SERIES: Pictorial History of the United States and Territories
SCENES: De Soto Discovering the Mississippi; River Boats Racing; Cotton Plantation; Battle of Vicksburg, 1863.
SIZE: 3" x 5"
DATE: 1892
LITHOGRAPHER: Donaldson Brothers, N.Y.
CONDITION: Very good, I'd say. This card is lightly soiled, with somewhat rough edges and rounded corners. There's a small, sharp crease across the upper left corner and a mild thumb bend in the upper portion of the right edge. There's also a very tiny tear in the bottom margin, near the middle of "MISSISSIPPI".. (Please see scans.)
MULTIPLE ITEM SHIPPING DISCOUNT: I will ship up to 4 cards for the single base shipping charge shown. For purchases of more than 4 cards, the shipping charge will increase by just a small increment for every 4 additional cards.
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REVERSE TEXT: MISSISSIPPI.
DE SOTO was the first European to visit this section of the United States, now known as the State of Mississippi. In 1540 he crossed Florida and Alabama, fighting the Indians and perpetrating great cruelties. In May, 1541, he stood upon the banks of the Mississippi River, in Tunica County, near the Chickasaw Bluffs, above the mouth of the St. Francis River. The mighty river filled De Soto with admiration. In 1673 Marquette and Joliet visited the same region, passing from Quebec up to the Great Lakes, and descending both the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers. Nine years later La Salle followed the same route, taking possession of the country in the name of France. In 1699 an expedition sent out by Louis XIV, headed by Iberville and Bienville, occupied Ship and Cat Islands, and erected a fort at Biloxi. Later they laid out the town of Rosalie, on the site of the city of Natchez, where a settlement was made in 1716. The Indians valiantly contested the settlement by the Whites in that part of the country, they were at war with them periodically until 1832-34, when the Choctaws and Chickasaws departed across the Mississippi River, and soon after a great influx of settlers occupied their deserted fields. Mississippi was one of the first States to declare for Secession, and as early as January, 1861, artillery was planted at Vicksburg so as to command the river. In April, 1863, General Grant crossed the river at Bruinsburg, captured Grand Gulf and Jackson, defeated Pemberton's troops at Champion Hills, and on July 4th, he received the surrender of Vicksburg, and its capture practically ended the war on the Mississippi.
