Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1913-07-11
GETTYSBURG
CAMP ENDS
Veterans Leave on Scores Of
Special Trains.
WILSON MADE BRIEF VISIT
epoke For Fifteen Minutes In Big
Tent and Quickly Left For New
York-Old Soldiers Had Big Time.


York-old Soldiers Had Big Time.
The railroads at Gettysburg, Pa,
were nearly swamped by the rush OF
veterans to depart for home. ASSISTED
by Major Normoyle and the United
States soldiers, the old soldiers were
entrained and thousands departed, all
shouting praise for the big encamp-
ment.
The president of the United States
came to Gettysburg and made a speech
and over a dozen governors, trailed
by their staffs, marched and counter
marched, but the real feature OF the
last day of the reunion was the parade
before sunrise, the singing, shouting
parade, while Confederate bands play
ed Marching Through Georgia" and
the Federal bands stirred the echoes
of the Roundtops with Dixie" The
paraders were made up Of old men
who had found their youth on the
field of Gettysburg and who marched
with their hands on each others
shoulders or their arms around each
others necks.
No one episode of the semi-centen-
NAL celebration testified so finely to
the one big fact that the veterans OF
the blue and gray have thoroughly en-
joyed themselves, but all bitterness,
all soreness has passed away, and that
every dollar that our Uncle Sam and
the states spent was mighty well
spent in bringing them together.
At least $4,000 people saw the fire.
works and took joy in the pleasure OF
the veterans. Automobiles came all
the way from Philadelphia and Balti-
more, as well. as from the small towns
for fifty miles around.
The roads were choked with grunt
ing motors, and Major Groome's
Pennsylvania police, together with the
regular army cavalry, found 1t a
sweating, trying job to guard the lives
of veterans who wandered over the
roads, blind to all but the lights and
colors breaking over Little Round
Top.
President Wilson was received at
the Western Maryland station by the
Pennsylvania monuments commission,
including Governor Tener. Drawn up
at the depot were four troops OF the
Fifteenth cavalry and detachment
of the Pennsylvania state police un-
der Major Groome. The escort wasted
no time in getting Mr.. Wilson over
the mile between the station and the
encampment The only view that the
thousands of old soldiers who did-not
attend the celebration in the big tent
had of the president was through a
rolling cloud of dust.
The big tent was pretty we'll filled
when the president arrived. At least
half of the audience Of 10000 were WIS.,
itors, not veterans. Most people re-
garded the ceremonies as more OF
civic celebration, more Of the usual
Fourth of July affair, than as large
episode of the reunion. AS the presl-
dent came on the camp grounds Bat
terry E, of the Third Field artillery,
fired the twenty-one guns salute to
which the Office of the presidency is
entitled. The meeting in the big tent
was fairly rushed through. Governor
Tener, of Pennsylvania. presented the
president in a dozen words. Mr.. Will
son, after the applause had subsided,
read his speech rapidly. He had fin-
ished in a quarter of an hour and was
away in hurry. One veteran, Colonel
John Love, of the Eighth Virginia, just
had time to grasp his hand and then
the secret service men had rushed him
out of the big tent and into his auto
mobile. He disappeared down the
Chambersburg pike in a cloud of dust,
was in Gettysburg town In a few min
utes and on his special heading to-
wards New York in a few minutes
more.
At exactly noon the guns Of Battery
e began salute to the Union, sa-
lutte of forty-eight guns that Is fired on
the Fourth At the instant the bang
of the first gun was heard every Off
Ger and man of the regular army In
the camp stood at attention. This was
in memory of both armies who had
died on the field of Gettysburg. Colo
mel Leggitt issued the order and the
news of it went quickly around the
great camp. When noon came thou
sands of the veterans stood with barred
heads in the hot sun.
Perfect weather and perfect treat
ment, combined with their own light
hearted enjoyment, kepe the veterans
we'll and vigorous. The deaths, eight
out of $4,000, tells the story better
than any number of words could do,