Surrounded by a circle of fire.

[**The following is in relation to living conditions within the besieged city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, during the American Civil War.**] >Civilians took refuge in black-mouthed siege caves that honeycombed the bluffs. The hills were so pockmarked with holes “that the streets look like avenues in a cemetery,” a Vicksburger observed. The caves were stifling and plagued by mosquitoes and snakes. Those who tried to stay in their homes risked being atomized or buried under collapsed walls, as formerly fine residences were battered into slack-roofed ruins. Sidewalks buckled and the sky continually rained a fine mist of stone, plaster, splintered glass, and wood. “We are utterly cut off from the world, surrounded by a circle of fire,” one Vicksburg woman wrote in her diary. “…People do nothing but eat what they can get, sleep when they can, and dodge the shells.” ___________________________ **Source:** Jenkins, Sally, and John Stauffer. “The Swamp and the Citadel.” *The State of Jones: The Small Southern County That Seceded from the Confederacy*. Anchor Books, 2010. 107. Print. ___________________________ **Further Reading:** [Siege of Vicksburg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Vicksburg)