The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1903-05-29
GREAT REUNION CLOSES.
Spirit of the Lost Cause Lived Again
During the Great Parade.

JeuuGu anu SidHuCSl iCuuloh VI
Confederate soldiers held since
the close of the civil war ended with
the veterans parade at New
yOrleans last Friday afternoon
The crowd was estimated at 300,-
600 and there were present perhaps
$4,000 old veterans. Only about
half of the old heroes in gray were
enabled to take their places in the
parade on account of the glaring
sun and heat.
1t was great gathering, and the
entertainment and reception of the
old warriors by the city of New
Orleans was all that could be asked
and at the immense fair ground
sheds where the, army was enter
tanned arrangements had been
made to feed at least twice the
number that. attended.
The correspondent OF the Mem
phis Commercial Appeal thus de-
scrIbes the closing scenes of the
great gathering:
To New Orleans was revealed
this day what no man has seen for
two score years and more. For a
few brief hours she held close to
her heart the incarnate spirit of the
Confederacy, and for her it lived
and breathed again. Always hers
to love, it was to-day hers to have
and hers to hold. Once more she
pressed to her lips the white-starred
cross of blue on the crimson field
and flung it to the winds that loved
it well, the symbol OF the cause for
which the heroes fought, and by
whose blood it was purged and
sanctifed. Again the martial airs
of forty years ago were borne upon
the breeze; again the streets were
trod by men of war; again the
cheers tor the marching host rang
high, and again the echoes returned
the "rebel yell, that Southern ca
dence of the fighting cry of the
fighting Anglo-Saxon race, that
never for thousand years has suf-
tered any save the dead, or an alien
breed, to sleep upon battlefield.
1t was day such as New Orleans
has never seen before, such as she
may never see again. 1t was rev.
elatlon, in passionate patriotism,
and to the old soldier of the South
an offering of affection that was
closely akin to worship.
ANTE-PARADE SCENES.
The hour set for the great parade
was o'clock. For an hour previous
to that time Canal street, upon
which the head of the lines of
march was formed, was a tumble
that defes language. 1t was a
chaos, a convulslve conglomeration
of citizens, street cats, policemen,
women, veterans, militia, wagons,
bands, children and carriages. The
people pushed here and there, and
they cheered and waved their flags;
they stood in front of cars and ran
before horses until the police were
well nigh insane. Through all this
press the various organizations
which were forming on Canal street
were forced to press their way. The
idea of the formation was that the
head of the line should march south
on st. Charles street from Canal,
but various divisions which we're
stationed in the thoroughfares
which cross st. Charles street were
to close in and form a rear guard
forthe marching column. At 2.30
it seemed as though nothing like
order could come from that mixture
on Canal street, but just at 8 o'clock
there came from the eastern end of
the thoroughfare bugle's shrill
note. It was the call of Forward
naxcf!" and as it had been obeyed
many bloody field, so it was
answered now. There was surge
of the ranks, cry of delight from
the throng, a toss of crimson ban
ners, and then in closest ranks the
men of the South came on. Up St.
Charles street the column turned
passing under the eyes of Gen. Cor
don, too i'll to take part in the pa
rade, and marched away to the Lee
monument, around one-half of
which it circled, and passed on
south along St. Charles avenue to
Felicity street, where the counter
march was begun on st. Charles
avenue. The Lee monument was
passed again on the opposite side
4 L.