Forrest Gump stopped in Vicksburg Tuesday.

He didn’t sit in a shrimp truck or stop as part of his walk across America. The man behind the movie “Forrest Gump” walked into the Vicksburg National Military Park visitors center, sat down and signed copies of “Vicksburg 1863.”

Winston Groom, who penned the story of Forrest Gump, said he tackled Vicksburg and its role in the Civil War for several reasons. The largest battle he had written about was the Battle of New Orleans early in the Civil War, and the scope of the Vicksburg campaign intrigued him. He also said he wanted to put more emphasis on the people than the blood and guts of battle.

His book relies much on historical records and first-hand accounts from diaries kept by citizens of Vicksburg, the key target for Union forces.

Groom joined other writers for a three-day conference in Vicksburg. The group toured Civil War sites here and in Port Gibson, Raymond and points between. It’s all part of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The first shots were fired at Fort Sumter, S.C., April 12, 1861, and the bloodshed continued for four gruesome years.

Commemorations are planned nationwide and as the calendar moves toward 2012, then 2013, Vicksburg will be in the spotlight. Historians, writers and Civil War buffs certainly will flood the city to learn and relive history.

Called the Gibralter of the Confederacy, Vicksburg’s strategic position on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi, its terrain acting as a natural defense, made it key for the Union. By taking control of the river — the Union had control north of Vicksburg and south of Port Hudson, La. — the Confederacy would be severed.

Gen. Ulysses S. Grant made several unsuccessful attempts to take the city. Grant crossed the river in April 1863, south of Port Gibson, worked his way east to the Jackson area, then to Vicksburg.

Warships blasted the city from the west; Grant’s army shelled Confederate defenses from the east. The siege lasted 47 days, ending with Gen. John C. Pemberton’s surrender July 4, 1863.

Groom’s book is a great first step in learning about Vicksburg and the war. There is a reason he picked this town. There is a reason thousands come here each year. There is a reason those numbers will skyrocket in the next two years.

Vicksburg has a fascinating story to tell. Listen to it. Learn it.

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Sean P. Murphy is web editor. He can be reached at smurphy@vicksburgpost.com