Battles and BBQ

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At the end of the 19th century, on the main street of Vicksburg, MS, Joseph Biedenharn ran a candy shop and dispensed Coca Cola from his soda fountain. He wanted to increase trade and sell to people further away, so he began to bottle the soda and deliver it to folks out of town. The rest is history. His family got the Coke franchise in Mississippi and neighboring states and Coke became international. His old store is filled with Coke memorabilia.

More memorabilia lines the shelves of the Corner Drug Store. Artifacts from the Civil War, 19th century medical treatment, and even 1970s purses are scattered throughout this operating drug store.

Perched high above the Mississippi River, Vicksburg was a formidable defensive position for the Confederacy during the Civil War. The town controlled traffic on the river and blocked Union advances. The battlegrounds are now a national park with vestiges of the trenches and hills that saw two and a half months of bloody battles. Our tour with a personal guide from the park service was like a tutorial on the battles. Our guide pointed out the many monuments to the militias of each of the states who participated in the battles. He described the repeated attempts by Grant to take the town and the strategies that failed and siege that led to the ultimate surrender of the garrison.

One story the guide told was of a young Union soldier who fought bravely at Vicksburg and continued to serve during the war and after. When in the hospital being treated for a leg wound, doctors discovered he was a she, one of a few women who managed to join up by pretending to be male.

The USS Cairo, a gunboat raised from the Yazoo, a tributary to the Mississippi, has been restored and much of its contents placed on display. This boat, part of a flotilla that managed to pierce the defenses of Vicksburg and go down the Mississippi to supply Northern troops, was sunk by a torpedo. It now rests on the battlefield next to a museum filled with recovered personal and naval memorabilia.

We left Mississippi after one of the best meals on all our many trips. Leantha’s is in a large tin building and serves the best bbq we have ever tasted. Jerry’s beef ribs and Anna Lee’s chicken were juicy, tender, and luscious. Both included a side of “secret recipe” slaw. And both will be enjoyed again as leftovers in a day or so. Leantha started the restaurant over 30 years ago and now her four adult children run it. Friendly service matches the delicious food. We were invited into the bbq shed to see the huge smoker. Any of you passing within two hundred miles of Hattiesburg, MS must stop and get yourselves some great bbq. You’ll thank us for the recommendation.