Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, January 27, 1901, Page 17

Tanuary 1001 L 4 & riod of After a long | parley and pre- liminary surveys the real task has now be gun of restor o the Vieksburg hills their martial adornments of batteries and breast works, worn during the city’s investment The commissioners have signed the 104th of . the 111 deeds necessary to convey the 1,231 acres intended for the great national park Surveyors are now laying out the long seni ular roadway marking the inner line of the confederate works, and with its completion the whole reserve will be easily At this time many of the spots where deeds were done are fenced inoand cultd vated, or, on the union side, lie on isolated summits not to be reached by ordinary en ‘ deavor. The confederates, having the first choice, placed their line along a continuous range of hill irrounding Vicksburg in a half circle 1 ome distance of the nin miles an outer parallel range offered a crest for the federal lin n ideal position for opposing foree For the rest, however, the union men planted their guns on such elevations as happened to oceur in the south half of the formation It was the government's purpose to secury & CEMETERY AT the in crests of the hills and whatever locallty the between had witnessed sorties or assaults. To do this the national commission, Lieutenant General Stepken D Lee of Mississippi, William 1 Rigby of Towa and Captain | Everest 1 great ravine Captain ames G of 1linois, were empowered to appraise condemn property whenever ordinary nego- tiations failed The commissioners — are much gratified with the outcome, as no ex LIeme Measures Were necessary Pie sSiege Operantions, When the park is finally comp a mat ter of years, depending upon the liberality of congress, it will possess a unique dis- . tinctive feature not aspired to by the other great Feserve at Gettyshurg, Chicka- mauga, Shiloh and Antietam. The park will give a picture of siege operation wh as took place nowhere else during the war. Richmond was also a beleaguered city, but the investment was at no time complete, while at Vicksburg there was no chance to withdraw Every gun or its like in make and pattern will be restored to its mooring in that bloody half-circle Every cavthwork and roadway will stand again as in N A 1863, It will be the living panorama of one o of the greatest sieges of modern warfare Whether the large squad of men now at work clearing away brush and laying out the inner roadway will continue at their task during the winter depends upon the action of the present congre Assistant Park Engincer G. . Hayden has muade the complete surveys necessary for the manual labor, but will be unable to keep his men at work more than a few weeks longer under the present appropriation The original bill carried with it §65,000 an additional §85,000 being set aside by the last congre ¢ sums were adequate only for the preliminary work While an additional appropriation th winter is virtually assured the commissioners have some uneasine lest the park may he ed over lightly in the hurry of a shert ion The commissioners have heen greatly as in their work by delegations ap- by the legislature of Massachu- Rhode Island, Ohio, Towa and Mis issippl, with a view of locating the posi tions held by their state troop These co- operative commissions have usually con tained one member from each state regiment engaged who are able to put their fingers on the sired spots from a personal knowl edga of the same The Towa commissioners have completed their inspection of the Vicksburg surround ings within the last month. They have been able to locate the positions occupied by the Twenty-cighth Towa infantry regiment the two cavalry regiments and the two bat teries of artillery engaged in the slege Although the Towa commission has not announced its plans its informal preference is for one monument for each of the thirty two regiments engaged located at their re- THE Where Iowa Troops Fought at ) ye 1C ksburg spective pe one more pret memorial, wl Lty ty ha made pe le, to ize the ments of all the lowans in tl | larger 1 will cither be line of Quinby liv 1 of brigade this point is directly « city, where lowa regiments were central fzed-or in the position of Carr's division of Lawler's brigade Spot Rich in Historic Interest Lawler's brigade wa located in a I accesgible spot, but one rich in h ric in terest Over the old east and west track p the “railroad redoubt the ut 1 troog made the only assault of e whict ucceeded in bireaking the lerate lin It is a curiou oincidence t the com mand of Captain Rigby of park com mission was engaged in th v ni while directly opposed to him on the con raty line was the f of Licutenant General Stephen Do Lee of Mississipy who is noy co-operating with him on the same board in the restoration of the site The Massachusctts commissioners have also visited Vicksburg and have ascertained MEMPHIS, Tenn the important, but I consplcuou post tion of their troop Massachusetts had no place in the investment line, as its regi- ments had been assembled elsewhere by Grant to prevent any interruption from the outside They faced away from the city, the line extending from Haynes' blufl on the north to the railroad crossing on the Big Black river on the south I'h territory could not be included in the park, and after consideration the Massachusetts comris gloners decided to erect a single monument in honor of their three infantry regiments in the action, the site to be at Grant's headquarters, five miles northwest of the city. They have §15,000 at their disposal for the purpose In all similar cases to Massachusetts, where there were no troops actually in the investmen line, the commissioners will seek to induce the states to erect their memorials at the commanding general's quarters missioners co-operativ The other states which the com- rely upon most confidently for action are, first of all, Illinols, which led in point of numbers, with fifty two foot, ten horse regiments and fifteen artillery batteries engaged; Ohio, with twenrty-six fcot,” one horse regiment and eleven batteries; four foot Indiana, with twenty two horse regiments and two hat RAILROAD MAY REDOUBT 1863 FROM NORTH OF ILLUSTRAT D BEE. SHIRLEY HOUS NEAR VICKSBURG HOUS ON JACKSON ROAD, Al eries; Missouri, with fifteen foot, three horse regiments and scven batieric and usin, with fitteen foot re on ol regiment ard three batteri b castern ates will also make a showi wlthough 1t was the great norihwe which bore the brunt betore Vick Iy Several of the =tates parmed will have represent atives at the next weeting ot the park com wission in April. The Mississippl board Will certatuly be present at thae time According o the plans ol the park en glneering corps, the north entrance to the park is two miles above Vicksburg, opposite the great trivmphal arch ol the national cemetery, probably the triking and picturesque of bational rescrve I'hie ad companying view, showin crests of Ui hills purchased, opens as one reaches the celetery galte Fhe gorge worthy ol a place among the Colorado canyon The parallel ranges extend inan unbroken e for two aud one-halt mitles westward the inner belt then turning divectly south I'he only interruptions in all the nine il are at Glass' and Stout bayous, showin the ideal position tor defense held by the southern forees. Old shiviey House, All of the historic cpo will be given due prowinence, and the commissioners already have several of the moce nmportant in hand Fhey are now awaiting the War department tormer approval of the is housc, reports its dwelling time staunchne the i tederal house, restoring old Shirley otlicial because better known the made un white color of it was witkin and again tending torces tered solid and s vanced stage I'o reach other such points ol interest as this numerous branches will radiate from the avenue within the confederate works the roads used during the will tored and the total mileage within Hmits will aggregate twenty As a peacetul climax scenes about the hill graves of 16,736 Lake Centennial last I only identitied steep hill crowned I'he tor between a shining mark the ftederal stood directly that it line a the budly con o shat shot of decay wi by now an ad main All be 1o the park six and six-tenths the siege o contentious the overlooking their bodies one upon union soldicrs Mot Vickslt les than small white the remnant of them made and the fourth, were tublets stud the The peak is the Grant from tight around 1,010, I'hie 1de by urg to the Pemberton mocument cued hunter the scend the brought under the eye of the I'he Uit of I reli and uperintenden at of surrender stone s chipped and scarred until it bears the agppearance of having Bou through the siege. From the monument the view extends for miles along the heavily wooded shore of the Mississippi, with Lake Centennlal, a mammoth horseshoe, in th forcground. It is the finest prospect in th valley S0 precipitous is the hillside that of the sixty-five acres in the tract twenty-five have been lost in the terraces. The landscape gardening has been of the best, and the hillsida bear emblance to an heroic am RAITLROAD, SHOWING THE SLOPE U\ KNOW POINT phithes titutes I'he recen Kknown is the promis ment repr bodt N OF iter fo uperi Iy decd com sent Wi uounsly The GE living INE AL marbl o 1 endent 1 Hithert wion, a ploete reointe with 'O FEDERALS AS 1T LOGAN lal act itor of the +ocatalo 0 no throug reed as no 1oy Kkrown dead are f i W S ATTACK I { I te 1 h ' they arrived wrd o for r wl tated o vould f ha whiich hold ul I in « \ I f tion hoeve \ T the The e L seor { cag \ i the old fast R \1 ha the g hiave a | of their fitti | f Vi [ et her | here h vl ven lowa i | W vered all al 1 \ \ il from Paducah, Ky Helena, A Ihet h e New York, Of 1M i with othe ) p B oever tate in th nooKy parsely sot thed territory of rasl venoa plo whih clght gray In the \ 1 TesETVY he 16,000 bodies w buried Hserimi 1 1y they came, 1 here care wa vould be casy, therefore, for any state to 1 i its so1 i, while voposition | me from taking th ve,o b w toany | hotoa t L osueh a movement iperintends Mitchell w i one W the sturdic i most untiving of those who answered Line fir I From the first shot of the war Mro My 1 served n the Bi md Third New Jersey until LOOKING NORTH AND EAST IFROM OLD FORT HILI ViBAL VICKSBURG as follows: Illinols, 879; Ohio, §35; In 1866, when the necd over. He missed diana, 448; lowa, 897, regular army, 201, none of the great Shenandoah valley en Missouri, 202; Kentueky, 71, Michigan, 61, sagements and was wounded at Gettysburg Mississippi Marine brigade, 65; New York, anwd Willlamsbury 19; Minnesota, 39; Tennessee, 40; Virginia For a number of years Mr. Mitchell was 22; Kansus, 16; Pennsylvoaia, 16; New It chiarge of the battleground cemetery at Hampshire, 9; Massachusetts, 8; Louistana, Washington and was transferred to Mem 5; Rhode Island, b; New Jersey, 3; Maine, Phis four years ago. His lodge at the ceme tery i et oin oaorich f o ol oleander, nee Overtooked, CVerEroon 1l English ivy. Hardy roses The great burial place of the rank and file and astors are blooming i protusion about near Memphis, Tenn., has been rather over- the place at Chrisin time I'here ds a looked in the revived anteresc taken by Plumbticld crew of prandchildren, even to Grand Army posts in the national cemetery the bwin to add human interest, buat in reserves There 14,042 fighting men i pite of this lively presence the lodge loses buricd carecly a commissioned officer none of its picturesque charm among them all, the name of only a major 18t ran of Old Days Losing Sting, heading the list, It is, perhaps, on this ac I'he cometery, while still a lonely spot, ccunt that while funds have heen set aside Loag come into more distinetion with the for state moauments at Vickshurg, Chicka- countryside as a point of interest since a mauga and elsewhere no more pretentious coppnon cnemy confronted the north and memorial than the small tablets set by the auth While Memphi till bears no flow government is found at Memphi The re or to the cemetery on Decoration day, serve appears exactly as it was laid out by gipecting its offorts rather to the erection order of congre thirty-three years ago of 4 monument to General Forrest, the city But the shede of no man resting there geels a much more Kindly H,.,,,“‘, in the federal dead Onig i hears now, in the common manner before the Spanish pe 3 war, the contcmptuous reference to the cemetery i a praveyard for nigger mule The term was once applic cause of the presence of the negro vietims of the Fort Pillow n oY The bitter ness of the old days is losing it ting, and now when the lodgekeeper and his “crew' run down the colors at sunset it is to usher out an almost invariable company of guest Little attention has been drawn to the Memphis cemetery and it is not appreciated that only four outrank it in number of dead of all the hty three government re HOTrVes There are more graves at Arling ton, Fredericksburg, Vicksburg and Nash ville, though the difference is not important At Arlington, with its h Ireds of famous Tt Inscribed on plendid memoris there are only 4,249 unknown bodies among the dead, and the headpiecs over 11,911 graves bear the names of the hodies there interred The dead at Memphi gathered as they lay on a score of battlefields along the river, were identificd but one in three Only 5,150 tablets bear the soldiers’ names thove the regimenial number the flat cubes having reference simply to the bat tleground being far in the majority Since the cemetor establishment in IS67 bodies of federal soldiers have been vdmitted and a few taken \ Removals e infrequen however, for the families nd friends concerned feel that “very serv- ot nd distinetion will I puid thelr B etk pd P i lead while the government stand ind that VHICH THE 10WA TROOPS CHARGED they may well rest where thoy be {ntanon company WILL B. WELSHANS.