Overview
VICK wishes to host an SECC Individual Placement to assist with the next phase of service, including artifact analysis and historical research. Artifacts recovered from outside burial contexts require detailed analyses, including artifacts that may be associated with the colonial Spanish and historic period Choctaw occupation of Fort Nogales (ca. 1791-1798) and/or with the short-lived U.S. military occupation of Fort McHenry (ca.1798-1800), as well as artifacts directly associated with Confederate and U.S. Federal troop activities that happened during and after the siege of Vicksburg (1862-1866). Research is needed in cemetery burial ledger books, which indicate that most of the recently disinterred burials were brought to Vicksburg National Cemetery between 1867- 1891 from ten separate locations. These locations include expedient wartime burials coming from prominent antebellum plantations in the region, makeshift cemeteries at various field & city hospitals, and from local cemeteries and other places used to accommodate Union dead from regional Civil War sites. The SECC Individual Placement will assist with artifact analysis and research to produce detailed historical summaries for each these ten localities and for ten known USCT individuals. Of the approximately 6,000 USCT known to be buried at VICK, only 130 are individuals with recorded identities, 10 of which were recently disinterred. The Individual Placement’s research and ability to gather archival materials for these 10 individuals is crucial to restoring connections between these individuals and living descendants. Records show that many USCT from the greater region who survived the war ended up settling in Vicksburg, which suggests that a substantial number of lineal descendants may still be living in the area. One important aspect of this service term is to restore these kind of connections and restore personal identities, so that living descendants can be contacted and invited to take part in ongoing discussions and consultation for this unprecedented national cemetery stabilization project.
About Southeast Conservation Corps
Empowering young adults to cultivate compassion, responsibility, and grit through community service, hard work, and environmental stewardship.
Southeast Conservation Corps (SECC), a program of Conservation Legacy, is a non-profit, AmeriCorps-affiliated organization. SECC selects young adults, ages 18-30, to complete conservation work projects on public lands throughout the Southeast. SECC programs encourage environmental stewardship, foster community partnerships, & emphasize experiential learning. SECC serves a diverse population that is representative of the Southeast, including youth, graduates, veterans, and a cross-section of ethnicities and income levels. SECC is an active member of the AmeriCorps Disaster Response Team & as such, selected crews may be deployed on Disaster response projects for up to 30 days.
