The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-09-12
IournalN

For over thirty miles the Mississip-
pi river forms the boundary between
the Mississippi state and Arkansas
and Louisiana. Midway between New
Orleans n Memphis. which Is sit
uated just over the northern bound
airy Of the state, stands the town Of
Vicksburg. the scene Of n Of the
bitterst struggles in the war between
north and south. when. in the early
summer Of 1853. 1t was CALAMITY de-
tended against the attacks OF the un-
ion 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 con-
federates. and early In 1851 the place
was strongly fortified. Situated on
high BLUFFS above the big brown riv-
er. from that side the place was prac-
tically impregnable.
The issues dependent on the cap
ture Of vicksburg were far-reaching,
for by Its position 1t controlled the
navigation 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
Britain knew only too well.
BY the autumn Of 1852 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
floating in splendid isolation over
V~icksburg.
Early in the spring Of 1858. Grant.
with his brilliant colleague and friend
General Sherman. assisted by Admiral
Porter in command Of a small river
fleet. made his first assault on Vicks-
burg from the opposite or western
bank of the river. and was repulsed
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 mi the river; and by the
18th OF May General Pemberton and
an army Of $4,000 men were shut up
in Vfcksburg. The siege lasted until
the Fourth Of July. when the finest
confederate army Of h west surren-
dered. and the Mississippi was open
ed from end to end.
eSAASS vi pohepOIS VI lleIl
who made history during this war are
wildly sketched by Winston Church.
ill in his brilliant novel. The Crisis.
and the most vivid Of them all is that
Of General Grant waen IN command
of the union army before Vicksburg.
Here 1t was that his strategic abilities
were SO we'll demonstrated; and from
this point it may be said that he
came to his own. and won that rec
|ognition from headquarters which
the people. with a clearer Insight, had
accorded to him Ions before.
The bombardment Of vicksburg
was hot and incessant. Harassed
though he was by disease amongst
his men. Grant gave the enemy little
rest. Often. though. did his friends
recognize friends in the opposite
camps: and sometimes, Mr.. Church.
i'll tells us. little parcels of food were
exchanged by the besiegers for to-
bacco. which would be wrapped in
newspaper printed or h white side
OF wallpaper.
These newspapers were called
wallpaper editions" and copies Of
them are to be seen in some of the
museums and libraries in America. A
copy Of the last wallpaper 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