The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-23
VETERANS IN PARADE
TEN THOUSAND MEN IN LINE AT
NEW ORLEANS.
CHEERS OF MONSTER CROWDS
ATTEsTED LOVE BORNE THE OLD
CONFEDERATES.

OEeAt Furuue WINS the SlOslhE Event
of the ReuniOn-Wns MARRIED Only
by the Inability of Gen. John ID.
Gordon to Pnrticipate-He Could
Only Observe the Parade as II
Passed-Hov the Parade Was Made
Up-It Continued EO1r HOurs-Ova-
ton for the Veterans.
New Orleans, May 22.-To New Or
leans 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 and hers to
hold. Once more she pressed to her
the crimson field and flung it loose to
the wind that loved it well, the symbol
of the cause for which the heroes
fought and by whose blood 1t was
purged and sanctified.
1t was a revelation in passionate pa
triotism and to the old soldiers of the
South an offering of affection that was
closely akin to worship.
The hour set for the great parade
was 8 o'clock. For an hour previous
to that time, Canal street, upon which
the head of the line of march was
formed, was a tumble that defies Ian
guage. 1t was a chaos. a convulsive
conglomeration of citizens, street cars,
policemen, women, veterans, militia,
wagonse band children and carriages.
The people pushed here and there, they
cheered and waved their flags, they
stood in front of street 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,
and the various divisions which were
stationed in the thoroughfares which
cross St. Charles street were to close
in and form a rear guard for the
marching column.
Then Came "ForVvard.'
At 2:30 it seemed as though nothing
like order could come from that mix
ture on Canal street, but just at 8
o'clock there came from it's eastern
end of the thoroughfare a bugle's shrll
note. 1t was the call of Forward.
march. land as it had been obeyed on
many a bloody battlefield, so was it
answered now. There was surge Of
the ranks, cry of delight from the
throng, q toss of crimson banners, and
then in close set ranks the men of the
South came on.
UP st. Charles street the column
turned, passing under the eyes of Gen.
Gordon, too i'll to take part in the
parade, 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,
and then the way was down Camp
street to Canal, where the parade dis
banded.
1t was day of tropical temperature,
a fact which kept number OF the vet
Grams from the ranks. but it was a
wonderful parade, capably handled and
inspiring to look upon. At the head
of the column came Gen. j. B. Levert
of New Orleans, the chief marshal,
with his numerous staff.
The scarlet uniforms of the Memphis
Bugle Corps were seen ahead of Com
pany A of the Confederate Veterans of
Memphis. whose splendid marching in
duced great applause.
With Beautiful Girls.
Behind Company A came beautiful
ly decorated float, upon which were
seated the sixteen heralds of the re-
IF
ginia, Willie Henry of Louisiana, for
Maryland; Julia Alexander of North
Carolina, M. e. Watrous of South Car
DINA, Elise Vance of Tennessee,
Frances Meldrim of Georgia, Willie
HARRISON of Alabama, Ethel Sylvey of
Mississippi Elliott Todhunter of Mis-
souri,, Elizabeth Fleming of Florida,
Estelle Cartwright of Texas, Bessie
Rogers of Arkansas, Madeline Bridge
ford of Kentucky, Bessie Utz of Louis
lana, Bennetta Coleman of Indian ter
ritory.
The young ladies', all in white present
ed a beautiful picture, surrounded by
the gay decorations of their float, and
no feature of the parade with the one
exception of the old soldiers, brought
forth so much applause.
Following the young ladies we're car
riages in which rode ladies whose hus-
ices to the Confederacy. They were
Mrs. Stonewall jackson, Mrs. z. Kir-
by Smith, Mrs. Brafton Bragg, Mrs.
Thomas ]. Semmes and Mrs. John II.
Reagan. Judge Reagan was in one of
the carriages with two of the ladies'.
After these had rolled away with the
cheers following after, came the pa
rade itself, the veteran soldiers of the
Confederacy.
Generals at Their Head.
In the hearts of the people there was
nothing too good for these men. and
they told their loving message in
cheers that lasted as long as the pa
rade itself These were the men whose
morning was spent in pain and suf-
fering, who stood at noon in a sun
burst of fame and around whom in
their latter years has gathered the
light that knows no evening, the light
Of the glory that will never die.
At the head of the veterans rode
Department of the Army OF Northern
Virginia. and the division OF his de-
partment marched in the following or
der: South Carolina. North Carolina
Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland
Gen. S. d. Lee of the Army of the
Tennessee Department rode with his
STAFF just behind a carriage containing
Mayor CapdeYeille. Gen. A. p. Stewart
and Gen. Joseph Wheeler.
Following Gen. Lee were the divisions
OF his department, louisiana Tennes-
see, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi,
Georgia and Kentucky.
Gen. Cabell OF the trans Mississippi
Department headed the last division