In late June 1863, William Titus Rigby was the 22-year-old second lieutenant of Company B, 24th Iowa Infantry, when he and his men were sent to Vicksburg to support, in the trenches, the Union’s efforts to capture the city.

As part of his duties, Rigby kept many of the company’s records, including muster lists, pay vouchers, issuance of clothing receipts and ammunition supplies.

Nearly 150 years and at least 2,000 miles later, Rigby’s field desk, complete with its hand-drawn checkerboard writing surface, and many of his official papers have come back to Vicksburg, where they will be catalogued and eventually displayed at the Vicksburg National Military Park.

Park historian Terry Winschel received it Friday with a big smile, immediately digging in to explore the desk’s contents.

“I’m looking forward to going through each and every one of these items to see what they may be,” Winschel said, peering into the foot-locker-like desk and pulling out photographs, a packet of letters in their original envelopes, ledgers and orders. “This is quite a treasure trove.”

The windfall is a prize Winchel has worked years to win for the VNMP — meeting, corresponding with and making the “bold request” that the desk’s owner, Mount Vernon, Iowa, resident Nyla McCall, donate it.

“I’m thrilled,” he said. “I’ve been working on this for almost 20 years.”

Though she previously loaned the desk to the park for its centennial year in 1995, McCall, reached Thursday by phone, said the time was right to make a permanent donation.