Original Wallpaper Vicksburg "The Daily Citizen" Newspaper

**firstexas** · 05-30-2012, 06:04 PM

Pards,

Thought you all might like to see this. From my collection a Civil War Confederate Vicksburg "The Daily Citizen" newspaper printed on period wallpaper dated July 2, 1863. I bought it from a museum that went under over 16 years ago. It has been taped several times over the years and is fragile. But it is all together and you can read all the print and stories. 9 1/8 inches in width by 16 7/8 inches in length. Hard times has forced me to try and sell it but I thought I would post pictures here before it goes to someone else's collection.

The Daily Citizen, Vicksburg, Mississippi, J.M. Swords, Proprietor, 2 July 1863

THE LAST CONFEDERATE-PRINTED EDITION OF THE VICKSBURG DAILY CITIZEN

The Union blockade of the Confederacy and Grant's long siege of the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg had made paper unobtainable in Vicksburg and as early as June 16 the enterprising Swords, publisher of Vicksburg's Daily Citizen, had resorted to printing on the blank sides of sheets of wallpaper. (He is also likely to have curtaiiled the print run, to conserve paper.) By July 2nd, after prolonged bombardment, the siege was manifestly nearing its inevitable end. But there is no palpable hint of this in the paper printed by Swords that day, which remains jaunty, spirited and defiantly rebel in its sympathies.

The July 2 Daily Citizen is best known for a famous piece of sarcasm, in a small note at the foot of column 2: "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 Gen. Jo. Johnston to join he said, 'No! for fear there will be a row at the table.' Ulysses must get into the city before he dines in it. The way to cook a rabbit is 'first catch the rabbit,' etc." This passage provoked a famous response from the Union soldiers who finally occupied the town on 4 July after Confederate General Pemberton's surrender. Finding the type for Swords' July 2 issue still locked up in the press, the Federals re-set the bottom 14 lines in the fourth column, adding the following note, dated 4 July: "Two days bring about great changes. The banner of the Union floats over Vicksburg. Gen. Grant has 'caught the rabbit,' and he did bring his dinner with him....This is the last wallpaper edition, and is, excepting this note, from the types as we found them. It will be valuable hereafter as a curiosity."

Enjoy,

Bill.

***Hank Trent*** · 05-30-2012, 10:16 PM

For information, how to tell an original copy of this paper from one of the many reproductions:

http://www.historicpages.com/vickfake.htm

The genuine originals can be distinguished by the following tests.

I. Layout and Text
The paper is a single type page, 9 1/8 inches in width by 16 7/8 inches in length.
Column 1, line 1, title, THE DAILY CITIZEN, or THE DAILY CTIIZEN is printed in capitals of uniform size, not in capitals and lowercase, or capitals and small capitals.
Column 1, line 2, "J.M. Swords,.......Proprietor." Notice the comma (or imperfect dot) and six periods.
Column 1, last line, reads: "them as they would the portals of hell itself."
Column 3, line 1, reads: "Yankee News From All Points."
Column 4, line 1, reads: "tremity of the city. These will be defended."
Column 4, paragraph 3, line 7, the first word is misspelled "Secossion."
Column 4, article 2, line 2, word 4 is misspelled "whisttle."
Column 4, last article before Note, the final word is printed with the quotation mark misplaced, 'dead' instead of dead".
Column 4, Note, line 1, comma following the word "changes" rather than a period.
If your issue deviates from any of these diagnostics, it is not a genuine newspaper.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com