Media Coverage of a Monumental Visit

The Iowa Monument at the battlefield in Vicksburg, Mississippi, was successfully rededicated over Memorial Day weekend. Since I couldn’t be there, I have been searching the web for media coverage of the event, which was attended by hundreds of people, including Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour.

This Reuters article mentions that Branstad wasn’t the first Iowa governor to visit the battlefield, but it fails to note that the original dedication in 1906 was attended by Iowa Gov. Albert Cummins, along with a delegation of Iowans who had fought in the Civil War (and, of course, the Iowa 51st Regimental band that included my great-grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs).

I was glad to see that Dan Finney’s Remembering Vicksburg story in the Des Moines Register did mention Cummins, and this Cedar Rapids Gazette column mentions not only Cummins, but also S.H.M. Byers, a poet and Civil War veteran who has become one of my heroes. 

This photo of Iowa Gov. Albert Cummins and co. was taken at Shiloh in 1906; the Southern tour also included the dedication of monuments at Vicksburg, Andersonville and Chattanooga.

The Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger has a nice story about the event (click here); I also found stories by Radio Iowa and KTVO-TV.

My great-great-grandfather, Jasper Riggs, fought with the 45th Illinois Infantry at Vicksburg, so it would have been meaningful to attend the re-dedication event. Instead, I was in Savannah, where, it turns out, Jasper also was stationed as part of Sherman’s March to the Sea campaign. I didn’t have time to do much Civil War research on our brief visit, since the main purpose was for Louisa to visit the Savannah College of Art and Design, but I have a feeling we’ll be back!