The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-09-16
OLD SONGS AND STORIES.
FIRST Peaceful MEETING OF
OLD TIME FOES.
Grants Letter to Gordon--Rancor
Had No Place in the Battlefield
America Leads the World In
ChivaIry SOufherners Charge
With Extended Palms.
Especial to The Herald.l

coming week, old enemies will clasp
hands as the sons of one mother. 1t is
to be a family gathering, for the ma
ton is the host and the veterans are
the guests. These handshaking fetes
among the blue and the gray may now
adays show a lack of soontaneity and
enthusiasm as compared with some
that have taken place in the past.
when the experience was a novel one,
but the carnestness is the same and
the meaning more significant. Frater-
nization is complete; good feeling has
cone to stay; former displays are not
premature.
TurauItuOus Greeting in FOrd's OPP
era Huse.
When the secretary Of the army Of
the Potomac entertained Lee camp of
the Confederate veterans in Baltimore
ten years ago, The enthusiasm was IN
bounded, and yet the participants were
not Of the class that lose their heads
over triAes. Major Martin Maginnis
was the spokesman in blue to welcome
the fellows from across the line. Said
he:
Brothers, Former Foes and now
Friends-I am requested by the presi-
dent Of this society to welcome you,
and right gladly do I do it. You tried
to get out of this union and we went
after you to bring you back, and we
did bring you back, and why should
not everybody be glad of it? Could
the victory of the union be more
strongly emphasized than by your
presence here? Could there be greater
honor to US than that we saved the
1nion Tor ourselves and for you"
The warrior who spoke those words
had earned the right - do so. He was
nor only battle-scarred, but he hap
pened to have been one Of the immortal
forty-seven survivors Of the First Min
nesota, phalanx, who at Gettysburg
came
Back from the jaws of death,
Out from the mouth of hell"
leaving 215 of their number lying upon
a few square yards of blood-red earth
within the Confederate lines. They
had charged as = forlorn hope by order
of Hancock who said: 81 would have
ordered them IN if I had known every
man of them would be killed. 1t had
to be DONE
Lees people were not at loss to match
the sentiments with which the eloquent
major greets them. While the mem
bers Of the camp were filing down the
aisles Of Ford's opera house, the Po-
tomac veterans arose in one vast body
and saluted the line with Yankee
cheers and applause. The camp re-
sponded with a hearty "rebel yell, .
which the Yankees also cheered wildly.
At the campfire following this recep-
ton, the bands played a medly of
union and confederate war songs
Dixie" leading up to Red, White and
Blue" and Maryland. My Maryland
to Marching Through Georgia"
In responding to a toast, Private 30
hanan, Of the Army of Northern Vir-
ginia, said, I'VE have Just listened to
the tunes which stirred US as soldiers
twenty years ago, but they stir me not
today as they did then. Maryland,
My Maryland" was sweet to me twen-
ty years ago, and Dixie thrilled me
with a passion I can never forget. But
there is an older and more familiar
song, God blessed ard dear to all
Americans; one whose notes have new
er failed to bring back every heart to
duty and 70 those paths our fathers
made.
''Tis the star-spangled banner,
Oh, long may it wave
Ger the land of the free
And the home of the brave"
AS soon as the enthusiastic cheers
which greeted these words had sub
sided, the bands struck up the grand
old air. and when the chorus came. the
uproar for q few moments was beyond
control. The whole audience arose and
Joined in, but the boys in gray dis
tanced their hosts in patriotic zeal by
waving their hats and brandishing
their canes through the air in time
with the drums and trumpets.
RaneOr Had no Place on the Battle.
field.
Just as there has been but one Ap-
pomattox, so there could never be a
repetition Of the scene of fraterniza-
zion on that historic field. An linking
u what kind of a reception the boys
IN blue would tender Lees men had
been given in the numerous stealthy
handshakes on the picket line when
rations Of bread, coffee and tobacco
changed hands with infinite satisfac-
ton TO both parties. sworn enemies
though they were. AS soon as the SUR
render was announced, the boys in
blue took the initiative in letting the
men across the line know that per-
sonal animosity had no place in their
hearts. Then the broken ranks rushed
together; there were tears, and a
choking Of words IN husky throats.
spread out their plethoric haversacks
before the famished "Johnnies' It was
an easy thing for Grants well-fed sol
diers 10 share their abundance, but
coming. as it did, like an echo of their
leaders magnanimous proposal to Lee.
that his men should retain their
horses TO do their spring blowing" il
melted the hearts OF the confederates.
and it proved far more than treaties
and conventions that the war was
over. The antagonists of real fighting
blood then and there buried the
Ratchet.
And it is gratifying as well as inter-
esting to remember that long before
these reunions OF the Blue and the
Gray. anterior to Appamattox. even
underneath the passion and the bit
terness Of our civil war, there were
counter currents of kindly feeling
spirit of brotherhood peryading the
opposing camps.
Once Dixie RED. White and
Blue" Bonnie Blue Flag" and 'Star
Spangled Banner" were played by
northern and southern bands alter
nately. while the armies faced each
other along the Rappahannock. After
each side had vindicated its spirit in
sectional airs, the. strains united. cul-
qninating in one grand paean OF
beart-touching melody, the music OF
isF1onne. Sweet Home" The choruses
would be softer than when the boys
In blue and the boys in gray shouted
tl,a ,,ofio1a1 anthem At Ra1tirnore hiIt