On Saturday, Nov. 18, at 10 a.m. Vicksburg National Military Park will host a rededication ceremony for the Rhode Island Memorial.

On April 13, 2019, Vicksburg, Mississippi experienced two different severe weather events, one storm with three tornadoes tearing through the town.

Two of those tornadoes passed through the Vicksburg National Military Park leaving multiple trees and limbs down throughout the park.

Despite the widespread affected area, the only monument with significant damage was the Rhode Island Memorial.

Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign quickly mobilized to fund the full restoration of the important memorial through the generous support of donors and partnerships with veterans’ groups in the State of Rhode Island.

The Rhode Island State Memorial, sculpted in bronze by Frank Edwin Elwell, depicts the figure of an infantryman who has picked up the fallen colors.

The memorial was originally dedicated on Nov. 11, 1908.

Rededicating the memorial this month, almost exactly 115 years later, commemorates this amazing restoration and honors the soldiers from the great state of Rhode Island.

The monument memorializes the 7th Rhode Island Infantry.

During the siege, the regiment served on Major Gen. William T. Sherman’s exterior line; fortifying the line first from Skillikalia Bayou to Templeton’s and then from Haynes’ Bluff to the railroad crossing of the Big Black River where they remained until the surrender of Vicksburg.

For parking, event attendees can enter via Sherman Avenue entrance. There will be limited parking along portions of Grant Avenue. Park Rangers will direct attendees to parking. Vehicle access beyond the memorial will still be restricted.