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密西西比州的直布羅陀岩石
您知道西西班牙南端的直布羅陀岩石嗎？希臘人相信直布羅陀是赫克利斯石柱之一，因而沒有人膽敢駛離它的範圍。稍後，當英國人統治這個區域時，它成為英國海軍力量的象徵，又名「巨石」(the
Rock)。內戰時，密西西比州境內有一個城市，被稱為「邦聯的直布羅陀」，您知道是那一座城市嗎？
蘊含強大力量的密西西比河流經維克斯堡市，這座歷史上著名的城市座落在戰略上的重要位置，即孟菲斯及紐奧良兩市之間。內戰時，維克斯堡市成為一個重要的要塞。又因為維克斯堡戰役是內戰時，耗時最久，也是重要的一場戰爭，而被稱為「邦聯的直布羅陀」。1863年時，這座城市終於投降，讓聯邦軍得以控制密西西比河，並將南部各州劃分為二。
密西西比河在維克斯堡市的發展上，扮演了一個舉足輕重的角色。1873年的洪水，致使密西西比河的河道改變，因而破壞了內戰後所殘存的部分城市。而1927年的密西西比河大洪水，也對這座城市造成毀滅性的影響。經歷過這兩次自然災害後，美國工兵處協助維克斯堡市建造用來保護這個河邊都市的河道、堤壩及其他結構體。
Do you know about the Rock of Gibraltar at the southern tip of Spain? The Greeks believed that Gibraltar was one of the Pillars of Hercules and no one dared sail beyond it. Later, when it came under British control, it became known as a symbol of British naval strength and was known as "the Rock." During the Civil War, a city in Mississippi was called "The Gibraltar of the Confederacy;" do you know which one it was?
The mighty Mississippi River flows past the historic city of Vicksburg. Built on a strategic location halfway between Memphis and New Orleans, Vicksburg became an important stronghold during the Civil War. It was known as "The Gibraltar of the Confederacy" because the Battle of Vicksburg was one of the Civil War's longest and most important campaigns. The city's eventual surrender in 1863 gave Union forces control of the Mississippi River and divided the South.
The Mississippi River has played a large part in the development of Vicksburg. In an 1873 flood, the river changed course and destroyed what was left of the city after the Civil War. The Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927 also had devastating effects on the city. After both of these natural disasters, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided assistance to Vicksburg by building canals, levees and other structures to protect this river city.
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