Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-24

ISOLATION was organized, which secured the
necessary action by Congress.
Capt. w. T. Rigby of Iowa was made
chairman of the commission and has been
in personal charge of the work ever since.
1t may be said that ne has made the park.
He Is an authority upon all matters con-
nected with Vicksburg and familiar with
siege. Capt Everest of Chicago Is the
other commissioner.
Gen. Lee is the president Of the associa-
mander-in-chief of the United Confederate
Veterans. was formerly president of the
State Agricultural College, and Is now a
planter. Gen. Lee is graduate OF west
Point. but resigned at the outbreak OF the
war, raised a company of artillery and was
attached to the Hampton Legion.
First Shot at Fort Sumter.
He was on Beauregard's staff at Charles
ton at the time Fort Sumter was fired upon
and was the officer who carried to Major
Anderson the demand for his surrender.
He also carried from Gen. Beauregard to
the officer in charge of the battery the or
der to attack the fort, and stood beside the
gun when the first shot was fired. A Vir-
ginia gentleman named Ruffln. who was
there a guest, has always claimed that
he fired the shot. But Gen. Lee says that
is not true. He recollects distinctly that
after he had delivered Gen. Beauregard's
order to the commander of the battery, the
latter turned to a prominent citizen OF
Charleston. who stood by. and remarked:
you shall have the honor of firing the
first shot at those Yankees!'
The gentleman took the lanyard from the
captains hand, held 1t motionless for a
moment as if paralyzed, and then let 1t
drop from his nerveleSS fingers, murmlir-
ing:
my God, I can't do itr'
The captain gave a quick. sharp order,
the regular gunner seized the lanyard and
the shot was fired.
Gen. Lee served through the various
grades and finally succeeded to the COM
mand of Hoods army, which he surrender
ed to Sherman in North Carolina
There was one Maryland and one Virginia
battery on the confederate side in the siege
The Virginia battery commanded by
Capt. ]. w. Johnson, father of Mary Johnson,
the novelist, and recently president Of the
Georgia Pacific railroad. Capt. Johnson,
having become discouraged because of the
Indifference of the Virginia legislature. is
now raising a subscription for a monument
among the survivors and their friends.
River Batteries.
The river batteries held by the confed-
crates are being restored; guns are mount
ed just as they were In 1863, when Admiral
Porter's fleet ran by, and a similar gun will
be placed on the spot where stood ''Whistl-
ing Dick" which sunk the Union gunboat
Cincinnati Secretary Morton is having the
record of the navy at the siege looked up
and will recommend an appropriation by
Congress for a monument to be erected in
South Fork, the most Southerly of the for
tifications below the city and the most con-
spicuous point on the banks of the Mis-
sissippi near Vicksburg.
Although the park is by no means COM
plete twenty-seven miles of road have been
made; the location of every regiment and
battery has been marked; thirteen siege
guns and 112 field guns have been placed
in the positions they occupied during the
siege, and nearly all of the Notifications
have been restored. II is not a landscape
garden nor is it intended to be a pleasure
park, but 1t is an exact reproduction of one
of the most famous of the worlds battle
fields for the benefit Of students of history
and military science.