Heraldry in Vicksburg, Mississippi

Driving back home to Dallas, Texas from High Point, North Carolina, Interstate Highway 20 goes right through Vicksburg, Mississippi. Whenever I get to go through Vicksburg, I always try to stop for a while and visit the Vicksburg National Military Park and the adjacent National Cemetery.

This time, though, I was also a “man on a mission.” In addition to all the Civil War history there, I was looking to see what coats of arms I might find. Now, I didn’t have a lot of time – the drive from North Carolina to Texas takes two days, this was early on the second day, and I was heading for home and wanted to arrive at a decent time. But I took an hour to see what I could see, and I did come across the following.

The coat of arms of the State of Missouri were found on a number of monuments as I drove through the park.

And here’s a color version from the web that may be easier to make out.  (Though I think I prefer the bear supporters from the monument.)