The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1895-09-27
BLUE AND GRAY UNITED.
The Dedication of Chickamauga National
Park Most Unique Affair.

The Dedication of Chickamauga National
Park "A Most Unique Affair.
Thirty-two years OF peace and pros
Eerity have passed since Chickamauga
battlefield was made a consecrated
spot To hearts OF all true Americans by
the splitting of the life blood of over
$1,000 heroes, and now the love of a
reunited nation has made of that spot
a national park TO be ever re-
tanned as a memcnto of the fact that
the last vestige of strife and hatred
between the North and the South has
been forever wiped away. The cere-
monies of the dedication of Chicla-
manga park while they were simple
were extremely impressive and MANY
were the tears of joy shed by the griz-
zled veterans of the blue and the gray
as L. ;. infantry band struck up the
"Star Sprangled Tanner, immediately
after the national salute of "A guns
had been fired from Snodgrass hill.
The exercises were held at Snodgrass
hill because its side formed a national
ampitheater and it was here that 81
years ago for a mile the top and side
were SO thickly covered with dead that
one could walk all over it stepping
from one PROSTATE body To another.
Among the distinguished participants
were Vice President Stevenson. Secrc-
tary of the Navy Herbert, Secretary
of the Interior smith. Attorney Gen
eral Harmon, Postmaster General
Wilson, the governors of l3 states and
scores upon scores Of renowned men
who took part in that great struggle.
Fully 5000 people were assembled
when Vice President Stevenson was
int Il l..
speech. After prayer by RI. Rev.
Bishop Gailor, of Tennessee, the vast
gathering sang the national hymn
America" and they sang it as though
they were inspired. The blue turned
to the gray and rs their hands claSped
i'm brotherly grip the tears flowed
down their cheeks as together they
joined their voices i'm that beautiful
anthem.
Gen. John VI. Palmer. the venerable
senator from Illinois, who risked his
life on this battlefield, made the first
dedicatory address. When he came
forward his voice was husky and had
a tremulous sound, but he told the
story of the battle of Chickamauga,
saying the names of but few of the
fallen were known, but the courage
and gallantry of all could be remem-
bercd.
After another patriotic tune the
battle-scarred veteran OF the confeder-
acy, whom Lee called his right arm"
John Il. Gordon, Of Georgia, was in
troduced. lie was greeted with no
less applause than accorded Gen
Palmer, and he spoke with fully as
much enthusiasm and patriotism.
Gen. James Longstrect then spoke
upon patriotism and urged against
foreign entertainments pon American
soil. When he had finished the vast
concourse sang Aud Sang Lyme"
and the exercises closed.
An enormous circus tent once used
by Barnum was used for the reunion
Of the Army of the Tennessee, Union
and Confederate, and il was iammed
for two nights with veterans who
came to hear their old leaders give
patriotic addresses.
The ceremonies of the last, day OF
the battlefield park dedication opened
with u grand civic and military parade.
The visiting cabinet officers, governors
and their stats and the various mill
tary organizations took part IL
brought more people into Chattanooga
than had been there at any one time
since the dedication began. The
formal exercises of the day were held
in the big Barnum tent near the gov
eminent building and were presided
over by Vice President Stevenson.
After music Rev. Dir. :. L. Niccolis, of
st. Louis, offered prayer. The FIRST
address was by Geo. w. Ochs. mayor OF
Chattanooga. Then Senator Bate, OF
Tennessee, delivered an eloquent ora
ton. Next there was music and then
Gen. Chas. Grosvenor. of Ohio; Cows
Morton, of New York; Woodbury., of
Vermont; Matthews. of Indiana, and
Turney. of Tennessee, each made short