A
V-,
I?
'A
ni
5
5 f
BT WILLIAM THERTON DU PUT.
o
.N THE Fourth of July at Gettys
burg:, the greatest battlefield !n
America. 40,000 surviving veterans
' the Ctvli War, some from the North
and aome from the South, assembeld to
the greatest reunion that the Nation
haa ever known, -will listen to an ad
rea delivered iby President Wilson on
the apot wkero President Unooln made
his greatest speech half a century ago.
Thla celehratlon on the Nation's
birthday -win marlc the climax of a re
union which baa lasted four days. For
that reunion the Nation and .the State
of Pennsylvania, -working- together,
have called from the ends of the world
the men wlio fought at Gettysburg and
with them their fellows who partici
pated In other battles of the great
struggle 50 years ago. Wearers of this-l
blue and of the gray will meet In
friendship as venerable old men where
as youngsters they fought to the death
50 years to a day earlier.
Tt was on July 1, 2. and 3. just half
a century ago, that the Civil War
reacnea nigti M.-aJr mark" with the
desperate charge of Pickett's Brigade
on this very battlefield.' At the point
where that charge stopped, an old stone
fence along a roadside, will be pitched
the tents of the Confederates, who are
thus returning to the scene of their
magnificent heroism of those three ter
rible days In th.e long ago. On the same
field will rest the men they fought for
those three days. Of the representa
tives of both sides of the war there
will be In these tents of friendship 40,
000 men. Never before In the history of
the world did a battlefield become the
scene of such a reunion 'as this.
The Assembling- Hosts.
Tonight dinner will be served to 6000
veterans who have already arrived. To.
morrow the assembled old soldiers are
expected to mount to 10.000. By Tues
day the full quota of guests are ex
pected to be present and the hospitality
vl me rcuerai viovernment and the
State of Pennsylvania will be extended
to' 40,0X10 old men who have lived for
half a century beyond the days of their
valorous deeds at arms.
5 " i
IP .i
?X
5.
f-:
4
I
4
S 7
f ,
Si
A
In preparation for which a . city of
tents has sprung up in the night, as it
were, on the sod that was once
drenched by so much good American
blood. This city ; of tents is located
partly upon the open field across which
Pickett charged on that memorable
third day of the great battle. There
are 280 acres in the field npon which
will be pitched this city of 5000 tents.
The camping ground approaches within
200 yards of the. high-water mark mon
ument. It Is southwest of the town of
Gettysburg, on an open field lying be
tween the rolling- hills that mark the
broken lan scape of this community.
This city of 6000 tents . has been
erected by the War Department of the
federal Government. Major James E.
XNormeiye. on behalf of the Federal
government, has had charge of the
work. Major Normej le is the man
who for two successive years has han
dled the Government's work in the Ohio
and Mississippi Valleys In flood time
and has made a reputation for execu
tive ability. So to him was assigned
the task of buUding this city of tents
which is to survive for ut a week, but
during that time Is to house one of the
most unique gatherings that has ever
Deea called together.
THE STJKTJA.X
HU,UUU Survivors of UWil
icJcnV Wilson Speak
Lincoln Spoke
. A V
ft
an.
In each of these 6000 tents will sleep
eight ' men. The tents, according to
Army regulation, are Intended to house
12 men. Upon this occasion a bit of
added comfort is to be allowed by
placing but eight men -in each tent.
Kvery man in every tent must have
been old enough to bear arms in the
Civil' War 50 years ago. There will,
therefore, be few men In this tempo
r " 'wM.a, - --...,-,.-.- .'
OKEGOJflAN.
c -
War WiU Hear Prca-
Where President
rifhj Years Ago.
r
XT,
6-
',:-t
Sy
1 u2 mini Hist
rary city of 40.000 who Is less than the
prescribed three-score years and ten.
Occasionally there may be found some
youngster of only 67 or 68. but this will
be unusual. Many will be there who
are over 80 and among those present
will be veterans who are crowding close
upon the century mark.
An example or the thoroughness with
which the entertainment of these- ttJ
V
t
4
' . w
V ;-
V
1
erans Is being handled by the War
Department may be shown by the fact
that the bill of fare for every meal to
be served and the estimated number of
men to be fed upon each occasion, was
prepared a month in advance and pro
vision made for living up to that pre
arrangement. Here are, for example,
some typical meals. The first is for
supper tonight and is as follows:
Estimated number of guests, 5000.
Beefsteak, friend onions, sliced toma
toes, fresh bread, . butter, coffee. The
number at this meal being- very un
certain, the menu Is Intended to cover
short order service and aupper will be
served until 8:80 P. M.. so that some
of those apt to be late in arriving may
get something to eat.
The bill of fare for July 4 Is as fol
lows: Breakfast Estimated number of
guests, 40,000 Puffed rice, fried eggs,
fried bacon, ' creamed potatoes, fresh
bread, hard bread, butter, coffee.
Dinner Estimated number of guests,
40,000 Chicken fricasse. peas, corn.
Ice cream, cakes, cigars, fresh bread,
hard bread, butter, coffee, iced tea.
Supper Estimated number of guests,
35,000 Salmon salad, macaroni and
cheese, fresh bread, butter, coffee.
That the veterans may not find it
noceasarr to. reach, Gettysburg at the
1 rvt
tttfRtW
1 73- ,?tt7
"17
1' v -
One. af'tte. 2"&2Ss
4.
last moment possible nor leave as soon
as the reunion is over, it is provided
that ample care shall be taken of all
who arrive as early as today, Sunday,
and that all who care to may linger
for the entire week and be housed and
fed up until next Sunday, a week from
today.
Reunion Programme Elaborate. -
A huge tent, which win seat as many
as 15,000 people, has been erected Im
mediately adjoining the camp and in
this structure will be held the chief
exercises that will mark the days of
the reunion, with the exception of the
military parade and fireworks. Aside
from the great gatherings In which all
participate there may be held reunions
of lesser organizations, and the big
tent will be partitioned off especially
for these.
July 1 is designated as Veterans' day.
Upon that occasion special exercises
will be held under the direction of the
Pennsylvania ' commission, the commander-in-chief
of the Grand Army of
the Republic and the United Confed
erate Veterans. This day will be a
time of love feasts. The men who
fought each other to the death on this
and other battlefields will get together
In. jeace . and, fellowship, and tell the
1. - i
1 V; ' -. .rAi
v
-4
A.
i
j is 1 1
: m
siones of a contact which has become
mellow with time and lost its sting.
July 2 is designated as Military day.
Upon that occasion General Deonard
Wood, chief-of-staff of the Army, will
be in charge of the ceremonies. From '
the regular service of the Army of
today there will be designated special
detachments representing each arm of
the service. Bodies of infantry, of -cavalry,
of artillery, will demonstrate
before this gathering of veterans of
a real war the manner in which the.
Army of today would deport - itself
should an occasion for similar fighting
present.
July 3 is designated as Civic day.
The Governor of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania will have charge of the
programme for the occasion and, co
operating with him, will appear the
Governors of many other states whe
have made pilgrimage to celebrate this
50 th anniversary of the greatest e-f
American battles. Oratory will be un
leashed, and the spirit of patriotisms
which has marked the earlier stages
of the Government's development will
be again fanned into flame. Martial
music will echo throughout all the kills
that reverberated to the death-dealing
cannon of old.
Wilson to Follow LIbcoIb.
But the greatest day of them all will
be the Fourth of July. Upon that oc
casion the President of the United
States. ' Woodrow Wilson, Commander-in-Chief
of the Army end Navy, .will
deliver an oration. He will deliver It
in the same surroundings that called
from. Abraham. Lincoln the greatest
piece of oratory that the Nation ha
known. In the presence of this as
semblage of venerable , fighting men.,
introduced by the Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of the United States,
this man of the South, holding his
present position as the first represen
tative of that section and the party of
the lost cause since the close of t-he
war, will have presented to him an oc
casion worthy of another address as
great as that of Lincoln.
This address will be delivered in the
forenoon. At high noon there is to be
the ceremony of the laying of the corner-stone
of a great peace memorial
that is soon to be erected. The glory
of the occasion will die with a pyro
technic display of fireworks as even
ing draws on. The greatest of re
unions will have been held.
The battlefield of Gettysburg, the
scene of this reunion, is the most
elaborately and accurately marked bat
tle ground in the world, and contains
more monuments and memorials than
all the other battlefields of the Nation
combined. The position of every body
of troops of the Federal Army has been
clearly and distinctly outlined, and the
same action is being taken with the
relation to the position of the Con
federates. The State of Pennsylvania
first developed the battlefield, but in
1895 transferred the 600 acres compos
ing it to the United States. The Fed
eral Government then converted the
battlefield into a National park, and
since that time it has been taken care
of and developed as a National park,
under the direction of the Secretary of
War.
(Copyright, 1913. by W. A. DuPuy.V