Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-01-27
PRODUCES THE FLAG"
Piece of the Damask Towel Hung Out
When Fort Lee Was Taken.

the flag that surrendered Fore Lee,
Vicksburg, July 4, 1863"
This inscription written on piece
of damask towel. which was hung out
from Fort Lee, at Vicksburg, as a
flag of truce. is now destined TO set
tie the name of fort which has since
been in doubt and which for the lack
of the real name 1t bore. has been
marked on certain plats of the Vicks-
| burg battlefield merely as Fort
Square. Some time ago General Rig
by of Iowa, who is chairman of a com.
mittee that has charge of erecting
| monuments on the scene of the cele-
brated seige, showing the defenses
| where the various regiments were
| stationed and the Hike. sent plats of
the field to Gen. McGinnis of this city.
and asked that points of interest,
with which his brigade was familiar.
should be marked on the maps.
The general did not remember any
fort as the Square Fort" marked
on the nlats, but he did recall that
fort had stood in that place. He had
recourse to w. c. Phipps, who is now
bailin in the superior court, and
Phipps Immediately recognized the
location as that occupied as Fort Lee.
In proof Of this fac. he produced
the damask towel, brown with age,
upon which was written the iuscrip-
ton on the day of the surrender, and
in connection with it tolG the follow
ing story of the incident:
Il Vas member of company A,
11th Indiana volunteers, during the
seige 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 enc
my were so close that we talked back
and forth with each other.
There was an understanding be-
tween US that there was to be no fir
ing at night. and we got SO chummy
with the Johnnies that we discussed
the war, the probabilities CT the city
holding out and other things as famil-
iarly as though we had been mess
mates instead of enemies who fright
fire upon each other the next day
"One night l remember there was
contention between US and the reb-
els as to how far our picket lines ex-
tended, for when the rebel pickets
came out they declared that we were
on their lines, and we, or course.
contended that we were not.
Finally the officers of the day on
each side were called to settle the dis
pute, and, as neither would give way.
we marched up and down side by side
all night.
"On the morning of the surrender
the damask towel was hung out from
Fort Lee. and soon after it appeared
A. ]. Williams, a member of our mess,
ran to the fort and took 1t down.
When he returned with the towel, it
| being about three and half feet In
length, we cut it into small
pieces about 6 by 10 inches,
and they were distributed among us
as far as they would go. l wrote
the inscription on my piece of the
| flag of truce and sent 1t home to my
mother, and 1t has been kept as a
souvenir of the surrender ever since.
There was no fort known merely
as Square Fort and the name on the
plats of General Rigby results possi-
bly, from the figure of the fort, which
was square, and has been given to 1t
because of the want of a better name.
l am positive. though, that Fort Lee
occupied the site indicated on the
plats and that 1t was from this
fort that the damask towel was hung
out as a flag Of truce.