton chose the house, except that it was “in a good location. It was on a hill, and far enough away from Union naval boats and shelling.” A neighbor, Emma Balfour, kept a diary, he noted, “so we know quite a few things about what happened there.”

The house has several temporary exhibits on display.

As for the future, Martin said that remains uncertain. Options include furnishing the house in a period style, removing non-historical appendages, and converting part of the building to administrative offices for the park.
“We’re working through it,” he said.

According to Martin, the national park’s 1899 federal enabling legislation allowed the park to acquire both Pemberton’s headquarters and the headquarters of Union commander U.S. Grant. Grant’s headquarters no longer stands, however.

At the time of the war the house was owned by Martha Willis. She was the niece of the Rev. Newit Vick, after whom Vicksburg was named. The structure served as a home until 1919, when the Sisters of Mercy converted it for use as a nursing school, dormitory and kindergarten. Eventually it served as a B&B. In 1970 the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The park acquired it in 2003.