Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-10-21
ISSUES VOLUME OF
HISTORICAL VALUE
Wisconsin History Commission
Publishes Paper on Vicksburg.
Written by the Late VIM. F. Vilas-First
of Series of Essays on the
Civil War.

More than an ordinary significance
and interest attach to the publica-
ton by the Wisconsin history COM
mission of the first of it's series of
original papers bearing directly on
Wisconsin part in the war of the
secession, these publications being
authorized by the state law creating
the commission. An essay by the
late William freeman Villas, of Madi-
son, on "The Vicksburg Campaign"
has been chosen for the initial num-
Der of the series, a position which it
worthily fills. It's publication, fol-
lowing so closely after the death of
Col. Villas, serves to emphasize the
wisdom of the establishment of the
commission if much historical ma
rerial. of value and interest now
valuable is to be preserved.
ga View of the Vicksburg Cam
paigu'' was originally prepared by
Col. Villas as a paper which was
read before the Madison Literary club,
Oct. IA. 1907. IL has the stamp of
authority for Col. Villas was lieu
tenant colonel of the Twenty third
Wisconsin Volunteer infantry, one of
the Wisconsin regiments to participate
il the Vicksburg campaign. and he
had the advantage of having dis
cussed its outcome and far reaching
results with Gen. Grant. His view
of the campaign was therefore from
the inside as we'll as from the general
standpoint and his entire paper is
marked by a rare insight into pur-
poses, methods, conditions and effects
which make it of special value.
THE SPIRIT IN THE NORTH.
He summarizes briefly the progress
of the war prior to Vicksburg, upon
the capture of which he holds that
the final success of the union forces
turned, and calls attention to the
fact that the beginning of the third
year of the war brought no practical
breach in the confederate lines' He
emphasizes the Importance of control
of the Mississippi river and calls at
tention Ic the condition in the nor th
with an accumulated debt of d thou
sand millions ana a tremendous loss
of its best soldieIy. Stress is laid
on the fact that the north was con-
tending at this enormous cost, to
preserve united country. THE ap-
peal, says the writer, was to the
imagination of the northern people,
not their selfishness; to their concep-
tion of benefits To generations to
come, to the world and humanity,
rather than present returns; to per-
petuate the legacy of the revolu-
tionary fathers. It was enough For
the ruling spirit was liberty loving
Anglo saxon, descended of British and
German stock; the godlike ichor
which had run in the brains of
Luther, of Cromwell, of Washington
and his compatriots IL
Conclsely. graphically, and always
with the martial note sounding
through the word painting, the cam
paign at Vicksburg is described, the
military operation as we'll as the i'm
mediate and general results.
And Vicksburg fell, spectacularly.
on the nations birthday, with 81, GOO
prisoners, and 172 cannon. $1,000
small arms and much ammunition
the largest capture of men and
material ever made in war up to that
time. So soon as known, Port Hud-
sons commander gave up that for
tress; a necessary sequence.
THE WARS BACKBONE BROKEN.
And the Mississippi ran unvexed
to the sea; the confederacy was hope
lessly split in twain the backbone of
the rebellion was broken. = IS
The concluding paragraph of the
paper, daring which frequent evidence
Of admiration for both Grant and
Sherman is given is as follows:
''With no extravaganza of speech.
in no spirit of personal Worship, but
as the merest recognition of historic
truth, the people of the United
States, rejoicing in the immensely of
their power, their riches, their
liberties, and happiness, can not fail
to give thanks to that providence who
proffered to their desperate need in
the var that saved the union, their
previously unknown and unpretending
fellow citizen, Ulysses S. Grant. :"
IAN appendix gives briefly the part
which each of seventeen military
organizations from Wisconsin took in
the movement against Vicksburg, ac-
companied by a brief description and