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The Commoner.
JUNE 27, 1913
11
Fifty Years After the Gettysburg Battle
A great reunion will take place on
tho field of Gettysburg during the
early days of July. Referring to this
reunion Lieutenant J. A. Watrous,
writing in the Chicago Record
Herald, says:
Lot me again speak of the Gettys
burg anniversary and tho great re
union that is to take place there
July 1, 2, 3 and 4, the days upon
which, fifty years ago, there was
fought tho high-tide battle, second
to no battle ever fought on this con
tinent, in men killed and wounded
and In its importance. Nearly 50,
000 American soldiers were killed or
wounded. Then and there it was
settled that the attempt to establish
a southern confederacy would fail
that the union could not be shat
tered. Fifty years after there will as
semble a few thousands of the nearly
200,000 who met there half a cen
tury ago and hold a joint reunion
the enemies of that day now friends,
all loyal to and proud of tho nation
whose life was assured as a result
of the greatest war of modern times.
The hearts of the soldiers who
were there in the long ago have been
deeply touched by the interest state
governments and tho national gov
ernment have taken and are taking
in the reunion and will continue to
take until its end to make it pleas
ant and profitable to the participants
on their second visit to Gettysburg.
The camp, in which accommodations
will be made for 40,000, will be the
most perfect for a large gathering
of soldiers and ex-soldiers ever seen
in this country. It will bo supplied
with water, kitchens, dining-rooms,
sleeping accommodations, including
a cot for each perspn, hospitals, sur
geons, nurses and three ample,
wholesome meals each day, all free
of cost "to the remnants of tho two
old fighting machines. Nothing in
the way of accommodation and com
fort will be omitted. Pennsylvania
has contributed nearly a quarter of
a million in the preparation; it sup
plies all of the rations for those en
titled to them during the entire stay,
which is evidence that the Keystone
state appreciates what was done for
her state and her people at the battle
of Gettysburg.
Some of the northern states have
appropriated a sufficient fund to pay
the railroad fare from their homeB to
Gettysburg and return of all soldiers
within their respective states who
participated in the battle or be
longed to regiments that were in the
battle. It should not be forgotten
that a great number of soldiers who
were on the way to Gettysburg never
reached there. They were "held up"
in one of the battles on the peninsu
la, under McClellan, in 1862, or they
were wounded at Gainesville, second
Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam,
Fitzhugh Crossing, Fredericksburg
or Chancellorsville. All of these
splendid characters would have been
at Gettysburg if they had not been
"held up" by wounds.
Some of the southern states have
appropriated money to send the con
federates who were in the battle, but
not all of them. Howoever, many of
them will be present. Many are
abundantly able to pay their Tare and
are glad of an opportunity to do so,
but the number of confederates who
can not afford to make the trip, while
strongly desiring to do so, is large.
These will be provided for in every
one of the states that attempted to'
secede. Tho Daughters of the Con
federacy are raising money to send
their fathers to the field that they
helped to place on tho world's map.
Tho Daughters of the Confederacy
have done some things that the
people of the north have criticised.
But the people of the north will be
united in thanking thom for making
it possible for a large number of
worthy old confederates, whoso
worldly wealth would not permit
them to enjoy one of tho greatest
treats of their lives participation in
a reunion unlike any other ever hold
in any portion of tho world.
Tho infantry fighting of tho battlo
of Gettysburg was begun tho fore
noon of July 1, 1863, by troops of
the First Army Corps, then com
manded by Major General John F.
Reynolds, who was killed as tho
battle opened. They were troops be
longing to the first division, com
manded by General James S. Wads
worth, killed at the Wilderness tho
following May. Two brigades of
that division began firing almost at
the same time. Representatives of
both have claimed that they were
first, the Iron Brigade of the West
and Cutler's Brigade made up of
New York and Pennsylvania soldiers.
To use a phrase by the immortal Lin
coln, "It matters little" who first be
gan to fire, but it matters much what
their firing resulted in.
In the Twenty-fourth Michigan
of the Iron Brigade a young printer
soldier, a private, stood and 'shot
from the beginning to the end of the
day's awful work and fell back with
the small remnant of his regiment
that had escaped death, wounding
and the prison. His regiment was
faced and fought for hours by the
Twenty-eighth North Carolina. This
young soldier had varied experiences
after the war. He made and lost a
fortune or two and then made an
other. His love for his old brigade
has led him, on several occasions, to
expend large sums in looking out for
their comfort and happiness. As
soon as they began to talk about a
great reunion at Gettysburg on the
fiftieth anniversary ho started to
plan to make tho most of tho event
for his old brigade comrades. He
has been given permission to erect a
tent in which 1,200 can be comfort
ably accommodated and .where they
can hold their public meetings.
Every survivor of the Iron Brigade
is invited to accept of his hospitality.
He has done still more than to in
vite the comrades who fought with
him on the union side. He has in
vited the officers and men of the
Twenty-eighth North Carolina of tho
confederate army to join him and
them in tho big tent, where all of
their public and semi-public exercise's
will be held, and the Invitation has
been accepted. I submit that that
Gettysburg soldier has done his full
share to make tho coming reunion
memorable in many ways. His
name? The story would be Incom
plete without it, but were I to con
sult him he would prohibit its use.
I have not consulted him. He is
known as Major C. H. McConnell,
for many years one of the pros
perous, public spirited and patriotic
business men of the next to the
greatest city on the continent Chi
cago. Major McConnell Is particularly
anxious that every survivor of his
old brigade Join him at Gettysburg.
His invitation is as cordial as ever
was an invitation.
It should be added that several
officers of the quartermaster's de
partment, United States army, have
for months been busy at Gettysburg
getting everything in readiness for
the coming interesting event. They
will remain on duty there until the
camp is dismantled and the govern
ment's property is cared for.
'How very little next month's
meeting will resemble that of fifty
years ago. Then there was seen two
of the greatest fighting machines
that ever made the earth tremble
with war's weapons. Only a few
I thousand pieces of the long ago fight
ing machines will roapponT, and
thoro will bo no light in them; thoro
will bo no committees among them.
They will take rank with a loyal A
body of mon as tho nation over po
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