Registration to participate in this effort will be set to stagger across the next two years leading up to the event. From September 8, 2018 to the end of the year, the cost to register will start at $100 per attendee. Beginning January 1, 2019, the cost to register will increase to $150 per attendee. On February 1, 2020, the cost will increase to $200 per attendee. Registration will be capped at 60 total participants and will close on March 19, 2020. 

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So, the real question for most is: what does my registration fee go to?

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The focus of this preservation march is to give back to the people whose history we all share. In conjunction with the mindset of walking in the footsteps of just one regiment in Grant's Army of the Tennessee, we find it important to preserve their unique story in our nations history. In keeping with the theme of the Vicksburg Campaign, we have set our sights on two locations that are currently in desperate need of saving. 

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The first is the ghost town of Rodney, Mississippi. While the 42nd O.V.I. played no major role in the Civil War history of the town, it does play an interesting part in the overall campaign. Rodney was a focal point for commerce along the Mississippi River before and during the war. It was Grant's original choice for his army to cross the Mississippi. In response to its strategic importance along the river, the USS Rattler patrolled the sector around Rodney during the Vicksburg Campaign. On September 13, 1863, Confederate cavalry captured Federal troops attending Sunday services at Rodney Presbyterian Church, one of only two original structures still standing. In response, the USS Rattler shelled the city. After the war, the Mississippi River changed course, and the town of Rodney all but disappeared. Now, there is a movement by the Rodney History & Preservation Society to save the Presbyterian Church and Mt. Zion Baptist Church. Their website is included below. 

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https://rodneyhistory.org

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The second focus for our preservation effort will be more focused on the actions of the 42nd O.V.I. On May 1, 1863, the Federals encountered the Confederates outside of Port Gibson along Bayou Pierre. The 42nd O.V.I. was attached to McClernand's XIII Corp, 9th Division, under Brig. Gen. P.J. Osterhaus. Their brigade was ordered to take the road north of the Shaifer House and block the Confederates from attempting to attack the Federals on their flank. This action culminated in a slugfest atop Thompson's Hill. The 42nd O.V.I. would suffer fifty-nine casualties during the engagement, the most the regiment suffered during the campaign leading up to Vicksburg. Our goal, with the assistance of the Port Gibson Heritage Trust, is to preserve a key portion of the very hill that the 42nd O.V.I. charged across. 

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Our preservation goal for this effort is $6,000 to be split evenly between the Rodney Preservation Society and the Port Gibson  Heritage Trust.