Parker Hills and Bobby DeLaughter watched with pleasure as 10 cannon carriages were loaded onto flatbed trucks at the Vicksburg National Military Park Friday morning. Destined for Raymond, the donated artillery will make the small town’s Civil War battlefield one of the most historically complete in the country.

“It will be the only battlefield in the nation with a one-to-one ratio in the number of cannons used during the battle and on display,” said DeLaughter, president of Friends of Raymond, a group dedicated to preserving the Raymond battlefield.

The 10 carriages are being given to the Friends of Raymond by the Vicksburg park, and will be stored in Raymond while cannon barrels are cast. Once completed, the cannons will be placed in the same positions in which they sat during the day-long battle that took place May 12, 1863.

“This is very important because the cannons really give visitors perspective on where there the troops were on the battlefield,” said Hills, a Friends of Raymond member and former president. “These cannons are going to allow the public to better envision how the battle unfolded.”

Hills said he hopes to have the completed cannons put in place on the battlefield by April 2009. However, the land on which the cannons sat in 1863 is not owned by the Friends of Raymond. Hills said the group is working with the current owner to lease the land, and he’s confident an agreement will be made. When in place, the cannons will sit just off Mississippi 18.

“It will be quite a sight for motorists to pass by and see all these cannons lined up just off the highway,” said DeLaughter, a Circuit Court judge in Hinds County.

The Battle of Raymond was a part of the Union Army’s campaign to capture Vicksburg, which it eventually did on July 4, 1863, following a 47-day siege of the city. About 16,000 men fought in the battle, with the Confederates being outmanned three to one. The Union had 22 cannons, the Confederates three. At day’s end, 100 Rebels and 68 Federals were killed in the fighting, and the Confederates were forced to retreat.

It was not so long ago the Raymond battlefield was considered one of the 10 most endangered battlefields in the country, according to the Civil War Preservation Trust. The Raymond site made the list two years in a row, beginning in 2005, but has since made significant improvements.

In 2006, the first cannons were placed on the battlefield, which were also donated by the Vicksburg park. Also that year, 14 interpretive signs were installed at the battlefield, providing for the first time detailed information about the historic site. In 2007, a three-quarter mile asphalt path was added along interpretive signs, as well as an information kiosk, to complete a walking tour of the battlefield.

The Friends of Raymond was formed in 1998 and consists of about 200 members. The group has secured 65 acres of battlefield and is working to secure another 67. Hills said the group hopes to build and staff a visitors center, as well as acquire 200 additional acres.