The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-14
EFFORTS MADE FOR
 STATUE ID FORNEY Letter Written By Rev. ".
 T. Allen to Governor RIGBY IS HOPEFUL Letters Call Attention to Gen. For ney's Notable Achievements and
 Importance of Having Statue
 in vicksburg Park
RIGBY IS HOPEFUL

Chairman William T. Rlgby or the vioksburg national park commission. in a letter to The Age-Herald. expresses. re newed hope that suitable bust statue of Maj Gen. John H. Forney will be pro- vided for the park by his Alabama ad- uirers.
 Some time ago the movement to raise the necessary fund was begun in Jack sonville, Ala, Genearl Forney's old home, and Rev. w. T. Allen was made chair man of committee for that purpose Mir. Allen has just written the following letter on the subject;
 "Jacksonville, Ala. June Il, 1912. His Excellency, Gov. Emmett A. O'Neal,
 Montgomery, Ala:
 Dear Sir: Permit me as chairman of the Forney monument committee to ad- dress you upon the subject.
 Briefly, l recount the facts.
 Capt w. T. Rigby of the United states army. chairman of the Vicksburg nation al park commission, selected Maj. Gen. John II. Forney as the Alabaam general to be memorialized in that park by d monument. and selected site for same
 His reasons he gave in a letter as fol- lows No general of the two armies Uinion and Confederate) that contended on the battle field is more deserving ot a statue than Maj. Gen. John H. Forney, and earnestly hope that your efforts and the efforts of your friends to that end may be crowned with success. And again he writes to Miss Mary Forney; Your distinguished father, Maj. Gen John II. Forney. commanded the division of the Confederate army under Lieut. Gen. John c. Pemberton, that can fairly be said to have borne the brunt of the assaults and the siege operations of the Union army. The park work will be sad ly incomplete and unfinished until his statue has been placed therein, at the commanding site just in rear of the cen- Ire of the line of his division that has been reserved for it. In this connection desire to call attention to the fact that of the total casualties (3l72) in the hVe commands of General Pembertons army enga ged in the defense -four divisions and Waul's Texas legion, more than one third G12O were in Forney's division. And in a letter to me Captain Righy said; His personal gallantry and the good con duct of his division during the siege or Vicksburg made the selection in the trying days of 1863 and now appeal con vincingly to every lover Of his whole country for recognition and perpetual re- membrance. A fine statue of the general in this national military park is the best possible recognition of the valor of the N'AAAAhAAAhe+NA of the division that can be made
 Approved By the Sons
 Il was appointed chairman of the com mittee at Jacksonville to raise money Tor the purpose As assistant chaplain gen eral of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, l offered a resolution at the convention of the Sons in Birmingham that each member of each camp represented at the convention give % cents to this monu- ment. It was carried unanimously Hon. II. l.. Stevenson, secretary Of the com mittee, and l wrote to about 165 camps. but owing, I suppose, to want of atten- ton on the part of officials, we had hut little response. The following year l re- ported this 10 the convention of Sons at Memphis Sixty-fve camps represents ed there renewed the promise.
 "I wrote to them and met the same fate At the reunion at Mobile l offered a resolution memorializing the governor of Alabama to appoint the committee of apportionment provided for by the Ala bama legislature in section 103g of the civil code, and that 5000 of the $3a000 pro vided for in section l043 be appropriated to the Maj. Gen. John II. Forney mon ument in Vicisburg national park. This was seconded by Dr. Thomas M. Owen, who by the statute is made chairman of the apportionment committe, I believe
 Tn view of the fact that Captain Rig by is very anxious to have either bust or a statue put there in the near future, as expressed in an interview with him by The Age-Herald. I am constrained to ad- dress your excellency upon thes subject and to ask in the name of General For ney's friends in the name of justice and gratitude to a great and patriotic sol. dier and in the name of the great state of Alabama who certainly cannot afford f.. ,tt1 tfr,er haf to her valiant sons who gave their for tunes and their lives to her service for c General Forney eventually died of wounds received in battle) to ask that your ex- cellency now appoint this committee In accordance with the statute and that they apportion some specific amount for the purpose of building this monument The money will not be needed now We do not ask it now. We know that the finances of the state will not justify pay ing it now; but we ask that q specific sum be apportioned or appropriated for this monument by the committee, so that we may know whether to work for statue or bust.
 Family Will Aid
 His family, like most of the old fam flies of the south, were broken up by the war But they have authorized me to say that they will subscribe s500 to the monument now, and hope to make it more before the monument is completed, which will probably be a couple of years at least. have raised in Jacksonville and from his friends an additional siOO.
 Tn conclusion, let me reterate the pur- pose of this letter. It is, first, to get your excellency to appoint the committee in ac- cordance with the statute: second, to get the committee to apportion the amount 1t will set apart for this monument now; but third, 1t does not ask that the money be paid now, but whenever the funds Of the state shall justify it. Craving your pardon for this lengthy letter, which seemed to be demanded in order to full understanding of the situation. and asking your earliest attention to the matter con sistent with the numerous demands upon your time, beg to be your obedent ser want, w. T. ALLAN, Chairman of the Forney Monument
 Committee"
 Bill of Fare at Yicksburg
 As an evidence of the grim humor with which the Confederate forces faced the trying days of the seize, Chairman Rigby e.xto~oo ,t,a foiIourfr0 to Tho Qa- d.