Vicksburg Castle CDV One of the most unique homes in Vicksburg – The Castle, circa 1863. Note the Union soldiers camped on the lawn. Constructed in the early 1850’s by Thomas Robbins, the Castle was one of the most interesting homes in Vicksburg. Built like a real castle, the home boasted a moat and was surrounded by an Osage Orange Hedge. In 1859 the home was sold to Armistead Burwell, an outspoken Unionist. Burwell was an outcast in Vicksburg because of his views and once wrote a friend, "I dare not go any place in the interior (would be hung or imprisoned if I did). Despite his allegiance to the United States, after the siege the Federals destroyed Burwell’s home and built an artillery battery on the site, known appropriately enough as the Castle Battery. No back mark but in period ink on the back is "Private residence near Huntsville Ala. A good example of how sometimes period identities are wrong.