The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-17
GEN. s. }. LIE
 ISSUES ADDRESS Wants Appropriations for Ala bama Monuments WORK OF OTHER STATES It Is Desired to Erect Monuments at Vicksburg National Park-Laree
 Tract of Land Is Pur-
 chased.
WORK OF OTHER STATES

Montgomery, July lb.-lSpeclaL)- In his effort to secure appropriations for Alabama monuments at the Vicks- burg National park, Gen. Stephen D. Lee, in charge of the park, has pre- pared an address which has been sent to the two houses and which it is hoped will result in money being set aside by the solons. The address re- views the work that other states have done and 1t is noted that smart pace has been set for Alabama to follow. The address follows:
 "Office of the Vicksburg National Milf
 tary Park Commission.
 "Vicksburg, Miss, July l. 1907. "The Honorable the Members of the
 Alabama Legislature.
 "Gentlemen-We have the honor to invite your attention to the work of the Vicksburg National Military park by the United States and by states. as follows:
 Fighting Ground.
 "The fgh ting ground during the siege and defense of Vicksburg in 1868, about 12S9 acres. has been purchased. Con- federate, Union and Grant avenues, twelve secondary avenues (connecting Pemberton. Sherman. Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ken lucky, Louisiana, Tennessee Wiscon- sin) and sixteen short circles, (Ala- bama, Arkansas. Illinois Memorial, In diana, Iowa. Logan. Minnesota, Mis- sissippi. Missouri, Navy Navy Memor- ial, New York, sherman, Texas and Wisconsin,. have been laid out and con- structed as earth roads These ave- nues and circles and the public roads in the battlefield make a total of more than thirty miles of park roadway, all of which will be metaled with fine quality of concreting gravel-about fifteen miles had been metaled at the end of June, 1907. Fifteen bridges have been built. and one Is under contract at an aggregate cost of $118,449 The park commemorate the siege and de- fense of Vicksburg (Mfarch 29 to July 1. 1S63), and 156 iron historical tablets tell the story of each brigade. divis- ion and corps of both armies:. 1S4 iron battery tablets mark the position of the guns on the lines of investment and defense and tell the story of each bat tery command engaged in the cam paign, seize and defense; 187 iron tab lets mark the lines of the Union ap- breaches; 14S iron tablets (contracted for and soon to be delivered) will mark the position of each Confederate regis ment on the line of defense; and 215 iron tablets (contracted for and soon to be delivered) will marx the lines of the Union trenches; twenty eight bronze tablets headquarters, histori- cal and mortuaryphave been placed in the park and in the city of Vicksburg; ffty-eight iron guide boards nave been placed and forty have been contracted for and will soon be delivered One hun dred and twenty-seven old cannon of the kind and caliber used in the siege and defense, have been received from the war department and IA have been mounted on field carriages-ftfty-f four on the Confederate and sixty on the Union lines; thirteen will be mounted on seize carriages. A concrete ob- servation tower, ninety-two feet high, Is under construction. The work thus outlined has been done by the national commission, under direction of the sec- retary of war, at the cost to the United States-$775, 900, which has been ap- propriated oy Congress for the work, and additional appropriations will be made until the park is fully estab- lished.