The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-03-07

piece of the nag that surrendered Fo.t
Lee. vicksburg. July 4. 1868"
This inscription. written upon a piece OF
damask towel. which was hung out from
Fort Lee, at vicksburg. as fiag of truce,
is now destined to settle the name OF a
fort which has since been In doubt. and
which, for the want OF the real name II
bore, has been marked upon certain plats
OF the yicksburg battlefield merely as
Square Fort" Some time ago General
Rigby, OF Iowa. who is chairman OF the
committee that has charge OF erecting
monuments on the scene or the celebrated
siege showing the defenses where the va
rious regiments were stationed ana the
like, sent plats of the field TO General Nc
GInnis of this city, and asked that points
of interest with which his brigade were
familiar should be marked on the maps.
The general did not remember such
fort as the Square Fort" marked on the
Mats. but he did recall that there was
fort I'm that place. He had recourse TO
w. c. Pnipps, who is now bailin In the
superior court. and Phpps Immediately
recognized the location as that occupied
by Fort Lee.
In proof of this fact he produced the
damask towel brown with age, upon
which was written the inscription on the
day of the surrender, and In connection
with it told the following story OF the IN
cident:
II was member OF Company n,
Eleventh Indiana Volunteers, during tho
| siege of Vicksburg. and our company was
almost Immediately In front OF Fort Lee,
| one of the strongest forts that guarded
| the city | often did picket duty, and on
| such occasions our picket lines and those
| OF the enemy were so close together that
we talked back and forth with each other.
| ',rhcre was an understanding between
| us that there should be no hring AT night
| and we got so chummy with the John-
| MES that we discussed the war the rrob'
| abilities OF the city holding out and Other
things as famllarly as though we hao
| been messmates instead OF enemies VINO
! might fire upon each other the next day
'One night. I remember, there was
| contention between us and the rebels a'
TO how far out picket lines extended, fo'
! when the rebel pickets came out they de
| clared that we were on their lines. and
we. OF course. contended that we wer'
"Finally the officers OF tho day on eacl
aide were called 10 settle the dispute, and
as neither would give way, we marche'
up and down side by side all night.
"On the morning OF the surrender tn
damask towel was hung out from For
Lee. and soon after II appeared A. j. WI
iams. n member OF our mess ran 10 III
fort and took II down. When he returne
xxtih Al we cut the towel which was abou
] three and a half feet long. into pieces ri
bv twelve inches. and they were distrih
utsd among us as fnr as they would ~
wrote the inscription on my piece OF IN
flag OF truce and sent u home TO m
mother, and II has been Kept az sou
ycnir of the surrender eyer since.
There was no fort known merely 2
Square Fort and the nnmc on inc plat
Of General Rigby results possibly fror
the figure Of the fort. which was SQUARE
and has been given 20 " because OF IN
| want OF a better one. i am positive
though. that Fort Lee occupied the sii
? indicated on the plats and that " wa
i, from this fort that the damask towel wa
huns out as flag of truce. -Chicns
y / Record Herald.