The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-07-19
PRINTED ON WALL PAPER.
Veteran of Civil War Suggests Reprint
of Queer Vicksburg Paper.

Fifty years ago the writer of this
was a member of Company G., Ninety
seventh Illinois infantry volunteers,
was with General Grants army in the
rear of Vicksburg, and was in the
rifle pits on July 8, near the place
where General Grant met the Con-
federate general, Pemberton, to dis
cuss the conditions upon which Vicks-
| burg and its garrison were to be sur
rendered. The actual surrender oc-
, CURED about 10 o'clock on the morn
ing of July 4. 1853. and soon after the
Confederates had marched out of their
works and stacked their guns, permis-
sion was given to part of the army
to go into the city and this we did,
with our haversacks well filed with
hard bread, which was freely distribu-
!, ted, as long as it lasted, to those
against whom we had been aiming
our bullets for 40 days.
One reason for this unseemly haste
in entering the city was because the di-
vision of the army to which / belong
ed was ordered to join General Sher-
mans command and march against the
Confederate general, Joe E. Johnston's
forces, who were in our immediate
rear and the start was to be made
early on the morning of July ), and
unless we We're permitted to enter the
city on the 4th we might never see
inside the Notifications that we had
In our rambles through the city of
Vicksburg we found a little printing
office, equipped with Franklin hand
power printing press, and on it was
four-coIumn form dated July 2, 1863.
One other and myself in our little
party, had had some experience in
printing offices, before we entered the
army, and as there was a little pile
of wall paper in the corner of the
room that had been wet down" dam
nened so that it would take the ink)
we decided that we would make a few
pennies and at the same time supply
those who wanted it with a souvenir
in the shape of a newspaper published
on wall paper. Some one wrote
short paragraph, dating it July 4, and
while it was being set up the others
got things in readiness so as to in
sert the new paragraph. The ink was
not of the best, but we succeeded in
distributing it on stone. with a hand
roller, from which it was transferred
to the face of the type. 1 did the
press work, and while the result was
not such as would be entitled to first
prize in a contest yet we succeeded in
using up the wall paper, and found
ready sale for the edition of, perhaps.
200 or 300 copies. I sent one copy to
my mother, which is now in my pos
session.
From the time General Grants forces
first invested the city of Vicksburg I'M
til its surrender, there were something
near 10000 Union soldiers who partici-
pated either in its reduction or in de-
Tending our rear from attack by the
forces under command of the Con-
federate general Joe E. Johnston and
on the Confederate side, including the
$1,000 that were surrendered, and those
composing General Johnston's COM
mand, who were engaged in trying to
raise the siege, there were, perhaps,
all told. about 10000, and it has oc-
NAL of that occasion a reproduction
of this paper would be priced, not only
by those who participated in that
struggle. but also by their descendants
and by many others who might wish
to possess a copy as a curiosity, and
that quite a sum might be realized by
its sale.
The author does not wish personally
to profit by this reproduction. but de-
sires that every dollar which can be
realized over and above the actual ex-
penses incurred shall be equally divid-
ed among the needy veterans of the
civil war, one-half to be turned over
to U s. Grant post No. 327, of New
York, to be spent by it in it's chart
table work, and the other half to go
to some Confederate association, to be
spent in like manner.-Correspon
ence of Brooklyn Eagle.
The Prudential Trust company loans
.sA