The Washington times., 1909-05-19
VETERANS GREET
PRESIDENT TAFT
NEAR PETERSBURG"
Chief Executive LaudS
Valor of Union and Con-
federate Soldiers.
SHAFT is DEDICATED
TO PENNSYLVANIANS
Monument Turned Over to Vir-
ginia's Chief Executive by
Gcoernor Stuart.
By JAMES HAY, j..

by JAMES nA1, j..
PETERSBURG. Va. May le.-'eThe
contending forces of now half a century
ago have given place to a new North
and q new South. and 10 more endur-
ing Union in whose responsibilities and
whose glorious destiny we equally and
gratefully share
This. the concluding sentence of one
of the most significant speeches ever
made on Southern soil by a Republican
President, sums up the message William
Howard Taft brought today to the vet
Grams of the Conf sderacy and the Union
assembled a. Fort Malone for the un-
yelling of the granite monument TO the
Pennsylvania volunteers killed in the
battles of Petersburg.
The Presidents mess age was brought
to the Confederates, the Federals, men
and women Of the North and the South.
the older generation who saw and en-
dured the shock of battle and the
younger, who are reaping the p-ofits OF
the greatest struggle in military his
tory.
Punetuated With Applause.
The scene IN which the President
voiced his confidence OF the healing of
all differences between the North and
the South was extraordinary. Again
and again his sentences were .punctuated
with the roar of applause that came
from hearts sincerely with the speaker.
Veterans and their children. women of
Pennsylvania and the women of the
South, were one in their acclaim of a
speech which went beyond politics and
dealt alone with patriotism
! The audience 70 which he spoke was
onss he most distinguished ever as
sembled in any part OF this country In
1t were the governor Of Virginia. the
governor Of Pennsylvania, the F'reneh
ambassador. the mayors OF Richmond
and Petersburg, memo oers Of the House
\ OF Representatives, the veterans of
both sides of the conflict and their de-
! scendants. Men who fought in the
\ Union army came as far from Dem
yer to be present at the ceremonies.
Sixty Feet of Granite.
/ The monument, towering sixty feet
and Of granite. stands between Fort
! Steadman and Fort Malone, the forti-
( fications the two armies pushed up
/ to within 100 yards Of each other. The
I grassy meadow around the monument.
/ the hillsides. with their background of
/ forests. and the roads leading TO the
4 forts were thronged with more than
25. 600 people.
Around the speakers platform the
] Presidents special guard, 100 Of the
/ leading business and professional men
/ of the State. sat on their horses and
made the most picturesque part of the
] scene Fifty of them wore the regula-
I tion red coat and white trousers of
/ the traditional fox hunters. and fifty
wore black coats with white trousers
and black leggins.
On each side of them were the sur
vivors OF those Pennsylvania regi-
ments who survived the enhlade of the
! Southern shot and the gray-coated
! Southerners who fought so we'll against
| the besieging army from the North.
A Cosmopolitan Gathering.
! Directly back Of the stand, on a grad
ually descending slope more than 5000
women. from North and South, made
( the picture beautiful.
Throughout the Presidents speech
! there was constant acclaim and recog-
milton Of his fervent message OF good
will between the North and the South.
| Other Presidents have told the same
/ message, but none ever told it to a more
/ appreciative audience. Others have
spoken Of old wounds healed but none
/ ever phrased it as felicitously as did
| Mr. Taft
With head uncovered, standing I'm the
/ Nav sunshine at the very foot of the
statue, this big. earnest man carried his
i hearers with him in wild bursts 0f en-
/ thusiastic applause that echoed from
/ the hillsides and rose again in the rous-
i!ng repetitions of the crowd.
Welcomed To Virginia.
| The President, Ambassador and Nine.
Jusserand, and the others or his party,
] arrived in Petersburg at 9:15 O'Clock.
A crowd Of 1890 persons greeted him.
I Only a brief stop was made at the stR-
tion. the Presidents car being taken
/ almost Immediately to Fort Steadman,
/ where the survivors of the Third Dt-
vision of the Ninth army Corps, Army
OF the Potomac unveiled a large bronze
tablet in memory of the Pennsylvanians
who fell there on March %. 1860 The
| President was an interested witness at
| the ceremonies, but took no part in
/ them
| George w. Aughenbaugn. of the Penn
| sylvania battlefield commission. presid-
| ed at the ceremonies, and Milton A
| Embick Of Carlisle, Pa, delivered the
principal oration at Fort Steadman
Cross the Battlefield.
! After Taps had been sounded, the
entire party, numbering about 5000 per-
sons. crossed the Sangulnary battle
| fields to Fort Malone a distance Of one
mile. President Taft rode I'm a Victoria
drawn by four thoroughbred Virginia
| horses. Secret Service men We're on
| either side OF the vehicle AS the Presi-
/ dent rode across the battlehelds cheer
! after cheer went mp from7 the veterans.
! The $4,000 granite monument and
| bronze statue erected to commemorate
| thu heroic vaioT of Gen. John T. Har-
| tranft, and the Third Division. was ua-
/ veiled by Mrs. Harold A Gilbert Mrs
Continued 0a Fourth PaSe)