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Author Jeff Shaara Donates $2,000 To Friends of Raymond
by Parker Hills

Jeff Shaara, author of Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure, has written a non-fiction book titled, Jeff Shaara’s Civil War Battlefields. His newest book went on sale April 25, and is aimed at introducing the reader to some of our nation’s most hallowed ground.

Shaara donated the $50,000 advance for his book to well-organized historic preservation groups around the nation, with Friends of Raymond (FOR) being among them. Not only did Shaara dedicate chapter five of his book to the Vicksburg Campaign, in which, of course, the Battle of Raymond played a major role, he donated $2,000 to the preservation efforts of FOR.

Shaara has also pledged a sizeable percentage of future royalties from the sale of his book to the cause of battlefield preservation. Shaara’s father was the late Michael Shaara, author of Killer Angels, first published in 1974, upon which the movie Gettysburg was based. Jeff Shaara’s book, Gods and Generals, was also made into a movie of the same name.

Father and son’s works were fiction based upon historical fact, but Shaara’s latest book is non-fiction designed to carry the reader through the history of the Civil War via ten campaigns. Shaara says that, “The key to understanding the war is to first understand the ground on which it was fought. We are extremely fortunate in this country that wonderfully preserved pieces of our hallowed ground are still available to us. This book offers a journey across that ground and a profound reason why readers should do as my father did years ago, take their families to these very special places. There are so many emotional and poignant experiences to be found here.” F

OR has worked hard to preserve, at the grass-roots level, the hallowed ground of the Raymond battlefield. Shaara’s donation will assist in this mission, and FOR is proud to be included in the ranks of organizations that are working to preserve our heritage. Shaara clearly understands the need for historic preservation and appreciates the preservation efforts of groups such as FOR, stating, “This book is aimed at anyone who might wonder why these battlefields and historical sites are important, what happened there, why they should visit, and then, through maps and photographs, to offer my own personal glimpse of what should be seen there. At the same time, I hope to add the awareness of how important this ground is, and why it must be preserved.”

For more information visit Jeff Shaara’s website, www.jeffshaara.com

Reporter Wounded at Battle of Raymond

"A Compact and Vigorous Engagement at Close Quarters"
by Parker Hills

May 12, 1863 – Peering through the dust and smoke of battle, Theodore R. Davis, an artist and newspaper correspondent, was covering the Civil War for Harper’s Weekly when a bullet whistled his way and hit its mark. Years later, Davis wrote, “there is still a reminder of the incident in the form of a scar on my left knee as large as a half-dollar, made by the bullet that killed my horse.”

For weeks prior to receiving his wound at Raymond, Davis accompanied the Union army sketching scenes of Grant’s Vicksburg Campaign. He wrote, “To really see a battle…one must accept the most dangerous situations, for in most cases this can not possibly be avoided.” As for covering a battle, some mistakenly believed that a correspondent was immune to enemy or friendly fire. Davis recalled; “Many persons have said that since my duty was only to see, and not to fight, they should think that I would not be shot at, and so did not incur much danger of being hit.” Davis soon learned differently: “My most peculiar experience of this sort was having a sketch-book shot out of my hand and sent whirling over my shoulder.”

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Grand Gulf–Raymond Designated Mississippi’s First Scenic Byway
by Parker Hills

The journey to create Mississippi’s first scenic byway began when Friends of the Vicksburg Campaign and Historic Trail Inc., in cooperation with Friends of Raymond, finalized the Plan for the Vicksburg Campaign Corridor last summer, and a few months later, in October 2003, initiated the documentation for the Grand Gulf – Raymond Scenic Byway. The byway plan was briefed to the public and the Mississippi Scenic Byway Commission. After negotiating its way through the legislative process, the plan was signed into law by Governor Barbour in April 2004 establishing Mississippi’s first scenic byway.

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