The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1910-05-03
TAKE ONE MORE MARCH.
Veterans March in Mobile Under Bat.
tie Scared Banners-Beauty
and Aged YalOr.

Mobile, Ala, April 28.-With halt
ing steps and trembling limbs, gray
bearded and feeble, with eyes in
which the fte Of youth has been DIM
med by the none TOO gentle passing
years, but with hearts iull or pride
and JOY, fifteen thousand veteran SOL
diers of the Confederacy marched
today beneath the battle-scarred flags
which they followed in the sixties.
Shoulder to shoulder, with comrades
who endured together the hardships
OF war, to the soft strains of "Dixie''
played by two score bands, encourag-
ed by the cheers of the biggest crowd
Mobile has ever entertained, the an
nual parade Of the veterans passed
into history.
Conditions IDEAL
The weather was perfect. The sun
was bright and warm, but a breeze
from the Gulf tempered its rays and
made ideal marching conditions. The
line of march was elaborately dec
GRATED with bunting and streamers.
Huge arches carried words of well
come to the veterans and from every
building the Stars and Bars and the
Stars and Stripes swung together,
Tapping lazily in the breeze. Major
Gen. George Harrison, commander
of the Alabama division, was the
grand marshal of the parade. To
simplify the parade formation, a
map of the line of march had been
printed showing the exact spot at
which each of the twenty-six divis-
ions was to form.
The preliminary arrangements for
the parade were so perfect that the
head of the column was set in mo-
ton three minutes before the time
for starting, 10 o'clock.
Reviewed by New Commander.
Gen. Clement A. Evans, who was
to have commanded the parade, was
too weak and i'll to review it, and
the new commander-ir-chief, Gen.
George W. Gordon, surrounded by
his staff, replaced him. Gen. Gordon
expressed deep regret that the white
haired old commander could not
round out his office by directing the
closing movement of the troops of
the reunion.
The parade followed the line OF
march assigned to it, and counter
marched through historic Bienville
square, where Gen. Lafayette once
reviewed the Continental troops. In
huge reviewing stand the general
officers and guests of honor watch
Ied the parade pass in review.
Maids and Sponsors Marched.
One of the pretty features of the
parade was, the march of the spon-
sors and maids of honor of the Sons
Of Veterans. Mobile has a total OF
thirty-six public carriages-not
enough to carry all the maids and
sponsors-so the sponsors and maids
of the veterans were given the car
riages and the pretty young women
who came with the Sons marched at
the head of the various camps to
which they were attached.
There we're some curious features
in the parade. A number Of old ne
gro soldiers were in line, among
them Jefferson Shields, who claims
to have been StoneWall Jackson'i
cook. Jeff was covered with reunion
badges and carried a live chicken
| under his arm. When asked what he
was doing with the chicken, he re-
piled that he was just carrying his
lunch. In the Virginia division were
group of old soldiers carrying
wasp nests on the end Of canes.
Veterans Leaving Mobile.
The exodus from Mobile began i'm
mediately after the parade, but a
great many of the guests will remain
here for the balance of the week
There will be a repetition Of the
Madri Gras parade tonight, anc
many side trips have been arranged
| for Friday and Saturday.
The official program of the reun-
ion closed tonight with a repetition