[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 3] [Senate] [Pages 3759-3761] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS ______ 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE VICKSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I bring to the attention of the Senate the recent celebration of a special anniversary of one of our finest national treasures and most historic sites--the Vicksburg National Military Park. On February 20, 1999, ceremonies were held at the Vicksburg National Military Park in Vicksburg, Mississippi, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the park. The statues of the first two superintendents of the park, Stephen D. Lee and William T. Rigby, were rededicated with several of their descendants in attendance. This park was the seventh National Park established, and is the site of the campaign and siege of Vicksburg. On February 21, 1899, President William McKinley signed the legislation which created the park. Although originally envisioned to include 4,000 acres, today the park is comprised of over 1,800 acres with 1,324 monuments, markers and tablets. There are twenty-seven state monuments. In July of this year, the Kentucky monument will be dedicated. The U.S.S. Cairo, a Civil War gunboat, which was sunk by Confederate mines just North of Vicksburg on the Yazoo River on December 12, 1862, was raised in 1964 and is displayed at the park as one of the best- preserved Vessels of its type. The park is also the home of Vicksburg National Cemetery, established in 1866. Interred on the grounds are over 18,000 Union soldiers, of which the identities of 12,000 are unknown. Veterans of the Mexican, and Spanish-American Wars, World War I and II, and the Korean conflict also rest in the cemetery. Over the past few years, the Senate has supported funding for the construction of a canopy to protect the U.S.S. Cairo, for the restoration of monuments at the Park which have deteriorated, and for the acquisition of parcels of land that are valuable for the preservation and interpretation of the campaign and siege of Vicksburg. I hope Senators will be mindful of the valuable national assets at the Vicksburg National Military Park as the Senate considers funding for the National Park Service in the coming months. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the remarks delivered by Park Superintendent, William Nichols, and Historian, Terrence Winschel, at the re-dedication of the Lee and Rigby monuments be inserted in the Record. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: [[Page 3760]] Remarks of Terrace J. Winschel on Capt. William T. Rigby On March 1, 1899, William Titus Rigby accepted from Secretary of War Russel Alger his appointment as commissioner of Vicksburg National Military Park. From that day forward for the next thirty years he devoted his boundless energies, indeed his very soul, to making this the finest national park on earth. Will Rigby was industrious, creative, meticulous--a man who loved precision and order. To this date the park reflects those characteristics of the man who served as its resident commissioner from 1899 until his death in 1929. To him this park was to be a fitting monument to the men in blue and gray, Americans all, who struggled here in 1863 in defense of ideals held dear; a monument to his comrades who lived only in memory; and one that would remind generations to come of duty, honor, valor--the building stones of this great Republic. He wanted only the best for this park, the finest quality of stone for monuments, the highest grade of bronze for statuary, and only the foremost American sculptors would do to execute the artwork for which this park is now renowned. In his quest for excellence Rigby secured the talents of artists such as Victor Holm whose Spirit of the Republic figure graces the Missouri Monument; William Couper who cast the Statue of Peace on the Minnesota Monument, Edwin Elwell who captured the indomitable spirit of the American soldier in the flag bearer on the Rhode Island Monument, Charles Mulligan whose trio of women atop the Illinois Monument signifies peace eternal in a nation unite; and Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson, the most prolific of the Vicksburg artists, whose statue of the Common Soldier forms the Massachusetts Monument, the first to be erected in this park. But, to Captain Rigby, there was no finer artist in all the land than Mrs. Kitson's renowned husband, Henry Hudson Kitson. His bronze relief panels on the Iowa Monument, Rigby's home state, are without doubt the most exquisite works of art in this park. Over the years that he served as resident commissioner of this park, William Rigby sought the advice and guidance of Henry Kitson and the two men formed a friendship that was as strong and enduring as the monuments their inspiration worked to create. Together they have made Vicksburg National Military Park, in the words of one Civil War veteran, the ``art park of the world.'' Today, the park boasts of 1,324 monuments, markers, tablets, and plaques which make Vicksburg one of the most highly monumented battlefields in all the world--the fitting tribute to American valor that Rigby desired this park to be. In recognition of his quest for excellence, the man who Rigby considered the epitome of American excellence, Henry Hudson Kitson executed this magnificent bronze likeness of the good captain. On it he inscribed the words ``Portrait of W.T. Rigby by his friend H.H. Kitson.'' In keeping with his quest for excellence, on behalf of my comrades who work for the National Park Service, I pledge that our stewardship of this park, a charge we hold as a sacred trust, will honor the memory of William Rigby, Stephen D. Lee, and the men in blue and gray who on this field forged a nation for all time. ____ Remarks of Terrance J. Winschel on Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Lee On the hot afternoon of May 22, 1863, General Lee watched in awe as Union troops poured out a ravine 400 yards east of here and deployed into line of battle on a ridge opposite his lines. One Confederate soldier who gazed over the parapets of earth and log recorded for posterity that the Federals deployed into line of battle with man touching man, rank pressing rank, and line supporting line. He could see Union officers riding up and down the lines giving encouragement to their men, making sure that all was set for the advance. He watched as the colors were uncased and caught the breeze above the lines, and listened to the sound of cold steel as the enemy affixed their bayonets in final preparation for the charge. To him the sight was grim, irresistible, yet magnificent in the extreme this pageantry of war. But there was little time for admiration as the blue lines swept across the fields. With a mighty cheer the Federals swarmed up the slopes and into the ditches fronting the Vicksburg defenses. Planting several stands of colors atop the Confederate fortifications, a handful of Union troops entered Railroad Redoubt before you--the city's defenses had been pierced. With calm determination, Stephen D. Lee rode to the point of danger. Exhorting his men to stand their ground in the face of overwhelming numbers, he gathered reinforcements in hand and led the counterattack which drove the Federals back and sealed the breach. It was the most sublime moment of his distinguished military career. Thirty-six years later, this grand soldier of the Confederacy was named Chairman of the Vicksburg National Military Park Commission. He had worked tirelessly by example in the post war era to take Yankees and Rebels and make them Americans. Now he would forge from this bloody field of battle an eternal monument commemorating American valor to remind the generations that would follow of the sacrifices made on their behalf by the men in blue and gray. In recognition of Lee's life of service to his nation and the American people, his fellow commissioner William T. Rigby sought to erect and dedicate within the general's lifetime a monument of bronze on the grounds of this battlefield which he made a shrine. Without Lee's knowledge, Rigby solicited contributions making himself the first donation. In May 1908, veterans of the 22d Iowa Infantry, the very unit which pierced the lines at Railroad Redoubt, assembled in Vicksburg for a reunion and invited General Lee to attend. Although his health was broken, Lee came to Vicksburg and praised his former enemies for their courage and bravery exhibited on that bloody day. Captain Rigby took advantage of Lee's visit and asked the general to pose for a photograph on the spot from which he watched the charge. Lee came to this very place, stood erect with the posture of a soldier, and with his head turned slightly to the north, the fire of younger days returned to his eyes for the final time. Four days later, he died in Vicksburg, a place with which his name is synonymous. The photograph taken that day was the basis for this monument which was dedicated on June 11, 1909. It reminds us today of courage, duty, honor, and stands as an enduring symbol of the love and respect that former enemies had for men turned brothers. ____ Remarks of William O. Nichols on Capt. William T. Rigby We are gathered here before the statue of Captain William T. Rigby, the second person to serve as chairman of the Park Commission. In this capacity, Captain Rigby served from 1901 until 1929. . . . Obviously, these were the formative years for the development of this park. It was Captain William Rigby who designed and shaped and molded this park into what we see and what we have here today. Captain Rigby truly was and is the father of this great park. We are delighted to have with us today the granddaughter of Captain Rigby. . . . Isabel Rigby . . . who is 86 years young . . . and who is joining us after just having returned to the United States from a week trip abroad to the Union of South Africa. Park historian Terry Winschel will be next on the program following and he will be followed by Miss Rigby. William Titus Rigby was a native of Red Oak, Iowa. He was only 21 when he enlisted in the Union Army. He was a man of integrity, honesty and decency, and these qualities soon earned him a commission as a second lieutenant. He was later promoted to the rank of captain and it was in that capacity that he served for the balance of the war. After the war, William Rigby returned to his native Iowa and entered Cornell College from which he graduated in 1869. That same year he married Eva Cattron. They enjoyed sixty years of marriage and raised three children: Will, Charlie and Grace. Isabel Rigby who is with us today is the daughter of Charlie. During the time he was in the trenches around Vicksburg in 1863 William Rigby certainly could not have ever imagined that some thirty years later he would return to lead the effort to establish a national military park. In 1895 he was elected secretary of the Vicksburg National Military Park Association and for the next four years he travelled across the nation speaking to veterans' groups, legislators and members of Congress to generate support for the park measure. His efforts and those of General Lee were ultimately successful when the legislation was passed by Congress and signed into law by President William McKinley on February 21, 1899. The park legislation created a three-man commission to oversee the development and management of the park. All three had to be veterans of the Vicksburg campaign, one had to be a Confederate representative and two were to be Union. General Lee of course was the logical choice to be named the Confederate representative. As Illinois had the largest number of troops engaged in the Vicksburg campaign, James Everest from that State was selected as the second commissioner. Despite all his work on behalf of the association to establish the park, partisan politics reared its ugly head and almost resulted in Captain Rigby not being selected as the third commissioner. But--those who had worked with him now raised such a hue and cry that Secretary Alger ultimately capitulated and named him the third commissioner. Captain Rigby was the only one of the three commissioners who actually moved to Vicksburg. He established his residence and a park office here and subsequently became known as the resident commissioner, busying himself with the acquisition of land, the construction of the tour road and bridges, placing tablets and securing the impressive monuments for which this park is rightly noted. He devoted the last thirty years of his life to make Vicksburg National Military Park the finest in the world. More than any other man, our park today is the result of Captain William Rigby's labors. Perhaps the greatest testimony to William Rigby's service can be found in the letter of [[Page 3761]] resignation written to him by General Lee on November 21, 1901. General Lee's letter reads as follows: ``I felt at the time when Colonel Everest and yourself--by your votes--made me your chairman that it was an act of delicate courtesy extended to me by former antagonists. But, now, dear friend: From the very inception of the park movement, you have been the most active and industrious person connected with the enterprise. You have done more work and put more thought on the great enterprise than any other member or person connected with the park. From this fact I have never failed to agree with you in almost every suggestion or act connected with your management, and I really feel from our association and work you are now the most competent member to be the permanent chairman of the commission. I therefore tender to you my resignation as chairman of the commission and request that you assume all the duties of the office as permanent chairman.'' ____ Remarks of William O. Nichols on Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Lee Welcome. I am Park Supt Bill Nichols. We are gathered here this day to pay homage to two gentlemen who played a prominent role in making Vicksburg National Military Park the beautiful and significant site that it is today. In this park's 100 year history, there have been only twelve persons who served as its superintendent. These two gentlemen we honor today were this park's first superintendents (although they didn't have that title, that is in fact what they were). I personally have a feeling of great empathy for these two men: for the responsibilities they bore, for the actions they took, the examples they set for the 10 superintendents who followed them . . . . For what they did during the critical formative years to mold this park into the great memorial it is today. We are here at the monument to General Stephen D. Lee. Stephen Dill Lee was a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point who served his nation faithfully until the outbreak of the Civil War. With the secession of his native South served the confederacy with his customary skill, rising to become the youngest lieutenant general in the Confederate Service. Following the war, he worked tirelessly to unite the people of the Nation, to rebuild the South, and to care for Confederate veterans. His was a life of service to others, but perhaps his most lasting contribution was the establishment and development of this park. The support of Confederate veterans was essential to secure passage of legislation to establish a park at Vicksburg. After all, the loss of Vicksburg was a stunning defeat to the Confederacy. Supporters of the park idea found the ally they needed in the person of General Lee who was highly respected throughout the State and the Nation. In October of 1895 when Union and Confederate veterans banded together to form the Vicksburg National Military Park Association, it was Stephen D. Lee who was the unanimous selection to be its president. He was the instrumental person in this movement which was culminated on February 21st, 1899, when the legislation was signed into law by President William McKinley establishing the park. General Lee was appointed to be the Confederate representative on the three-man commission established to run the park. And Lee was immediately elected as chairman, thus becoming the park's first superintendent. Although General Lee remained in Columbus, he supported the Resident Commissioner William Rigby and thus his influence remains every where to see. In November 1901, the pressures of time became too much for him and he resigned his chairmanship--but he continued on the park commission until his death in 1908. His last act of life was to attend a reunion of union veterans, the very troops who penetrated Lee's lines here at Vicksburg at the Railroad Redoubt. In the Spirit of national unity he praised his former enemies for their bravery and their devotion to duty . . . four days later he died here in Vicksburg and was laid in state in the park office where men in Blue and Gray again gathered to mourn the loss of a great American. We have with us today descendants of General Lee--whom I would like to recognize. They are: great-grandson Hamilton Lee. He has with him his daughter, Avery. Next, another great grandson, Terry Batcheldor and his wife Ginny. Next, there is a great-great-grandson Stephen Lee. And last but certainly not least, great-great-great-grandson David Langstaff, who is accompanied by his three children, Meridith, Chris and Todd. We are delighted that these members of the Stephen D. Lee family are with us today to participate in this ceremony to remember their ancestor who made such a significant contribution to the development of this national park. ____________________