Samuel H. Lockett designed the Confederate defenses to make maximum use of the topography. The earthen forts were situated on the highest points and incorporated the steepest slopes to keep attackers at bay. The embankments present unique challenges to the park maintenance crew. Visitor and employee safety is the number one priority. Historic cannon and monumentation are found throughout the battlefield.
Extra care is taken when working around the many historic structures of the park.
With over 800 acres of grass as vegetative cover, it takes the ten-person maintenance crew more than two weeks to mow most major points of interest within the park. This includes trimming around 18,000 headstones in the Vicksburg National Cemetery. The wooded areas consist of lush vegetation, which must be neatly trimmed to ensure safe access to historic park areas. Twenty miles of trenches, approaches and parallels are unique features of the park's historical landscape.