“Through tear-dimmed
eyes, Federal and Confederate veterans of the Civil War stoodlast night with clasped
hands or arms affectionately thrown around once broad but
now stooping shoulders
and watched the sun go down …
“With every passing
minute the sun, dipping lower toward the grove in whose
shelter the
Confederates formed for the historic assault, assumed a ruddier
tinge, until,just as it touched the
horizon, it looked blood-red, as though symbolizing the scenes
of carnage on which it
looked down in the
dreadful days of July 1, 2, and 3 1863.”
The Pittsburg Press,
July 1, 1915
The 1913 Gettysburg reunion was a
Gettysburg Battlefield encampment of American Civil War veterans for
the Battle of Gettysburg's 50th Anniversary. The June 29–July 4
gathering of 53,407 veterans was the largest ever Civil War veteran
reunion, and "never before in the world's history (had) so great
a number of men so advanced in years been assembled under field
conditions.” Fifty years after the battle, many of those in
attendance were in their 70s.
According to the Portsmouth Times,
on June 30, a group of local Civil War veterans of Gettysburg left
the N&W Depot in Portsmouth on a “special” B&O train
headed for this 50th Anniversary commemoration. All travel
expenses were paid by the State of Ohio.
The Battery L, First Ohio Light
Artillery group attending the event included E. H. (Henry) Wishon,
Marion (Frances) Temple, A.T. Holcomb, and Gilbert C. (Clinton) Wood
of Lucasville. And from nearby areas, the roster recorded the
departure of John H. McGhee, James F. Miles, Joseph Hornung, Charles
W. Shaw, Harrison Massie (who had been wounded in the battle on July
3, 1863), and Abraham Doll. In a prior article about the reunion, the
names of Thomas Arnold and Thomas Journey were also recorded as
“planning to attend.”
The article said, “Mr Wishon states
that he will be able to pick out the very spot on which he was
standing when a rebel shell bursted over his head, sending many of
his comrades to their long home. He insists if the woodman's axe has
sparered a certain tree, he will find the one behind which he took
temporary shelter when the bullets were falling around him like hail
stones.”
All honorably discharged veterans in
the Grand Army of the Republic and the United Confederate Veterans
were invited to the reunion, and veterans from 46 of the 48 states
attended. Despite concerns "that there might be unpleasant
differences, at least, between the blue and gray,” the peaceful
reunion was repeatedly marked by events of Union–Confederate
camaraderie.
- Note – A violent event away from the reunion did occur at Hotel Gettysburg where a man named Henry from a prominent Virginia family used a "vile epithet" for President Lincoln and reportedly stabbed 8 people. The Virginia governor subsequently spoke on behalf of the perpetrator, a Philadelphia attorney who was in the area to locate his father that he claimed was a Confederate general. The father, a Confederate Major, posted the bail.
This was a report by John M. Morris,
formerly of Portsmouth in his article titled “Notes of the Trip to
Gettysburg in the Portsmouth Times. August 19, 1913:
“This afternoon, our Governor
Cox made a nice speech at the big tent … In the evening, Governor
Cox said, “Boys. I am in receipt of an invitation to visit the
Confederate Camp … I would like to have you go with me … We
marched over to the Gray Camp, and were very cordially received, and
spent quite a pleasant evening.
“This evening down at the
Village, someone made a disrespecting remark about President
Lincoln, which was immediately taken up, and quite a serious cutting
scrape was the result. I understand it looked like a riot for a
while, but I am told it was all the outcome of too much drink.”
The first veterans actually began
arriving on June 25 and within days the “Great Camp” swelled to
overflowing. Every veteran was provided a cot and bedding in a tent
that would hold eight men. Meals were served from a kitchen at the
end of each company street and varied from fried chicken suppers to
pork roast sandwiches with ice cream for desert.
By the end of the reunion, the army
kitchens had supplied over 688,000 meals to reunion participants.
Invariably the days were hot and the thermometer topped 100 degrees
on July 2. Heat exhaustion and physical fatigue resulted in
hospitalization of several hundred veterans. Over 9,980 patients were
treated by medical personnel for ailments ranging from heat
exhaustion to stomach disorders.
Though President Woodrow Wilson had
made a conscious effort to avoid the event, he was persuaded by an
assistant not to let such an opportunity slip by. Following some last
minute arrangements, Wilson came to Gettysburg to address the
veterans on July 4th.
Virginia-born Woodrow Wilson had become
president in March. He was the first Southerner to be elected to that
office since the end of the Civil War, and his July 4 speech in a
large tent erected on the battlefield drew wild enthusiasm from the
ex-Confederates.
"When the President faced the
audience in the vast canvas enclosure, the rebel yells were given
with a vengeance, almost drowning out the noise produced by the
handclapping and applause from the Union veterans," Pittsburgh
Press reporter James J. Farrell wrote on July 5, 1913.
It is recorded that Wilson was no
friend to African-Americans. Among other measures, he ordered
re-segregation of federal offices and expressed support for the Ku
Klux Klan. Nevertheless, in his Gettysburg speech he emphasized both
the economic power of the re-united United States and "its
world-wide fame as the home of free men."
* Note – Judging from the stories
and photographs that appeared in the Pittsburgh papers, The Press
and the Gazette-Times, blacks had no part in the golden
anniversary commemoration of Gettysburg except in service roles.
Farrell, the Press reporter, reported that veterans appeared
simultaneously amused and uncomfortable when several of the reunion's
African-American cooks set up a mock slave auction. Farrell wrote
that the cooks, having "some idle moments to dispose of ...
entered into the play with the enthusiasm of kids." Farrell
wrote: "A crowd of veterans who gathered laughed, but it could
be seen they were affected by the unusual and startling recollection
of a state of affairs which had helped to materially precipitate the
awful war they are survivors of.”
The conditions at the event were hot
and dusty to say the least. Heat exhaustion and physical fatigue
resulted in hospitalization of several hundred veterans. Over 9,980
patients were treated by medical personnel for ailments ranging from
heat exhaustion to stomach disorders. Remarkably, only nine veterans
passed away during the week-long encampment. One unnamed Southerner
relayed to a reporter …
"I'm jest about as hot as I
was the last time we all charged, but I ain't so scairt. And them
Yankees ain't a-going to get my tobaccy this time the way they did
then, either."
The youngest veteran at the reunion was
61 years old and the oldest "alleged that he was 112 years."
Aged men in hundreds wandered the battlefield and packed into the
Great Tent erected in the field of "Pickett's Charge"
adjacent to the camp, for daily meetings and ceremonies. The veterans
visited battle sites where they or their comrades had been fifty
years before.
The presence of khaki-clad US Army
personnel caused a lot of excitement. The soldiers were there to
guard camp supplies, give demonstrations, and provide services to the
veterans who delighted themselves discussing the modern weapons of
war. One report states: “Many an aged veteran was eager to explain
how much things had changed in fifty years to any soldier who was
handy and army personnel were entertained by old soldiers at every
turn.”
The scheduled events took place as
follows:
July 2
Military Day included an address
recommending a stronger military ("we ought to build two
battleships for every one laid down by Japan"), a reading of the
Gettysburg Address, and a Seminary Ridge review of the VA division by
their governor. At night, an impromptu Union raid on the Confederate
side of the Great Camp resulted in joint parades and camp fires
following the "charge.”
July 3
Civic/Governors' Day had 65 unit
reunions, the Wells statue dedication, and a Webb/Pickett flag
ceremony at the Bloody Angle on the hour of Pickett's Charge. In the
Great Tent from 4:30-6 P.M. was the New York Veterans' Celebration,
which included a speech by Colonel Andrew Cowan in which he again
called for a Gettysburg peace memorial.The fireworks by the Pain
Fireworks Display Company at 9 p.m. included "gigantic set
pieces covering the entire face and crest of Little Round Top.”
July 4
On National Day, the
Pennsylvania State Memorial with 8 statues installed in April was
dedicated, and President Woodrow Wilson arrived at 11 a.m. in a
special train car, traveled through the borough, and entered the
Great Tent through 2 rows of Boy Scouts. Wilson addressed the
audience in the Big Tent about national unity and departed the camp
after the National Anthem that followed (attendees similarly returned
to their quarters). The subsequent Tribute to Our Heroic Dead with "a
silent, solemn, sacred five minutes at 'Attention' by" people
throughout the Gettysburg area, e.g., at the College Hotel and
Seminary Hotel.” The Tribute began with a bugle salute over the
camp while the Gettysburg bells tolled noon in the distance, followed
by the remaining minutes of silence punctuated by periodic artillery
firing from the distance. From 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., 7,147 automobiles
(at least 1 from each state) used the national park roads.
Talk about some serious victuals
consumed during the event (again from a report in The Gettysburg
Times July 5, 1913 edition) ...
“The slaughter of chickens for
the Fourth od July dinner served on the battlefield was alsmost as
great as was the havoc among the Blue and Gray on the field fifty
years ago. Nearly 20,000 were needed to serve the hungry soldiers of
the Civil War and the 900 regulars on duty in the camp … In
addition to a bountiful supply of stewed chicken the old soldiers had
mashed potatoes, corn, ice cream, cake, coffee, bread and butter.”
John M. Morris reported in the
Portsmouth Times ...
“The names of the Boys that
came to Gettysburg in 1913, and who took part in that Battle in 1863,
are as follows:
Right Section – Ben F. Reed,
John Summers, James Miles, John McGhee
Center Section – Marion
(Frances) Temple, John M. Morris
Left Section – Frank Piles,
Harrison “Tip” Massie, Charles Shaw, Henry Wishon, Joseph
Hornung, Billy Gage, Abraham Doll (Some names may be incorrectly
spelled despite the best checking.)”
Morris
also reported about some of the activity of the local group while
they attended ...
“The scenery looked familiar.
Just like looking at an old picture that you have not seen for years.
While we were there, two Confederate Soldiers came over from where
their line was, shook hands with me, and one of them said: 'Were you
in this Battery?' I said I was. “Well,” said he, 'Shake! I
belonged to the Brigade that charged your Battery twice. I'm from
Georgia.'”
“I told him I was glad to meet
him and that I thought that they did some pretty good charging.
“'Yes, and we all though you
did some pretty good shooting,' said he, 'and we tried to give you
your money's worth.'
And they surely did.
“He said, 'This reunion here of
both Armies that were engaged in the fight, is one of the greatest,
grandest things that any Nation on the face of the Globe can boast
of. Here, fifty years ago, we were engaged in one of the greatest
battles of the Civil War. Today we meet as old neighbors and friends,
anxious to let feelings be buried, and nothing but friendship and
brotherly love exist. Oh, my Dear Sir! This is a great Country, and
one worth living for. Goodbye! I am glad I met you.'
“And my Johnnie friend was
gone. After pulling a little cedar bush that grew up on the very spot
our gun stood in that engagement, and Henry Wishon waved the flag
that he brought with him from Portsmouth, Ohio, we turned our faces
toward the Camp. I forgot to mention that the Commission has erected
a very nice little Monument to mark the location of the Battery, with
the following inscription:
“'Had a splendid time, and were
treated as nice as men could be, and as tenderly cared for, as men
could be. Every little detail that would in the least add to our
pleasure and comfort was looked after, and Governor Cox was on the
job all the time, watching the interests of the Boys from Ohio.'”
View from Little Round Top
The Gettysburg Times reported of
the departure of veterans in their July 5, 1913 edition ...
“The departure proved to be
full of interesting incidents. Old soldiers took with them many
mementoes of their stay here. They were allowed to carry home their
plates, cups, knives, forks, and spoons furnished by the War
Department and nearly all took advantage of the opportunity to do
this. Doubtless they will be handed down to coming generations as
valued family possessions.
“Bits of things found on the
battlefield proved to be the mementoes of many. One veteran was seen
taking home a tiny pine tree in a small crock; another had a sprout
from a willow tree which he claimed had saved his life during the
battle; others took along branches or canes, and note has already
been made of the veteran from Iowa who carried home two suitcases
full of ground from the scene of Pickett's Charge.”
One must wonder if this unnamed “tree lover” was Henry Wishon of
Lucasville, Ohio. The local soldiers boarded their train and returned
from what was perhaps the most memorable anniversary of any event in
American history. Many local meetings of Battery L were held after
they got home, each with dwindling numbers of survivors of
Gettysburg. The event remains close to the understanding of our
community, our state, and our nation.
“The greatest parade
in American history has finally come to an end. The Grand Army of the
Republic has marched off to join the shadows and no matter how long
the nation exists there will never be anything quite like it again.
“There was an open
door to the past, and what we could see through that door was
magically haunted. But when the last notes of the bugle hung against
the sky, the door swung shut. It cannot be reopened.”
--Life Magazine, August
20, 1956
Sources
“The Great Gettysburg Reunion of
1913.”
http://www.thomaslegion.net/thegreatgettysburgreunionof1913.html
Brian Resnick. “A Second Gettysburg
Address, 50 Years After the Civil War.” The Atlantic. July
1, 2013.
Beitler, Lewis Eugene (editor and
compiler) (December 31, 1913). Fiftieth Anniversary of the Battle of
Gettysburg: Report of the Pennsylvania Commission (Google Books)
(Report). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Wm. Stanley Bay (state
printer).
Bradley, A. E. (Lieut. Colonel)
(October 24, 1913). Office of Chief Surgeon Report (Google Books).
Report of the Pennsylvania Commission (Report). Medical Corps,
U. S. Army.
Davis,
William C. (1995) [1983]. Gettysburg: The Story Behind the
Scenery (Fifth Printing ed.).
"The
Peace Memorial Bill: Speech of Colonel Andrew Cowan of Louisville."
(Google News Archive). Gettysburg Compiler. April 18, 1914.
"The
Gettysburg Reunion." (Google Books). Report of the Pennsylvania
Commission. March 29, 1913.
"Pathetic Night Scene in
Veterans' Great Reunion"(Google News Archive). The
Pittsburgh Press. July 1, 1913.
Gettysburg National Military Park
Commission. "An Introduction to the Annual Reports of the
Gettysburg National Military Park Commission to the Secretary of
War.” The Gettysburg Commission Reports. Gettysburg, PA: War
Department.
“March on Rebs: Blues Advanced on the
Grays Wednesday Night", "Many Leaving", "Reviewed
Virginians"(Google News Archives). Gettysburg Times.
Times and News Publishing Company. July 3, 1913.
Geore H. Wood. “Will Go to Reunion.
Portsmouth Times. May 31, 1913.
Len Barcousky. “Rebel Yell Echoes
Again Across Gettysburg Fields.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
July 7, 2013.
John M. Morris. “Notes of the Trip to
Gettysburg.” Portsmouth Times. August 19, 1913.
No comments:
Post a Comment