>> THE CIVIL WAR,
THE SIEGE OF VICKSBURG,
AND WALLPAPER?
MARK, TELL ME WHAT
WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE TODAY.
>> WE'RE LOOKING AT A NEWSPAPER
FROM VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI,
PRINTED IN 1863 IN THE HEAT
OF THE BATTLE
AROUND VICKSBURG.
IT'S CALLED "THE DAILY CITIZEN."
THE EDITOR'S NAME IS SWORDS,
AND HE HAS JUST PUT
INTO THE TYPE BED FOR PRINTING,
WHICH IS FULL
OF SOME INFORMATION,
BUT LARGELY IT'S
FULL OF TAUNTS
AND ATTACKS ON GENERAL GRANT,
WHO HAS SURROUNDED VICKSBURG
AT THIS POINT.
>> AND JUST TO GIVE
A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT,
VICKSBURG, CONFEDERATE CITY,
WAS UNDER SIEGE BY THE UNION,
AND SUPPLIES WERE RUNNING LOW.
THEY WERE OUT OF FOOD.
THEY WERE OUT
OF ALL KINDS OF SUPPLIES.
IS THAT CORRECT?
>> THAT'S CORRECT.
SUPPLIES ARE SCARCE.
CERTAINLY OF GREAT SCARCITY
IS NEWSPRINT.
SO NOT UNTYPICAL
OF THE PERIOD,
THIS NEWSPAPER IS PRINTED
ON WALLPAPER.
>> THAT'S TOTALLY AMAZING.
THEY PRINTED THEIR NEWSPAPER
ON THE BACK SIDE OF WALLPAPER.
>> THAT'S CORRECT.
IT'S REFERRED TO AS
THE WALLPAPER EDITION
OF "THE DAILY CITIZEN."
>> THERE'S SOMETHING
VERY INTERESTING
AND VERY MODERN ABOUT THE FACT
THAT PROPAGANDA,
OR WHAT WE WOULD NOW CALL SPIN,
WAS CONSIDERED SO IMPORTANT
AT THE TIME
THAT THEY DIDN'T
EVEN HAVE NEWSPRINT,
BUT THEY FOUND A WAY
TO PUT THIS OUT.
>> WELL, IT'S MORALE BOOSTING,
BUT IT'S ALSO,
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE,
IMPORTANT BECAUSE
THIS IS THE WAY IN WHICH
YOU ANNOUNCE
THE CONFEDERATE DEAD,
THE REPORTS OF THE BATTLES
ELSEWHERE IN THE NATION
AS THE WAR IS GOING ON.
SO NEWS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
TO BOTH THE NORTH
AND THE SOUTH.
WHAT I LOVE
ABOUT THIS PIECE IS,
IN THE MIDST
OF THIS EXTRAORDINARY MOMENT,
THESE YOUNG MEN--
LARGELY AT THIS POINT
IN THE UNION ARMY
WHO FINALLY DO BREAK THROUGH--
THEIR CHOICE IS TO, IN FACT,
BREAK INTO
"THE DAILY CITIZEN"
NEWSPAPER OFFICE,
WHERE THEY FIND THE TYPE SET
FOR THE JULY 2ND EDITION.
AND THEIR CHOICE
IS TO PRINT THAT EDITION
WITH ONE SMALL CHANGE.
IN THE BOTTOM CORNER,
IT ANNOUNCES THAT TWO DAYS BRING
ABOUT A GREAT DEAL OF CHANGE.
>> CAN I HOLD IT?
>> SURE, JUST,
YOU WANT TO HOLD IT
WITH A LITTLE BIT OF ATTENTION.
>> ABSOLUTELY, LIKE THAT.
AND AS YOU SAY, THE UNION FORCES
TOOK OVER VICKSBURG
AND PRINTED THE NEWSPAPER
COMPLETE AS THEY FOUND IT
WITH THE EXCEPTION
OF ONE PARAGRAPH.
IS THAT CORRECT?
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> "TWO DAYS BRING
ABOUT GREAT CHANGES.
"THE BANNER OF THE UNION
FLOATS OVER VICKSBURG.
"GENERAL GRANT
HAS CAUGHT THE RABBIT.
"HE HAS DINED IN VICKSBURG,
AND HE DID BRING HIS DINNER
WITH HIM."
>> AND THAT THEY URGE
THE SOUTHERNERS TO A DIET
OF MULE MEAT
AND FRICASSEED KITTEN.
>> AND THEY JUST LEFT
THE REST OF THE PAPER
AND PRINTED IT
AS THEY FOUND IT.
>> AND PRINTED IT UP.
THEY EVEN REFER TO
IN THIS LAST PARAGRAPH
THAT THIS PAPER
WILL BE IMPORTANT HEREAFTER
ONLY AS A SOUVENIR,
AS A WALLPAPER KEEPSAKE.
>> THERE'S A FASCINATING SENSE
OF TIME TRAVEL
THAT THEY ACTUALLY THOUGHT
TO PRINT:
"THIS WILL BE VALUABLE HEREAFTER
AS A CURIOSITY."
AND INDEED, HERE WE ARE,
AND WE'RE LOOKING AT IT
AS A CURIOSITY.
>> EXACTLY.
>> THEY GOT IT JUST RIGHT.
I'M MARK DIMUNATION,
CHIEF OF THE RARE BOOK AND
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DIVISION
HERE AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.