New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-07-02
Despite a PitiIess Sun, the Old
Soldiers of 1863 Swarm
Over Gettysburg's His 4
toriC Fields. q
"YANKS" AND "REBS" ONE
Arm in Arm, Onetirne Foes
Search Out Spots Where They
Fought Half a Century
Ago-Formal Re.
unions Begin.
from stan Correspondent Of Tho Tribune.

tFrom StaH Correspondent Of Tho Tribune /
Gettysburg, Penn, July 1.-Among
the $1,000 veterans who are swarming
over the battlefield, slowly and pain
fully searching out in the intense heat
the spots where they fought as dare
devil youngsters so long ago, are AL
bert NJ. Hamilton. Of the 72d Pennsyl-
vania, and A. c. Smith, Johnny Reb.'
belonging TO the 56th Virginia. It hap
pened this afternoon that these old fell
! lows. trudging along in their shirt
sleeves. formed two cf a little group Of
the Blue and Gray aiming for the
Bloody Angle.
Here" said Smith, in his gentle
! drawl Il fell the day Of Pickett's charge
and some Union man came long an
picked me up an saved my life"
They had reached their goal, and
Smith pointed just over the stone wall.
His hearers nodded. and each began
his own individual memoir Of the ter
rife struggle and slaughter which i'm
mortalized that triangle at the junction
Of two stone walls on Cemetery Ridge.
But Hamilton had already passed
through the old breach in the wall, and.
apparently without having heard
Smiths tale. began one Of his own.
1T was right here" he called to the
Confcderates in the party pointing TO
the ground at his feet, that gave one
Of your boys a drink of water, hauled
him up on my back. and toted him to
the hospital"
Smith ran over to him, took him BY
the shoulder, and peered hard into his
face Why good God. mister he
cried. you're the man WhD saved my
life"
The other looked, ald light seemed
to break over his fac, to, and then
happened something tha ~ unique In
Gettysburg annals. Those two old men
tottered into each others arms and
kissed. 1t knocked the Yankees hat
off, but the willing hands OF other COM
rades restored it TO him. and patted
him and his long lost enemy and broth
er on the shoulder in affectionate
amusement as those two walked back
through the wall TO the street, arm In
arm.
Mrs. Longstreet Pays a Call.
Another reunion so dramatic that 1t
was almost theatrical, and yet simple
and spontaneous enough. was the CAL
which Mrs. Helen Longstreet, widow or
the famous Confederate general, paid
on General Dan" Sickles this after
noon.
Mrs. Longstreet, who is writing for
the press, has had difficulty findins
quarters. She asked the government
to give her two tents, but the scarcity
Of equipment made that out OF the
question. Only one tent could be as
signed to her, and that one in the heart
OF the camp. Here she has been writ
ing her copy" She went last night to
the village TO find sleeping quarters
She ended up on a pile OF straw on the
floor OF a room which an aged woman
had been unable TO let 10 other visitors
because il contained no bed.
AS fresh and enthusiastic as II sne
had stepped from a Fifth avenue hotel.
Mrs Longstreet appeared for oreak-
fast at the mess tent in the morning,
and Immediately afterward began an
other days pounding Of the typewriter
She paused long enough, however. TO
walk the blstering stretch OF road be-
tween the camp and the Carr's Brigade
headquarters. in the old Rogers house,
IN the Emmitsburg Road. where Gen.
eral Sickles is quartered.
The general was seated in a chair on
the little front lawn OF his headquar-
ters. looking out, as usual, over those
acres of corn and wheat where his
oorps struggled so savagely for two
DAYS with Longstreet's tigers. and
where a Longstreet cannon ball made
him cripple.
Miss Wilmerding introduced Mrs.
I,ongstreet. The general arose and
bowed deeply. He took the greatest
pleasure in the dramatic situation and
the utmost satisfaction in being per-
mitted on this anniversary and at that
spot Of spots to tell Longstreet's widow
what a splendid and noble enemy her
husband was OF course, he took the
first opportunity of pointing out to
Mrs. Longstreet with his crutch that
particular place in the wheat field lying
before them where that ball shattered
his leg.
Has an Appreciative Audience.
Then II was Mrs. Longstreet's turn.
AS she, as we'll as the general. is a lit
tie deaf. the old veterans OF both sides.
who hover about the headquarters all
dav. soon understood what was pro-
ceeding under their noses. When Mrs.
Longstreet got the generals permission
TO read a eulogy Of him which she had
written she had worthy audience.
about equally divided between "Yanks"
and "Rebs.p The eulogy proved un-
usually eloquent. She called General
Sickles the Hero of Gettysburg" 1t
profoundly affected the man Of ninety
l., -