Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-10-01
PUBLISHED ON WALL PAPER.
Daily Citizen Held Its Own During
Siege of vicksburg.

Mississippi state and Arkansas and
Louisiana. Midway between New Or
leans and Memphis, which is situated
just over the northern boundary Of
the state, stands the town Of Vicks-
burg, the scene Of one of the bitterest
struggles in the war between the north
and south, when, in the early summer
Of 1863, it was gallantly defended
against the attacks of the Union army
under the command of General Ulysses
Simpson Grant.
A little town Of some 5000 inhabi-
tants at that time, its strategic i'm
portance was soon realized by the
Confederates, and early in 1861 the
place was strongly fortified. Situated
on high bluffs above the big brown
river, from that side the place was
practically impregnable.
The issues dependent on the capture
Of Vicksburg were far-reaching, for
by its position it controlled the navi-
cation Of the river, and held the key
to the door Of the cotton supply of the
world. the locking up Of which had
such disastrous results, as we in Brit
ain knew only too we'll.
BY the autumn of 1862 Grant,
whose headquarters were at Corinth,
to the northeast Of Vicksburg, had
gained possession Of the whole Of the
Mississippi to this point. Shortly be-
fore that the mouth Of the river had
been opened by the capture Of New
Orleans, and the beginning of the new
year saw the Confederate flag float
ing in splendid isolation" over
Vicksburg.
Early in the spring Of 1853, Grant,
with his brilliant colleague and friend
General Sherman, assisted by Admir-
al Porter in command Of small r1v-
er fleet, made his first assault on
Vicksburg from the opposite or west
ern bank of the river, and was re-
pulsed with heavy loss. Moving south,
Grant and his army crossed the river
to the Vicksburg side, and marching
east, struck a fatal blow at Johnston's
army, stationed at Jackson; then
turning, he slowly but surely beat
back the Confederate forces lying be-
tween him and the river; and by the
18th of May, General Pemberton and
an army Of $1,000 men were shut up
in Vicksburg. The siege lasted until
the 4th of July, when the finest Con-
federate army Of the west surren-
dered, and the Mississippi was OPEN
ed from end to end.
A series Of pen-portraits Of men
who made history during this war are
vividly sketched by Mr.. Winston
Churchill In his brilliant novel. The
Crisis, and the most vivid of them all
is that Of General Grant when in COM
mand Of the Union army before
Vicksburg. Here 1t was that his
strategic abilities were so well demon
strated; and from this point it may
be said that he came to his own, and
won that recognition from headquar-
ters which the people, with a clearer
insight, had accorded to him long be-
fore.
The bombardment Of Vicksburg
was hot and incessant. Harassed
though he was by disease among his
men, Grant gave the enemy little rest.
Often, though, did his friends recog-
nize friends in the opposite camps;
and sometimes, Mr.. Churchill tells us,
little parcels Of food were exchanged
by the besiegers for tobacco, which
would be wrapped in a newspaper
printed on the white side of wall pa
per.
These newspapers were called
wall paper editions and copies Of
them are to be seen in some Of the
museums and libraries in America.
A copy Of the last wall paper edition
of the Vicksburg Daily Citizen Is in
the possession Of the writer, and Is a
very fascinating document. A single
sheet, measuring some two feet in
lengths, and Of the width Of ordinary
wall paper, the white side or back Of
it contains four columns Of closely
printed matter. Though little yell
low now with age, 1t is in good pres
ervation otherwise, and the pattern
of the wallpaper on the other side,
done in white and gold, Is still quite
fresh in appearance. Judging from
the design and quality of the paper,
it had not originally been a cheap
wallpaper.
Though the paper bears the omin-
Gus date I'd July, 1S63-the beginning
Of the end-no trace of what a for
lorn hope it must then have been is
to be found in the reading matter.
On the contrary, one gathers that all
is going well with the southern ar
mics. News Of belated date was
still dribbling in, laudatory account
Of General Lees successful cam
paign in Virginia being prominently
set forth, and a short leader thereon.
Jocular references are made to the
strained resources Of the commissariat
department, and to the untimely end
which had overtaken several tabbies
in the town.
From the following paragraph 1t Is
evident that the rumors of Grant hav-
ing boasted of his intention to dine in
Vicksburg on 4th July had reached
the Vicksburgians:
"'On dit that the great Ulysses
the Yankee generalissimo surnamed
Grant-has expressed his intention Of
dining in Vicksburg on Saturday next
and celebrating the '4th Of July by a
grand dinner, and so forth. When
asked If he would invite General john
ston to join he said, No, for fear
there will be a row at the table
Ulysses must get into the city before
he dimes in it. The way to cook a
rabbit is first to catch the rabbit,
etc."
The allusion to General Johnston
(the same whom Grant put out Of ac-
ton at Jackson) has reference to the
fact that though Johnston had hoped
to come to the rescue of Vicksburg.