The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1889-08-30
THE EX-CONFEDERATES.
SECOND DAY OF THE GREAT
VETERANS REUNION.

Reaching home late last night, owing
to a belated train, we are compelled to
be much brieier in our account of the Sec
ond days proceedings than we had pro-
posed. We will say more about it here
after. At present we omit many interest
ing details.
Yesterday was all that had been antic-
lpatcd. The weather proved to bclavor-
able, after n morning of cloud and shower
over which the sun gained al, occasional
and finally controlling mastery. But
foul or fair, the people of the country
around were determined not to forego
their participation i'll one of the most in
tercsting occasions that ever transpircd
in the county Of Haywood; and from
early dawn until 10 O'Clock, every road
leading into Waynesvllc was throngcd
with vehicles of all descriptions, car
riagcs, buggies, wagons of all kinds III
which whole families found place, faith
crs, mothers, daughters, children, babies;
and the highways presented an almost
unbrOken cavalcade of men on horses
and mules, filling up the beautiful camp
grounds, though not crowding them; for
they were ample, being on a beautiful
grass covered flat on the sparkling waters
of Richland creek, dotted at intervals
with the majestic remains of Il once grand
forest of giant poplarS, buckeyes and
bcechcs. And in the wide intervals the
groups as they arrived disposed them
selves at their convenience in friendly or
ncighbOrhoOd parties, and made their
arrangements for comfort or hospitality.
1t was such a gathering as is rarely
seen for its presentation Of noble popu-
lation, intelligent, decorous, well dressed
and animated by feelings impressed with
the dignity, orrather the solcmnity, ofthis
great gathering; for it was one full
painful memories, aroused by the presence
of the remnant of survivors out of the
hosts that the counties represented sent
forth to battle and who never returned
And a natural feeling of sadness over
shadowCd what would otherwise have
been joyous, perhaps noisy, crowd
The weather itself seemed in sympathy
with the pervading sentiment, which did
not find expression in grief or in tears,
but i'll tender, subdued emotion; and the
misty clouds as they rolled in feccy vol
umes along the sides of the adjacent high
and beautitth~ h~-1rountans, cling ChG1
brightness Of the sun for the while and
dissolving themselves in a sutfusion of
moisture rather than in outpouring OF
rain, an alienation of natures smiles
and tears, were exactly in harmony with
the mood of this large concoursc, swaved
gently to and fro by fluctuations of emo
ton.
The number present was between +, 800 |
and $500; probably the latter number
is nearer the truth. Of course the greater
number were from Haywood. But there
were large numbers from Buncombe, a |
still larger number from Jackson, many
from Swain, Graham and Cherokee, and |
a few from Macon and Madison.
There were a number of the distin-
guished men of the State present. There
was His Excellcncy Daniel G. Fowle,
Governor ofNorth Carolina ;ex-Govcrnor
Thomas ]. Jarvis, late U. S. Minister to
Brazil; Associate Justices of the Supreme
Court of North Carolina Joseph J. Davis,
James L, Shepherd and A. c. Avery; ex-
Members of Congress from the Ninth dis
trict Robert Is. Vance and Thomas ID. |
Johnston; Colonel J.. S. McElroy Major
b. 6. Mcdowell, of Tennessee, and others
we do not recall. Henry W. Grady, who
was expected, failed to appear, much to
the general disappointment.
1t was supposed that about 800 vet
Grams were on the ground Yesterday. The
exact number will be furnished us here
after In the busy movements of the
morning we could not find convenient
access to the record.
Maj. Stringfeld was in general COM
mand, and was cmincntly successful in
carrying out all his his arrangements
with clock like precision. The Richland
Rifles III full numbers and fine movement
gave a military briliancy to the picture,
and a drum corps from Ashcvillc, and a
military band from Newton, gave the
martial animation required as charac-
teristic of the occasion. The stars and
stripes hoatcd over the speakers stand
and in frequent places over the grounds,
from the court house tower in Wayncs-
vile, and from many stores and private
houses i'll the town. 1t may be said here
that every place of business in Waynes-
vile was closed after 10 O'Clock in the
morning, and the whole population went
into camp.
At half past ten precisely, Mr.. Garland
S. Ferguson, from the stand called the
asscmblage to order, and in touching
language reminded the great gathering
around him that the present occasion
was one of more pain than pleasure, be
cause it was more a service for the dead
than of the living. The presence of sur
vivors, happily as many as they were,
only reminded of the far greater number
that had gone beyond the hearing of an
earthly roll call. He said, in speaking of
mans responsibility to God, that it was
the impulse of the soldier when going
into battle to ask God for protection, in