Vicksburg Peace Jubilee
The Vicksburg Peace Jubilee was a long time in the making. Organizers started planning the event as early as 1913, with “Vicksburg in 1915” being the slogan of 30,000 veterans throughout the United States. The celebration would not only mark the 52nd anniversary of Vicksburg’s surrender, but also commemorate the semi-centennial of the end of the Civil War. Surprisingly, the idea for the jubilee originated in Chicago, and the National Association of Vicksburg Veterans, a group consisting of Union and Confederate soldiers, was organized at that time.
The August 10, 1914, issue of The Vicksburg Post reported that October 6-9, 1915, had been selected as the dates for the jubilee, which would be hosted by the National Association of Vicksburg Veterans with the assistance of the United Confederate Veterans. A bill had been introduced in Congress to provide for a $150,000 federal contribution, contingent on the same amount being raised by the state of Mississippi. Seemingly everything was in place to proceed with plans for organizing the event.
Unexpected Delay
Unfortunately, things don’t always go as expected. In April 1915, it was announced that the jubilee wouldn’t take place until October 1917. The United States had become embroiled in the First World War, and the government decided it would be imprudent to allocate money for the jubilee. The committee responsible for organizing the celebration wisely decided that without government funds, it would be impossible to stage the event in 1915.
Planning started again in 1916, and on September 7, Congress announced it had finally authorized the $150,000 appropriation for the event now called the National Memorial Reunion and Peace Jubilee. As described in the July 27, 1917, Vicksburg Evening Post, the funds were to be used for
“preparing a suitable camp supplied with sanitary water, drainage, tents and bedding, the necessary garrison equipage, medical attendance, and wholesome food, properly prepared, for the comfort and sustenance of such honorably discharged Civil War Veterans, regardless of army or department in which they served.”
inexpensive mementos of the Federal & Confederate Peace Jubilee.
(Photo: David Schenkman)
State Assistance
The Vicksburg National Military Park was selected as the location, and October 16-19, 1917, was chosen for the dates. It was anticipated that between 10,000 and 15,000 Union and Confederate veterans would be in attendance.
The state of Illinois passed an act appropriating $40,000 for its citizens who were veterans that had served in the Vicksburg campaign and desired to attend the jubilee. The funds covered the cost of transportation and miscellaneous expenses. Several other states enacted similar measures to assist their veterans. For example, Wisconsin paid the transportation costs for about 400 veterans.
Military Reunion
The veterans started pouring into Vicksburg on October 16, keeping the volunteers at the bureau of information busy. Each attendee was registered, given an identification card bearing his name, assigned a tent and cot number, and given information regarding the mess hours and schedule of events. It was estimated that 10,000 veterans registered for the jubilee, plus an additional 10,000 visitors and an unknown number of veterans who didn’t register.
The schedule of events was typical for a military reunion. It consisted of several speeches and parades, including one through the city of Vicksburg, and battlefield tours. The 156th Infantry band performed numerous times, and especially popular with the veterans was a well-known Mississippi orchestra of African American musicians called Big Six. For many veterans, the biggest attraction was the chance to visit with other veterans to reminisce and swap stories.
that is suspended from a stickpin in the shape of an eagle.
(Photos: David Schenkman)
Young Helpers
About 200 Boy Scouts were recruited to assist with the jubilee. They set up a camp on the reunion grounds and delivered messages, carried veterans’ baggage, and gave directions when needed, among other tasks. The October 19 Vicksburg Post reported the following interesting incident:
Out in the veterans’ camp the other day one of the old northern soldiers who happened to have only one arm, asked a boy scout to please help him wash and dry his hand, which had become begrimed. When the labor had been done in kindly fashion, the veteran said: “Sonny, I want to pay you for this.”
“Not a durn cent,” the Boy Scout replied haughtily. “I want to do anything I can for you folks, but I don’t want any pay. My people are all southerners and they used to fight you soldiers, but that’s all over now.”
“Well would you accept a little souvenir? Would you take my state badge I am wearing and present it to your mother with my compliments and tell her she has a perfect little gentleman for a son.” The Boy Scout blushed—we don’t know whether that was according to rules and regulations or not—and stated that he would be glad to get the badge.
The Boy Scouts set up a camp on the reunion grounds and delivered messages, carried veterans’ baggage, and gave directions.
Souvenirs for Sale
During the jubilee, many vendors were on hand to sell souvenirs. Inexpensive badges and medals were very popular, and this was especially true of those that could be worn on an attendee’s uniform. One of the pieces illustrated herein is a uniface medal in the shape of a canteen, with an eagle in the center. Above it, the legend reads FEDERAL & CONFEDERATE/PEACE/JUBILEE, while VICKSBURG, OCT. 1917 is around the bottom. It is suspended from a pinback bar with SOUVENIR across it. The medal is 33mm, and its overall length is 57mm.
The other piece, which is also in the shape of a canteen,has FEDERAL/AND/CONFEDERATE/PEACE/JUBILEE/VICKSBURG/ OCT. 1917 on its obverse. The entire Lord’s Prayer, for obvious reasons in very tiny print since the medal is only 19mm, is on the reverse. It is suspended from a stickpin in the shape of an eagle. Both pieces are gilt brass, and although neither has a maker’s name, they were likely produced by the Schwaab Stamp & Seal Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a firm that manufactured countless medallic souvenirs for military reunions, peace jubilees, and other celebrations.
Overwhelming Success
Most of the veterans departed on the 19th, and by the following day only a few hundred remained in the camp. Newspapers in many cities published articles from local veterans, giving glowing reports of the hospitality and courtesy shown them. By all accounts, the jubilee was an overwhelming success.
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A version of this article appears in the January 2025 issue of The Numismatist (money.org).