Thank you ken, I would love to meet everone at Vicksburg too, but doubt if i can. I have never been down in the deep south, but it is my dream to go there some day.
If you get back to Missouri you need to go to the battle of Lexington ,, Lone Jack and Wilson Creek,,the home of Jesse James. Missouri has so much history, seems they were fighting all the time,, the border war, the morman war, and the cival war, no wonder they just wanted to be left alone.
I too think Missouri is a southern state, and Ill, is a northern state, maby because ill. is to the east, or maby because it is the state of Lincoln.
Lol funny thing I grew up thinking Missouri never had slaves, and Jesse James was a outlaw way out west,,,SUPRISE now I find out that some of my family knew Jesse, and there is slave grave yards all over the area where im from. Lol they dont teach ya this stuff in school.
Sally